After launching its flagship SUV called the Eletre earlier this year and preparing to launch its next all-electric sedan, Lotus is working on the development of a third electric car. It is again an SUV that will compete with models such as the electric Porsche Macan, which will appear this year, or the BMW iX3.

As reported by Autocar journalists with reference to the director of marketing of the British firm Mike Johnstone, this new model is codenamed “Type 134” and should be a new entry-level model from Lotus.

Special platform

This entry-level SUV is expected to measure approx 4.70 meters and it will share several elements with its big brother and sedan Type 133. Its platform, however, will be different, since the two models mentioned above will be much larger, the Eletre will exceed 5.10 meters, and the future electric sedan should do all the same.

This new Lotus SUV will likely come with a smaller battery than the Eletre and less powerful electric motors. In its most powerful version with the “R” suffix, the Eletre is a competitor to the Tesla Model X Plaid and shows a power of 905 horsepower and a torque of 985 Nm. It’s hard to imagine this level of power on a smaller model, even if the car can approach 700 hp. for the most spicy version.

Big ambitions at Lotus

Pricing has yet to be announced, but it will certainly be lower than the €96,890 claimed for the Eletre. Also because the British firm has big goals: it estimates that the Type 134 will account for half of its annual sales by 2028. according to the first estimates, about 75,000 units. The march seems colossal for Lotus, which, remember, sold only 1,710 cars worldwide in 2021.

Like its big brother, Lotus’ entry-level electric SUV will benefit from the British manufacturer’s expertise in creating aerodynamic and lightweight cars, with Mike Johnston insisting Lotus’s fundamental philosophy of performance and dynamism will underpin the development.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into making sure the future cars we bring to market perform the way you’d expect from Lotus”he told Autocar. “Take Eletre: The Attributes team was involved in its development”.