Details of Lotus’ electric SUV start to emerge

IT IS no secret British sportscar specialist Lotus has been working on a new all-electric SUV, however specific details of the new model have been thin on the ground until now with reports suggesting the ‘Lambda’ will develop up to 559kW and have an effective range of 579km.

According to a report by Autocar, the Lambda was originally slated to feature a hybrid powertrain before plans were changed to make it a dedicated BEV (battery electric vehicle) with an electric motor on each axle.

Due to be revealed in 2022, the Lambda will be built on an adapted version of parent company Geely’s recently announced ‘Sustainable Experience Architecture’ (SEA) and most likely assembled at the brand’s newly updated production facility in Wuhan, China – fitting given China is expected to be one its strongest markets.

The SEA was debuted by Geely in September as a successor to the existing CMA (Common Modular Architecture) platform and is tipped to be shared across nine brands within the Geely group, including Geely, Proton, Lotus, Volvo, Lynk & Co and Polestar.

Two versions of the Lambda are expected to make it to production, both offering Tesla-scaring levels of power.

According to Autocar, even the entry-level Lambda will develop around 447kW while the flagship will boast the previously mentioned 559kW.

Predicted range for both variants is pegged at 579km however there is reportedly “ambition to go beyond that” while Geely executives have said regardless of powertrain and design, a Lotus-branded SUV “has to be the lightest it can be of that genre”.

With the Tesla Model X weighing in at almost 2500kg depending on the variant, Autocar speculates the Lotus engineers could well target a 2000kg kerb weight for the Lambda, fitting with the comments made above by Geely design boss Peter Horbury regarding lightness.

If this report holds true and the Lambda does end up being all-electric, it will be Lotus’ second dedicated EV after the ballistic Evija hypercar which is due to launch sometime next year.