Lotus SUV...

[auRouge 436]

On 16/03/2019 at 10:09, Advantage said:

I wonder if one day the lessons they've learned in making SUVs will trickle down to those funny little sportscars they also make. 

Indeed it has. PDDC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control) was first developed and introduced on the Cayenne. It has since been offered on the 911 (991 onwards)... helps keep it flatter on the limit therefore increasing traction and reducing lap times. Worth 5 seconds around the Nurburgring. 

Porsche sells 5 times more non sports cars than it does those funny little sports cars.. thus benefiting from all that extra R & D. 

[C8RKH 5,799]

On 12/04/2019 at 00:40, auRouge said:

Indeed it has. PDDC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control) was first developed and introduced on the Cayenne. It has since been offered on the 911 (991 onwards)... helps keep it flatter on the limit therefore increasing traction and reducing lap times. Worth 5 seconds around the Nurburgring. 

Porsche sells 5 times more non sports cars than it does those funny little sports cars.. thus benefiting from all that extra R & D. 

Porsche is a van manufacturer that sells Sports cars on the side, Lotus hopefully will continue to be, into the future, a sports car manufacturer that sells vans.

The only Porsche products that really interest me are the race bred GT cars, the rest are just meh to be honest, but I appreciate others like them and that's fine for them.

Lotus really needs to put the Motorsports team back together at Hethel. 

[auRouge 436]

I feel the same about anything mainstream these days. It’s all become too alike. The necessity of having to share chassis and engines creating variants to become profitable has been at the cost of character. It’s all boring.

 

[Bibs 10,682]

https://paultan.org/2019/04/29/lotus-suv-gets-rendered-based-on-patent-drawings/

[LotusLeftLotusRight 1,080]

Good to see they've dropped the controversial plan to have larger diameter front wheels than rears. That looked weird. Also short people need not apply: the fuel filler is about 6ft off the ground!

[Advantage 910]

Needs a winch. a snorkel and knobbly tyres.  

[oilmagnet477 747]

On ‎15‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 10:04, auRouge said:

I feel the same about anything mainstream these days. It’s all become too alike. The necessity of having to share chassis and engines creating variants to become profitable has been at the cost of character. It’s all boring.

 

If you go back far enough, that's pretty much how a lot of car companies evolved - putting different bodies on the same underpinnings. Agree in principle though, there's a lot of the same boring shite out there....

[tim_marra 451]

22 minutes ago, Advantage said:

Needs a winch. a snorkel and knobbly tyres.  

Or maybe just the Jaguar badge re-instated....

[theelanman 502]

but its a volvo.....XC90 or XC70...or XC60

 

any which way....Im gonna get me one when they come out...........

I need a lotus to carry bigger kids...........

[tim_marra 451]

Don't all Lotus owners feel like big kids behind the wheel?

[NedaSay 821]

Ok I'm on board for a very expensive lease as soon as this thing comes to North America but I guess I won't get a green model... I do like how the front 3 quarter view shows lineage with the Elite and Excel 4 seaters from the 1980's but really hope there will be a no chrome trim version, because just my opinion Lotus should not bear chrome. Maybe replace chrome with titanium or just go satin black trim.  I really dig the rear 3 quarter view, I like how dynamic the car looks, but I'm not sure with the round light cluster, it looks I don't know, on this render, out of place, outdated, too small. I hope they will reconsider this detail even if I would not consider it a deal breaker though. 

[Frickin_idiot 128]

Is the suv even a possibility now? 

[NedaSay 821]

I do think it is happening, I don't think the SUV will be priced beyond the means of that many. I think it will be the first Lotus darling for leasing and financing companies just like the Maccan brought a much younger and not that wealthy clientele, it shall bring Lotus to the masses. 

I also think we will get more than one SUV and I do think that at some point down the road some kind of sedan (Lotus Eterne) will also see the light of day.  By the look of it the SUV is more a crossover than a true SUV, it is more V60 XC, than XC60 dare I say. It will therefore be quite "easy" to derivate a bigger version from it, if there's demand for it, and an "Eterne",  which actually share quite a few DNA traits with the render of the SUV.  And again Lotus evolved VVA and Volvo Geely SPA modules should combine quite nicely. We know Geely is building a factory for its luxury vehicles in Wuhan,  It will be shared between Lotus products and other Geely products , But Geely and Volvo already have factories able to produce their luxury models, So Lotus may in the end get the lion share of a factory geared for 150,000 vehicles yearly.

