First Lotus Sedan In 30 Years Will Be Worth The Wait

May. 22, 2023 8:10 AM ET by Karl Furlong Electric Vehicles / 21 Comments

It could make over 900 horsepower while seating four in supreme luxury.

The electrified era of Lotus is here and one of the most anticipated new models will be the Type 133 electric sedan, set to ask some serious questions of the Porsche Taycan with over 900 horsepower.

As reported by Autocar, the development of the Type 133 is already at an advanced stage, and it is set to inherit chassis and battery technology from the Eletre electric SUV. However, the Type 133 will be even more luxurious than the Eletre, and its length of over 195 inches means it should have a comfortable and spacious cabin to rival the Taycan.

Based on previous trademarks, the Type 133 was thought to eventually be called the Envya, something that the brand's commercial chief, Mike Johnstone, denied when talking to Autocar. What's more significant is that it will be the brand's first sedan since the early 1990s, with the last being the Carlton.

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Besides the Taycan, the Audi RS e-tron GT will be another rival, so the Type 133 must be powerful enough to match these vehicles. While final technical specifications remain unknown, the Type 133 will likely be as powerful as the Eletre, which makes 603 horsepower in its base form but up to 905 hp in Eletre R guise. That should obliterate any concerns about the Type 133 not living up to the Lotus brand's lightweight philosophy, as only so much can be done to keep the weight down in a large EV.

Regardless of the trim, the Type 133 is expected to use dual electric motors and all-wheel drive. The Eletre's air suspension, active body control, rear-wheel steering, and other technologies will be a good starting point, but being a sedan, the Type 133 will receive its own tuning.

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As with the Eletre, the Type 133 will use a 112-kWh battery pack, and we expect it to surpass the 373-mile WLTP-rated range of the Eletre. Hopefully, that translates to at least 300 miles or so by EPA standards. Although some technology transfer could occur between Lotus and Polestar - both Geely-owned brands - the Type 133 is anticipated to be very different compared to the similarly sized Polestar 5.

"We'll be in a good place, both in terms of handling and 0-60 mph speeds," said Johnstone when speaking about the Type 133's capabilities relative to the Taycan. Porsche's electric sedan can hit 60 in 2.6 seconds in Turbo S guise, so the Type 133 should be incredibly quick based on Johnstone's comments.

"In terms of charging, it will have the same platform as the Eletre so it can go from 10% to 80% in less than 20 minutes," continued Johnstone. "We've got a number of key things we've taken from the Eletre you'll see [in the Type 133], which will give us a good point of differentiation."

Lotus

Johnstone also said that alternative body styles of its current lineup aren't part of its plans, but the company could always pivot to match changing consumer tastes.

"The product plan at the moment is the three cars we have now and the three coming in the future," said Johnstone, with the existing lineup being the Evija, Emira, and Eletre. "We have to be dynamic with that plan. We're constantly looking at how we can ensure we maximize the potential in the marketplace."

The new sedan from Lotus was spied last year in China under heavy camo, but we could see a coupe-like roofline and split headlights outside, while the interior showcased a large glass roof and what looks like comfortable seating for four, with the second row featuring individual seats divided by a fat center console.

Considering that it's at an advanced stage of development, we hope to learn more about the Type 133 before the end of the year.

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First Lotus Sedan In 30 Years Will Be Worth The Wait

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