Lotus planning new entry-level model

The sports car will take design cues from the new Evija hypercar.

23 April 2020 at 08:40

The first part of Lotus' rebirth has been the development of its all-electric hypercar, the Evija, but the British sports car maker is also working on another car at the other end of the spectrum, according to company CEO Phil Popham.

The entry-level machine will be visually similar to the Evija (pictured below), but will be priced somewhere between £55,000-100,000, putting it in the same realm as the Porsche 718 and the Alpine A110. It will be produced at a newly-built expansion at Lotus' Hethel base, and will be unveiled either later on this year or at some point in 2021.

Lotus's decision to bring in a new entry-level model will help it ramp up production numbers from around 1,600 units a year to around 5,000. The rise is something that new owner Geely is keen to do, however it isn't looking to increase its output by bringing in an SUV right now, like Aston Martin and Lamborghini, although introducing an SUV could happen further down the line.

"It's not as if we have to generate all the money ourselves to invest in our future," Popham said. "Our focus now is on sports cars, but we do think the brand has the potential to move into other segments. And Geely has expertise in areas such as electrification and autonomous driving."

Meanwhile the Evija will enter production later this year – coronavirus permitting. It will be the fastest Lotus road car ever made, with a top speed of over 200 mph, with a 0-60 mph time of less than three seconds.

The drivetrain is a 1,973 bhp all-electric drivetrain sending power to all four wheels by four electric motors. Range is expected to be around 250 miles, while the car's overall weight will sit at 1,680 kgs.