Did Lotus Just Copy Off of Lamborghini?
The popularity of SUVs is indisputable. With the more modern styling, SUVs can look as nice and aggressive as passenger cars, provide just as much performance, and drivers get the added bonus of cabin space and practicality. There are a lot of reasons to make the switch over to SUV, even for sports car lovers and luxury car fanatics. For years companies like Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz have offered their options of SUVs and crossovers, proving that there is plenty of desire in the market for luxury cars. With the release and success of performance-oriented luxury SUVs like the Lamborghini Urus, it only makes sense that a company like Lotus would do it, too.
A new Lotus
Lotus cars aren’t always the most expensive options out there. In the US, Lotus stopped selling their most affordable sports car, the Elise, in 2012, but the Exige and Evora are still available new. These two cars and their various trim levels are the only cars that Lotus currently offers in the US, so the market for the brand is pretty niche. Even with the debut of their new hypercar, the Lotus Evija, Lotuses remain extremely rare. But what if they made a car for the general consumer market?
It wouldn’t be a sports car
Lotus designs and builds cars that are incredibly driver-focused, and while the cars aren’t very common they are popular. No matter what model you test drive, all of the Lotus cars handle unlike anything else on the market, except maybe a street-legal go-kart. With no desire to produce a more affordable sports car, it makes sense the Lotus would skip the option for a sedan and go straight into the SUV market.
The Lambda
What better way to dive into the affordable luxury car market than by meeting one of the US’s expectations: an SUV. The Lotus Lambda is apparently up next for the brand’s lineup. After seeing Lamborghini’s success with the Urus and Aston Martin’s success with the DBX, it makes sense that Lotus would follow suit. Whether the Lambda will be successful or not, only time will tell.
Only a few renderings of the car have been released, so we can only speculate what the car might look like. Additionally, Lotus has given very little information about what we should expect from the drivetrain, but if it is anything like their current cars we won’t be left disappointed.
