Lotus’ fortunes have changed since Geely took over it. The British marque’s first-ever SUV, the all-electric Lotus Eletre, heralds a new era for it. Next, the Hethel-based carmaker will launch the Lotus Type 133, an E-segment electric sedan, to take on the Porsche Taycan.
Lotus Type 133 Design
Peter Horbury, Senior VP, Design at Lotus, has said that the design would be coherent with the next generation of Lotus cars, and there would be continuity. At the same time, he emphasized that despite the design having family genes, it would be unique in its own right. The Type 133 will not simply be the sedan version of Eletre. It would be distinct with a fresh and attractive design and exciting performance.
Expect the Type 133 electric sedan to borrow design cues from the Eletre SUV and yet be distinct in its ways. Image: Lotus
Expect the Lotus Type 133 to borrow Eletre’s design language blended with ample coupe-specific add-ons like a swooping roofline, integrated rear spoiler, and a low-slung stance. Lotus is likely to carry out the design development at Lotus Tech Creative Centre (LTCC), the renamed Geely design studio in Warwickshire, UK, the same place where the design of the Eletre was born.
Specifications
The Lotus Type 133 sedan would be based on the Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) that currently underpins the Eletre. Gavan Kershaw, the brand’s director of attributes and product integrity that the EPA was benchmarked on the Eletre and would underpin future models also.
The Lotus Type 133 will reportedly lock horns with the Porsche Taycan, widely considered the best-handling electric sports car. Image: Porsche
Expect the Lotus Type 133 to be a seriously fast car. Lotus MD Matt Windle has confirmed to Autocar that 592 bhp was where the sedan range would start with more to come, hinting at more powerful variants. We can also expect the Lotus sedan to be equipped with top drawer battery specifications.
The sedan is likely to be offered with 800-volt architecture for ultra-fast charging. Lotus might also offer dual-motor AWD for blazing-fast acceleration and improved grip. Despite being high-riding and heavy, the Eletre races to 62 mph in under 3 seconds. The Type 133 is expected to be faster as it has the Porsche Taycan in its crosshairs.
Release Date & Production
At the Lotus Eletre world premiere on March 29, 2022, Ben Payne, Head of Lotus Tech Creative Centre, said that Lotus has “almost finished” designing the Type 133. Speaking further, he suggested that the world premiere would take place “in around 12 months’ time,” in summer 2023.
We’ve been open already about saying this is the first of four fully electrified products which are going to come from Lotus in the next five years. So, this one we’re presenting to you today, but as a designer I kind of have this strange sense where I actually have to live partly in the future so the next electrified Lotus lifestyle product which is going to be coming fairly soon, we’ve almost finished that.
Ben Payne, Head of Lotus Tech Creative Centre (Lotus Eletre world premiere on March 29, 2022)
Lotus has a lot of ground to cover before the debut of the Type 133. The Emira production is underway, while the deliveries of the Evija hypercar will begin later this year. Lotus would be busy rolling out the Eletre in 2023 in the U.S. and other global markets.
Lotus caters to a broad range of segments, including sports cars, SUVs, sedans, and hypercars; the Evija electric hypercar pictured here is good for 2,000 hp and over 200 mph top speed. Image: Lotus
The Type 133 is likely to be manufactured at the same factory as the Eletre in the Hannan district of Wuhan city, China. Lotus would price it competitively, thanks to Chinese production and the advantage of parent company Geely’s pool of local resources.
Featured Image Source: Lotus