It appears as though the Lotus SUV has edged closer to reality following Geely’s recent purchase of the British sports car maker.
Lotus has been talking about an SUV to rival the Porsche Macan for a number of years now and even presented a concept a full decade ago. Sadly, such a vehicle has failed to materialize, predominately due to the brand’s inability to make money.
However, the firm’s financials are now in the best place they’ve been in years following the introduction of a fleet of special edition variants of the Elise, Exige and Evora. Consequently, Lotus could finally be in a position to pull the trigger on an SUV.
In May, Chinese automaker Geely confirmed that it would acquire a majority of DRB-HICOM’s stake in Lotus for an undisclosed amount. Beyond this deal giving Lotus the resources of a large automaker, it also opens it up to the Chinese market, a region where SUVs are extremely popular.
At the start of this year, Lotus chief executive Jean-Marc Gales said an SUV would be “a nice addition to the lineup” but suggested it could be four to five years away. But, with the recent backing of Geely, a launch could come much earlier.
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