Lotus to reveal a new SUV after 2020 – could be built in China



Work on a new Lotus SUV – the first offering of its kind by the Chinese-owned British sportscar brand – has begun and its CEO, Jean-Marc Gales who was recently in hot water after getting caught speeding while testing Lotus’ new sportscar, said it would arrive a couple years after 2020.

It looks like even Lotus is not resistant from the need to cash in on the lucrative SUV and crossover segment not only for portfolio sake since it hasn’t introduced a new car since the Evora in 2009 but also because the cash books have not reflected a profit in years.

An old rendering of a Lotus SUV – an idea of what could be.

Instead, Lotus had been introducing a string of revised, improved and lightened models from existing platforms with the most recent being the Evora GT410 Sport. But things are looking up under its new Chinese owners, with Geely pledging to help Lotus compete with Ferrari and Porsche again.

As such, the Hethel-based sportscar maker had revealed plans for two new sportscars set to be introduced by the same time Malaysia becomes a first-world nation in 2020. It will be their first new models since the influx of Chinese money and expect to see a current member from the Lotus range replaced.

The Lotus Evora 410 was one of Autobuzz.my Best Cars of 2017. Watch the video here.

One of the new models will apparently sit above even the Evora, currently the Lotus’ flagship model which will offer Lotus 3-Eleven levels of driving sensations but with a bit more refinement. The new sportscars are expected to be produced in the UK while the SUV would likely be built in China.

Credit: Autonews.com