Lotus shifting to building battery-electric vehicles will include a sedan. We saw it in February with a unique livery, but now we have new spy shots that show the model testing on public roads wearing the typical white-and-black camouflage.
The internally codenamed Type 133 car borrows styling cues from the larger Eletre. It could be called the Envya or the Etude. The sedan features the same split-headlight design as the crossover, with a slimmer grille connecting the lower lighting units. There appear to be L-shaped headlights higher up on the face, with a diamond-shaped lower bumper opening.
While the EV wears a full-body wrap, the pop-out door handles are clearly visible. The sedan also has side-view cameras instead of mirrors and a roof-mounted LiDAR system, which should power an advanced driver-assist system. The rear doesn’t look as finished as the front, with the black strip filled with stand-in lighting units. It should be similar to the Eletre’s rear-end styling.
Inside, we expect Lotus to borrow the seats and styling from the Eletre crossover. Don’t expect as much versatility as this will seat four with a full-length center console stretching through the cabin. It’ll come packed with tech and creature comforts.
It’s too early to know what kind of powertrain setup Lotus will offer in the Type 133, but we hope the plans include the Eletre R setup. The hot crossover makes 905 horsepower and 985 Newton-meters (726 pound-feet) of torque. This is enough to send the thing to 62 miles per hour in just 2.95 seconds. It can reach 165 mph, and we’d imagine a smaller sedan could be quicker and faster.
However, the new sedan will still have to fight the weight handicap that affects every battery-electric powertrain. The 592-hp Eletre variant is where Lotus is starting for the sedan’s output.
The new Lotus will compete against models like the Porsche Taycan, Polestar 5, and other high-end electric sedans. It’s unclear when the model will debut as the company has faced supply chain issues like the rest of the industry, putting some plans on pause. The car was initially supposed to debut in 2023, but a reveal next year seems likelier.
