Lotus’ planned SUV is taking shape ahead of its scheduled debut in 2022. But, before things are said and done, the British automaker is reportedly keen on positioning its SUV as a luxury model, pushing it into the segment occupied by other premium SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne, Jaguar F-Pace, and Maserati Levante. More importantly, it might not be the only SUV to wear the Lotus badge.

It’s a new day for Lotus. After years of struggling to get its feet on the ground, Lotus is now in a position to finally become aggressive in its pursuit to become a bigger player in the auto industry. It has Geely to thank for that, which acquired the company last year in a deal that gave new life to the once-proud British marque.

With Geely in the fold, Lotus is now looking into bigger and better things, including its first-ever SUV. We’ve already gotten word that Lotus is building one, but now it appears that the company’s plans are bigger than that. According to Autocar, Lotus isn’t just content with releasing an SUV; it’s looking into developing one that can compete with the best of its kind in the luxury SUV market. “The question is where Lotus can be positioned in the market, where it is today and where the competition might be,” Peter Horbury, Geely's design boss, told the British auto magazine. “China is a huge market for more luxury, more expensive cars, so that’s a possibility.”

Lotus can say these things now with confidence because it doesn’t have to fight and claw around for money under its previous owner, Malaysia’s DRB-HICOM. It’s now owned and backed by Geely, the Chinese auto giant that helped turn Volvo’s fortunes around after acquiring it earlier this decade. The British auto brand now has the resources to create a luxury SUV, and the same report even said that it could access Volvo technologies if it needs to.

Instead of trying to figure how to bring some of its models to life, Lotus is now in a position where it can map out its future with models that it can actually build. It’s no wonder that there’s talk of the company actually planning an entire SUV lineup to help it become a more competitive option in the luxury segment. “We’ve already mentioned SUVs are coming, and we need a lot of resources in a fairly swift amount of time," Horbury said.

Details about the first Lotus SUV — the one that’s scheduled to arrive in 2022 — are still being kept under wraps, but we did see patent images last year of a Lotus SUV that featured a pair of swept-back headlamps and a big center grille flanked by large outlets at each corner. There’s no question that the rendered images were of a Lotus SUV; you could even see styling influences from the Elise and Exige sports cars. If there’s one detail about the SUV that Horbury admitted, it’s that it's going to be “a lot lighter” than the competition. He didn’t elaborate on that, though it’s understandable to hear that considering that Lotus is known for developing lightweight performance cars.

Reference

Read our full review on the 2020 Lotus SUV.

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