A Lotus SUV Is Coming To Give The Porsche Macan A Kicking

Lotus has confirmed that it's working on an SUV to tackle the likes of the Porsche Macan, and it wants the car to be the best-handling in its class...
A Lotus SUV Is Coming To Give The Porsche Macan A Kicking

Lotus is planning an SUV to fight the Maserati Levante and Porsche Macan, and these designs have just been filed with patent authorities.

Billed from the off as the best-handling sports-SUV of the three, which would be some achievement, Lotus says it wants the car to go around bends “like nothing else in its segment.”

A Lotus SUV Is Coming To Give The Porsche Macan A Kicking

But just when you were thinking this might be a Lotus that’s actually all-new for once, we have to put a pin in that bubble. Geely-owned Lotus will take most of the new car’s key parts from stablemate Volvo.

Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales – who’s now back behind the wheel – confirmed that the Lotess-you-vee will be built from parts nicked from beneath the XC60 and XC90, which share the same modular structure.

A Lotus SUV Is Coming To Give The Porsche Macan A Kicking

Reading between the lines that means four cylinders only for the premium soft-roader, but at least the ‘twin-engine’ T8 plug-in hybrid drivetrain coughs up 401bhp. You can expect that to increase once Lotus’ engineers have whipped their tuning tools out.

The designs filed for patent applications look kinda Jaguar-ish from the front and surprisingly Ferrari-like from the back, although the bum-end styling clearly comes from the likes of the Exige and Evora.

A Lotus SUV Is Coming To Give The Porsche Macan A Kicking

Production is currently set to start in late 2021. Production of the £60,000-£70,000 car will be split across two locations with one said to be China and the other dependant on the outcome of Brexit negotiations.

Source: Autocar

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Comments

DL🏁

Even if turns out not to be the best handling car in class, it surely will have to most special editions and versions in the class

03/20/2018 - 13:58 |
0 | 0

Yeah, me again….do you remember our little discussion? About Lotus being one of the last stands against SUVs? Yeeahhhh……

03/20/2018 - 18:03 |
0 | 0
TheRacingGoat

Ferrari…

We’re still waiting on that SUV…

03/20/2018 - 14:04 |
0 | 3
57)679&)8

Sighs ** another suv

03/20/2018 - 14:08 |
1 | 3

These are bankroll vehicles. Like small American cars where 10 years ago. We need cars we can f$&k in!

03/20/2018 - 14:11 |
1 | 1
TheMindGarage

The best handling SUV is like the tastiest piece of poo. Irrelevant.

03/20/2018 - 14:18 |
5 | 1

That is the funniest way I have ever seen this put, but it is so true though. Have you ever met a crossover owner that cares about handling? I sure have not. (Not to mention, most crossover owners I have met don’t even know what their engine is)

03/23/2018 - 17:49 |
0 | 0
ramses rizal

Colin Chapman in his grave be like

03/20/2018 - 14:22 |
2 | 2
Anonymous

Isn’t this from months ago?

03/20/2018 - 14:30 |
0 | 0
My Name is Joel

Ah, Lotus finally wants to make some real $$$$$.

03/20/2018 - 14:39 |
2 | 1

This is against lotus’s core philosophy, therefore,f*ck

03/20/2018 - 19:18 |
1 | 1
TheDriver 1

I’m now officially sad…

03/20/2018 - 14:50 |
1 | 0
HAYABUSA

SUV
The best handling

There should be laws against using thus soiling the sacred word of handling

03/20/2018 - 14:55 |
2 | 0
Joel Brennan

From the front, a Maserati Quattroporte. From the rear, a Ferrari FF.

03/20/2018 - 15:04 |
0 | 0