The long-awaited Lotus Type 133, the firm’s sleek luxury saloon which is expected to rival the Porsche Taycan, has been pictured testing in extreme conditions ahead of its official unveiling later this year.
A development mule was spotted driving on ice and snow alongside other near-production models from parent firm Geely, sporting a bright yellow, white and black livery which obscured much of the saloon’s styling.
Despite the livery, it's clear that the Type 133 will be a close relation to the larger Lotus Eletre SUV. Lotus's first saloon car since the legendary Carlton – a Vauxhall-based BMW M5 rival from the early 1990s – will be given a name beginning with 'E' when it reaches showrooms, Autocar understands, but this is unlikely to be the widely rumoured 'Envya' name.
The Type 133 will be similar in its conception to sibling brand Polestar's 5 grand tourer, due on sale around a year later, in 2024. But the two cars will be tangibly differentiated, despite their shared Geely Group origins, suggested Lotus managing director Matt Windle.
Asked if Lotus could benefit from the UK-based development programme for the Polestar 5, Windle told Autocar earlier this year: "Yes and no. The importance is keeping that individuality - and we are different companies."
Lotus hasn’t yet confirmed whether to two cars will share a modular EV platform from the Geely stable (the Eletre platform is said to be a bespoke architecture), nor whether the Type 133 will be available with the Polestar's range-topping 874bhp four-wheel-drive powertrain, but Windle said: "It will be the Lotus ethos in that car. It's a bit more refined, further towards the luxury end of what we're trying to do with our performance luxury brand."
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