Plans for New Lotus Sports Cars and an SUV Surface

Keep an eye out for a new lineup of Lotus sports cars, hitting the road in 2020.

Lotus, the British luxury brand once praised by rapper Ludacris, is circling plans of delivering all new models over the next four years.

According to an interview with Automotive News Europe, the brand, which hasn't developed a new car since 2009, is flicking on the conveyor belt to dish out two new Lotus sports cars followed by a sport utility vehicle, a first for the company.

Lotus

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Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales is keeping these a little hush-hush at the moment, as specific notes are still pretty unclear. The only info divulged relates to the actual body of the Lotus sports cars with one being made from an aluminum platform and the other being built around a carbon fiber tub.

Tech-wise, Gales added that the new models will feature attractive upgrades like replacing old electrical wiring harnesses with electrical architecture. The SUV? We'll have to wait for further info on that, but it's probably safe to say Gales won't skimp on product and luxury.

And the fact that Lotus is going big with a non-low-to-the-ground, Ludacris-approved SUV might just be enough marketing to create some interest.

Even though Gales promises to get the new cars out by 2020, Lotus isn't really known for its haste on delivering its cars. Since it came out with the Evora in 2009 the company has only produced special editions to its previous Lotus sports cars. In fact, after turning heads with five sports car concepts at the 2010 Paris Motor Show Lotus ended up actually making zero of them.

In order to meet the demand, however big or small, Lotus will bring on 300 new hires this year to manage the workload in Norfolk, England, the company's headquarters. But now that Lotus is owned by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, also an owner of Volvo, industry know-it-alls are guestimating the proposed SUV will be built in China and shipped out by 2022.

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