Rumors have been circulating for years about the possible arrival of a Lotus SUV, and a new but interesting chapter is now being added to the great book of automobile speculation. According to Chinese media, the production of Lotus’ first SUV will start in China this year, a car that will be called Lambda and that uses well-known Volvo technology.
Lamborghini has the Urus, Aston Martin the DBX, Ferrari is working on the Purosangue and Lotus is also coming with an SUV. At least, that story has been popping up every so often for years. This time too there are interesting, but firm rumors about the arrival of Lotus’ first long legged one. According to Chinese reports, a Lotus SUV will go into production this year in the Chinese city of Wuhan – yes – a car that has been given the name Lambda in Chinese media. Not only would that be the brand’s first SUV, it would also be one of the first Lotus models whose model name does not start with an ‘E’. That is, if we forget models with a number as name, the Mark models and co-productions such as the Lotus Opel Omega / Carlton and the Talbot Sunbeam.
Back to the Lambda. The Lambda would be a roughly 4.9 meter long, 2 meter wide and thick 1.60 meter high SUV that with those dimensions is comparable to cars such as the Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE. This does not immediately seem to make Lotus’ SUV a spartan lightweight sportsman. Equally interesting is what would take place under the hood. According to Chinese media, the Lambda would be placed on the SPA platform that we know from cars such as the Volvo XC90, S90, S90, XC60, S60, V60 and the Polestar 1. A Volvo platform under a Lotus may sound strange , but it is certainly possible. In 2017, Geely, the parent company of Volvo and Polestar, among others, took over the majority stake in Lotus from Proton. There is already plenty of speculation about the powertrains in Chinese media. For example, the Lambda would not only be available with a petrol engine, but also with a (plug-in) hybrid and even a fully electric powertrain. In 2023 and 2024, Lotus would produce two more new models in China. It would be two EVs: the Sigma and the Alpha respectively.