XC60

Make
Volvo
Segment
SUV

Former Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales announced back in January that the automaker had started work on its first SUV, but now Car UK has revealed that Lotus' high-riding performance vehicle plans have expanded to include a pair of crossovers too. Thanks to new owners Geely who also has Volvo under its umbrella, the upcoming SUV and crossovers will be able to take advantage of the existing SPA architecture underpinning the Volvo XC60 and XC90. Depending on the size of the crossovers, the smaller Volvo XC40's CMA architecture may also be used.

According to Lotus, the core attributes of what makes its vehicles special will be integrated into the upcoming models, so while they may not be the most spacious in their class they should be the lightest, lowest and quickest around a track. So basically, a family-friendly four-door Exige. The shared Volvo architecture may mean that the engines will need to be four-cylinder units, however, Volvo's own T8 models already offer over 400 hp thanks to a combination of turbocharging, supercharging, and electric assistance.

Lotus has always been a niche manufacturer ever since it first opened its doors back in 1952. Current output has been around the 1,500 mark for the past few years, but the introduction of these high-riding performance variants would see production numbers double, according to Gale.

Being in such an early stage of development (the vehicles are projected to be on sale by 2022), we should know a lot more about the vehicles in the coming months. With the release of so many sporty SUVs from some unlikely manufacturers recently, Lotus' announcement may not be quite as shocking as it would have been five years ago. We wonder though whether founder Colin Chapman would have ever seen this one coming.