Yahoo Autos How Lotus plans to expand and electrify as it enters a new age
If you’ve never driven a car made by Lotus, you’re not alone — they’ve always been a small manufacturer, and even spotting one in public is a rarity — but you’re missing out. Their exotic good looks are far surpassed by their dedication to connecting man to machine to pavement above all else. But like every other automaker these days, big changes are afoot. Yes, Lotus is going electric. But it’s also going big, and in more ways than one. We recently sat down with Lotus Group VP & Managing Director Matt Windle and Chief Brand Officer James Andrew to talk about how the storied brand will pay service to its past as it aims its headlights toward the future.
We’ve already seen the Lotus Evija (formerly referred to by internal codename Type 132), a low-volume, all-electric hypercar that represents the small automaker’s first big step into electrification. With 1,500 kilowatts (about 2,000 horsepower) coming from four electric motors, you can forget 0-60; it’ll do 0-186 miles per hour in 9.1 seconds. It starts at over $2 million, and production will be capped at 130 units. Flashy numbers to make a big splash, before going bigger in both size and production volume.
Next will come the Lotus Eletre (formerly Type 133), an electric SUV that represents the (currently) small automaker’s desire to cater to every lifestyle rather than to be pigeonholed by purists and luddites. To reach big volumes, Lotus needs to be a truly global company, and it needs to create cars that more customers can use, and at prices they can afford.
And even though an SUV isn’t what we’re used to seeing from Lotus, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised — and not just because seemingly every other exclusive, top-shelf brand is now offering an SUV or will be soon. James Andrew reminded us that the appreciation has always been there, and that Lotus founder Colin Chapman had two parking spots at the office: one for his Lotus Esprit, and the other for a Range Rover he’d often drive to work. Don’t expect a rock-crawling luxury off-roader to wear the Lotus badge, though. The gents assured us that the brand’s focus remains on performance.
And a crucial part of that performance is in driving dynamics that connect the driver to the car. Certain EV advantages — like flexibility in powertrain packaging or the lack of an exhaust system and the heat protection that requires — mean that its electric cars can retain that cab-forward, mid-engine-style layout. Ride and handling remain a focus, along with a balanced weight distribution. Aerodynamics continue to be an important part of the formula — it wouldn’t be Lotus, otherwise. The Evija uses Venturi tunnels to reduce drag — “air going through a car is easier than air going over a car,” Windle told us — and the Eletre has a grille that opens and closes “like a piece of art.” Finally, a familiar design element Lotus calls “Becker corners” (named after longtime Lotus Director of Vehicle Engineering Roger Becker) allow drivers to see the exterior corners to aid in precision car placement.
Eco-friendly materials work with the brand’s focus on performance, luxury and sustainability. Recyclable materials and natural materials like wool blends not only help lend credence to the brand’s environmental pursuits, but save weight by about 50% compared to traditional leather interiors. Like a lot of brands, Lotus is also going to offer many animal-free interiors as well. Another feather in Lotus’ green cap is simply the number of its cars that are still on the road: 75%. Lotus notes that that will undoubtedly change as its scale increases, but it’s also researching second-life uses for when the batteries in its new stable of offerings are retired from the road.
