Lotus Expects Its Upcoming SUV To Push It Into The Luxury Market

The upcoming Lotus SUV will allow the British brand to expand into the luxury market like never before.

According to design boss Peter Horbury, the vehicle will venture into uncharted territory, particularly in the Chinese market and under the leadership of Geely, Autocar reports.

“The question is where Lotus can be positioned in the market, where it is today and where the competition might be. China is a huge market for more luxury, more expensive cars, so that’s a possibility.

“SUVs were never on the agenda at Porsche until someone dared to suggest to the board it might be a good idea. Where would they be today if they hadn’t?” Horbury said.

However, this isn’t to suggest that the SUV will be an out-and-out luxury car. Instead, it will feature the sporty prowess and class-leading handling of any Lotus model.

In creating the vehicle, Lotus is expected to use the Volvo SPA platform currently used by the XC90 and XC60. While this architecture only supports four-cylinder engines, Lotus will still offer a number of powerful engines for the model, including a four-cylinder hybrid delivering in excess of 400 HP.

Patent drawings, as the ones pictured here, have revealed that the SUV will adopt a sharp and edgy design quite different than any Lotus models currently on sale. It will be similar in size to the Porsche Macan.