Whatever it will be called, you can be sure that it will feel like a Lotus. While Colin Chapman was famously against weight, the Eletre electric SUV was designed to be relatively lightweight despite its battery pack. In 2022, Lotus’ managing director Matt Windle, said the car would weigh just under two tonnes. That’s roughly 4,400 American pounds, which is 1,000 lbs lighter than a BMW X5 M.
Type 134 will also use trick aerodynamics to increase range and performance. From the teaser images Lotus has released so far, the smaller SUV will likely share the same overall design as the Eletre.
“A lot of effort has gone into ensuring the future cars that we introduce to the market handle in a way that you would expect a Lotus to handle,” said Johnstone. “Take Eletre: the attributes team have been involved in its development, people who understand what a Lotus should feel like and drive. It isn’t just an electrified SUV with a Lotus badge on it: it’s been engineered from the beginning to look, feel and drive like a Lotus.”