Lotus shared a sketch of the Type 135 sports car: the premiere will have to wait
The novelty will be an electric successor to the Elise supercar, which was recently discontinued. The green model will debut in 2026.
The British brand Lotus today is engaged in the production of sports and racing cars, as well as the development of electric vehicles. Recall that the history of the company began in 1952, and in 1986 it was bought by the American company General Motors. Later, in 1996, the Malaysian company Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd (Proton) acquired a controlling stake, and in the fall of 2017, the majority (more precisely, 51%) of the shares of Lotus Cars passed to the Chinese company Geeley.
Pictured: Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition
Europe continues to tighten environmental regulations, forcing many automakers to gradually switch to the production of hybrid and all-electric vehicles. This process also affected Lotus: last month the company said goodbye to three models at once: Elise, Exige and Evora, and also recalled that the last car of the brand to be equipped with a traditional internal combustion engine will be the Emira, which will roll off the assembly line in the spring of 2022.
Subsequently, the company will be engaged in the production of electric vehicles, while its development continues. One of the new products announced at the end of the summer of 2021 is the “green" Type 135 sports car. So far, there is no official information about what this model will look like. The premiere of the novelty is scheduled for 2026.
Lotus Type 135 sketch
Despite the fact that the debut of an electric sports car is still far away, the company decided to share a new sketch of the future novelty. Judging by the image in which the car is shown in profile, this Lotus electric car will have a visually pointed front end, “expressive” wings, as well as a laconic spoiler that will decorate the stern.
The Lotus Type 135 will be based on the new modular E-Sports platform currently being developed by the British brand. It is intended for the British brand’s planned electric sports cars as well as the new generation Alpine A110.
Short wheelbase version of the E-Sports platform with a vertical battery
As we noted earlier, the E-Sports trolley offers two wheelbase options – 2470 mm and 2650 mm, as well as two options for the design of the 800-volt battery – vertical (the British call such a battery a "chest") and horizontal. ("skateboard"). In the first case, the battery is located behind the backs of the driver’s and only the passenger’s seats, its capacity is 66.4 kWh for a short-wheelbase vehicle, or 99.6 kWh for a long-wheelbase vehicle. The power reserve will be about 480 and 725 km, respectively. And with a skateboard-type battery (66.4 kWh), long-wheelbase electric vehicles with a 2 + 2 landing formula will be produced.
Long wheelbase variant of the E-Sports platform with vertical battery
Lotus intends to supply a short-wheelbase sports car with a single electric motor with a capacity of 476 hp.
Recall that the premiere of the first crossover brand Lotus Type 132 will soon take place. Its debut is scheduled for this spring. It is expected to hit the market in the second half of 2022. So far, Lotus has said the SUV will be all-electric, but there are no details on the technology yet. It is assumed that the model will only have all-wheel drive versions, probably with a twin-engine layout (an electric motor on each axle).
Long wheelbase version of the E-Sports platform with horizontal battery and 2+2 landing formula
Along with the trailer, Lotus also revealed plans to partner with Britishvolt, which invests in battery technology. Now the parties have already signed a memorandum of understanding, according to this document, Lotus, together with a new partner, will develop a battery for a sports electric car. The developers intend to focus on the maximum allowable weight reduction of the battery, as well as fast battery charging.