The 71-year-old British sports car maker has a new electric hypercar coming next month. We already know that it is called the Type 130, as it was made official at the Shanghai Auto Show a couple of months ago. When the new car is unveiled on July 16th, it will become the first new car Lotus has produced since the Evora was launched in 2008. Thus marks the rapid development that has been possible under Geely ownership and an influx of capital.
The new Lotus EV has been confirmed for production at the Lotus facility in Hethel, where the company has been based since 1966. Just 130 examples of the so-called hypercar will be built, though we don’t yet know what it looks like or how much it will cost or how fast it is.
I am personally a fan of Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s lightweight and simplicity ethos. This has made for some exquisite Lotus models over the decades, and for a long time it lead to ultimate success in motorsports. While the company has certainly waned from the international powerhouse it once was, the current range of products, while ancient, are still quite good.
I am confident that the Lotus engineers are capable and can still make a quality sports car with excellent handling characteristics. This Type 130 should be an interesting motor car. Hopefully with the EV engineering Williams have learned supplying Formula E with batteries, and the influx of actual money from the Chinese, Lotus can regain some of its former glory.
The Lotus Type 130 will be unveiled in London on July 16th. Production is said to take place shortly thereafter with deliveries beginning in 2020. Lotus has produced chassis for electrification before, as it supplied Elise to an early Tesla for the original Roadster.