 

[electro_boy 191]

From what Popham has been saying sounds like the SUV is still a possibility; they are focusing on the sports cars at the moment, so if the SUV does happen it won't be for a while yet.  He also said the SUV would have to be true to Lotus values otherwise they would not build it.  He is not keen on just using chassis or platform already available from within the Geely group and wrapping it in a Lotus styled body.

[Advantage 910]

9 hours ago, NedaSay said:

So Lotus may in the end get the lion share of a factory geared for 150,000 vehicles yearly.

Or, given the tie-up with Williams, perhaps it will be the - umm - ion share?

 

Ayethangkew. Please tip your waitress, try the veal etc 

[theelanman 502]

22 hours ago, Advantage said:

Please tip the veal and try your waitress  etc 

 

[nerobi 219]

 

Quote

 

SUVs Are Now 46 Times More Popular Than Sports Cars

New industry analysis has revealed that the SUV market share now accounts for almost 37 per cent of the total European market, with sports cars accounting for just 0.8 per cent

 

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/suvs-are-now-46-times-more-popular-than-sports-cars/

Edited May 12, 2019 by nerobi

[ChrisJ 1,406]

Quote

In March, SUVs took a 36.8 per cent share of all sales across all 27 EU member states

Have we left then?

[theelanman 502]

ok......Im getting to the point where a new car is imminent.......

now I usually buy........I usually hate SUVs..........

but Ive had 2 kids since I last bought a car.............so need the space....and as I want the Lotus SUV, when it finally gets here, I think Im going to lease a new one.....

sorry, I cant wait any longer Lotus........I'll stick sort of brand loyal.......Im looking at a Volvo XC40 T5R........

big question is how long should I get a lease for?.......how long do we think realistically is the Lotus SUV going to arrive?

[ChrisJ 1,406]

I have the same question. The SUV always seems to be 3-5 years away.

[NedaSay 821]

I'm betting on 2022.

The factory will be ready sometime next year.  If the patent drawings have been approved and I don't see a reason why not since they were published quite a few months after the takeover, back when Feng Qinfeng was running the company, So if C.A.D is going on now, the stage 1 prototype should not be too far from seeing road testing. Because Lotus is part of a significant group with a f-load of SUV we won't even know it is the SUV development mule until they decide to leak it. By the time they start leaking pictures it will probably be in winter testing or hot weather testing phase which will be lengthy. I do expect the SUV to have the longest development time a Lotus product has ever had until now ; so unveil in 2021 and launch a full year later so 2022.  

[CharlieBrown 19]

IMO I hope Lotus does not build a SUV... That would be a sin and an insult to Colin Chapman's legacy. Lotus is not Porsche or Lamborghini.

[Bravo73 1,234]

Really? Chapman himself built 4 seater family cars. If there were SUVs around in the 60/70s, he would have probably built one as well. He sold road cars in order to pay for his race team(s). If he thought that he could have sold an SUV, he would've done so.

[NedaSay 821]

2 hours ago, CharlieBrown said:

IMO I hope Lotus does not build a SUV... That would be a sin and an insult to Colin Chapman's legacy. Lotus is not Porsche or Lamborghini.

Uh no, it wouldn't... And Lotus just like Lamborghini and Porsche needs to make money.  Besides, the first Lotus to ever be built the Mark 1 was a hillclimber 

If anything it would be a return to Lotus roots to build a proper off roader.

[CharlieBrown 19]

2 hours ago, KG said:

US Evora GT is definitely getting carbon seats.......and a few more carbon pieces.... 

and a few more carbon parts! 

Go Lotus! Build those SUVs!

 

SUV Never going to happen!

1 hour ago, NedaSay said:

Uh no, it wouldn't... And Lotus just like Lamborghini and Porsche needs to make money.  Besides, the first Lotus to ever be built the Mark 1 was a hillclimber 

If anything it would be a return to Lotus roots to build a proper off roader.

Well, most SUVs are not proper off roaders (except for the Range Rover)...However, something like the Range Rover Defender or like the Jeep Wrangler, I can support that.

Edited May 30, 2019 by CharlieBrown