The new Type 132 SUV is a key model to underpin Lotus’s financial security, and it’s set for a reveal later this month
Lotus has dropped the second teaser of its first ever SUV, the model it and its parent company Geely are hoping will provide a solid backbone of financial security after an investment period initiated after it joined the group in 2017. Though details are still under wraps, Lotus has now announced an official March 29 reveal date.
The new model, referred to as the Type 132 for now, will join the Emira sports car and Evjia electric hypercar when it’s revealed next month as part of a wider roadmap revealed by Lotus, itself being one of four new architectures currently in development that will underpin a rapid growth into multiple new segments.
> Lotus Advanced Performance division announced
The Type 132’s new architecture will form the foundation of a whole range of new lifestyle models, designed specifically to support electric powertrains and the batteries that supply them. This has been confirmed with Lotus’s announcement that the new Emira sports car, formerly known as Type 131, will be the last ICE model the brand produces before adopting total electrification.
The new electric SUV, as well as a spread of other new models, are on course to be in the range by 2028, starting with the Type 132. Yet while Lotus is leading development of this new model, the platform will likely be connected to other projects happening elsewhere within the Geely conglomerate in which Lotus is now a part of.
With Volvo/Polestar in the process of developing its own bespoke electric product lines, it stands to reason that the two interconnected Swedish outposts of the Geely brand will join forces with Lotus, in at least some capacity, to develop these new platforms. With Polestar’s head start in the EV marketplace, combined with Lotus chassis expertise and Volvo’s sterling reputation for safety and build quality, Geely’s collective European footprint has a formidable stance in competition to its key rivals.
So with a product plan that has a keen eye on looking ahead, plus an investment stream to be able to fund the development of these new models in place, the future of Lotus looks to be to be more resilient than it has been for a generation.
This article originally appeared at evo.co.uk
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