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Let’s all be honest and admit few thought we would casually talk about electric sedans from Lotus to follow SUVs too without combustion engines. Some of us were under the impression that the folks from Norfolk would continue to sell the Elise/Exige and Evora forever, smoothing them out through various special editions. However, everything changed when Geely bought the company, placing it under the same corporate umbrella as Volvo.
It’s 2022 and the Eletre is officially out, with an electric sedan following next year. Indeed, the Porsche Taycan competitor currently known by the code name “Type 133” will be released in 2023 as the second model made in China after the SUV. english magazine Autocar had obtained preliminary details about the saloon, which they said would not look like Eletre without its stilts.
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It’s believed the sedan’s design will be finalized soon, and Lotus suggests it will be more than just a low-slung Eletre. According to Peter Horbury, senior VP of design, “every family member can have their own character.” That said, companies need to have a cohesive design, hence why “there must be some continuity and family identity” because “families are not made up entirely of triplets or quadruplets.”
Expect an aero-driven exterior design and a hi-tech minimalist cabin for what will be Lotus’ answer to the Taycan GTS. Given that the Eletre has a dual motor with a combined 592 horsepower, the sedan should have the same punch as the SUV and the Zuffenhausen sedan. However, Lotus has said there will be a more powerful version, so the Type 133 could eventually duel with the Turbo and/or Turbo S.
According to the company’s managing director, Matt Windle, the launch-specification SUV with 592 hp is “where we start – there’s more to come.” In fact, there have been rumors of an Eletre tri-motor with 900 hp, which still loses to the Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance.
Lotus expansion will continue in 2024 with the Type 134 as a smaller Wuhan-made electric crossover to counter the next generation Porsche Macan, EV only. In 2026, the results of the collaboration with Alpine will be realized in an electric sports car that will be built at home in Hethel. The Renault performance arm will get its own variant to replace the mid-engined A110 Coupe.
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