Earlier this year, Chinese conglomerate Geely purchased control of Lotus from Proton Motors. The move gave Geely a sports car brand while also ensuring that Lotus would have the money it needs to redesign its aging lineup of vehicles. And from the sound of things, Geely has big plans for its new sports car brand.
Autocar reports that while speaking to reporters last week, An Cong Hui, head of Geely, said he wants Lotus to be a legitimate alternative to some of the best performance brands in the industry. “We are making plans. We want to bring back the heritage of Lotus to be one of the top performers in the luxury sports car segment,” he said. “Lotus used to be ranked alongside Ferrari and Porsche, so we need to come back in that rank again.”
Granted, Porsche and Ferrari typically compete at two drastically different price points, but as far as driver-oriented performance cars go, they’re two of the most respected brands in the business. If the next Evora is going to be a legitimate Porsche 911 killer, we’ll gladly take it. But if Lotus has a Ferrari 488 GTB fighter in the works, well, that’s even better.
Before you see either, though, expect Lotus to first launch an SUV. It’s a vehicle that’s been coming for a long time, but if Lotus wants to turn a legitimate profit anytime soon, it’s also probably necessary. Purists might not like it, but if Lotus’ SUV drives anything like the Evora 400, it will be one fantastic little crossover.
Source: Autocar
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