Come next year, Lotus will delight driving enthusiasts with a brand new model, its first all-new car in the past 12 years. Known internally as the Type 131, this new Lotus will slot between the Exige and Evora instead of replacing either of them.
The Type 131 will reportedly be based on an all-new lightweight platform and will utilize internal combustion power as opposed to a hybrid powertrain – for weight reduction purposes.
One possibility has Lotus sourcing the Type 131’s engine from Geely instead of Toyota, but it’s definitely too early to speculate on that front.
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Last year, Lotus CEO Phil Popham talked about the Type 131 project with AutoExpress, saying: “We’re busy now investing in a pretty aggressive business plan that will deliver an all-new sports car next year. It’ll be shown towards the end of next year and go on sale some time after that. We are investing in new platforms as well.”
“The [Type 131] won’t be all-electric – unlike the hypercar, which will. Beyond that, whatever cars we have will include BEV [fully electric] derivatives. It’s not the only propulsion system we’re working on, but BEV will be part of it.”
Popham did address the potential shift to Geely-sourced engines by saying that his company will have access to powertrains that exist within the group right now, as well as units that were at the time under development.
“But we’re not restricted to that. We’re very free to collaborate with, and source from, other manufacturers,” he added.
