2008 Lotus Elise Sc - Liquid Blue (rare Color & Low Miles!) on 2040-cars

Auto blog

This might be a Lotus SUV test mule

These photos could be our first look at the Lotus SUV in test mule form. The body on the chassis is clearly that of a Lynk and Co. 01 SUV, but the underpinnings are something different entirely. Perhaps the most telling bit of all is the location in which our spy shooter caught the vehicle. We're told that this was shot dangerously close to Lotus' headquarters in Hethel, England. Using a Lynk and Co. body to test the Lotus SUV makes sense when you take into account who owns both companies. Geely happens to own Lotus, Lynk and Co. and Volvo, so they're all under the same roof at this point. These spy photos appear to be hiding a chassis that doesn't exactly fit correctly under the body, though. The front fenders are far wider than they are on the 01, and the rear fenders also look like they've been messed with to fit the much larger rubber. It has a wider, more aggressive stance than the Lynk and Co. SUV, lending more evidence to this being a Lotus SUV test mule. We'd expect a Lotus SUV to handle as well as anything in the class, so all these things do make sense if that's what it is. As for what could be powering the British SUV, that's another story. This tester has yellow caution tape covering where the gas cap is on the 01 SUV, no visible exhaust and a big, yellow high voltage sticker on the windshield. All of that tells us it's most likely electrified in some form. We didn't have intel that the Lotus SUV would be electric previously, but there's every chance they could go down that road. The Lotus 130 hypercar is going to be all-electric. And Volvo sells plug-in hybrids now, so the tech could be borrowed from there, too. Of course, Volvo doesn't have the same priorities as Lotus does with weight reduction and handling, so don't consider anything a done deal quite yet. We can't actually confirm that the vehicle in question is a Lotus underneath, but hopefully more photos and information make their way to us soon. There's still a long way to go in the development process if Lotus is only testing on mules now, so look for plenty more to come on this vehicle.

Lotus recalling certain 2011 Evora S models for possible oil leak, fire

Last year about 80 examples of the 2011 Lotus Evora S were recalled over an issue with the oil feed pipe. The same number of 2011 Evora S', but with different manufacture dates, are back in the recall box again for a very similar issue; this time it's the engine oil cooler hose that could rupture and spray oil either onto the rear wheels or a hot engine part. Neither of those cases is good, and the latter could potentially lead to a fire.
Lotus is working on a solution, so a recall date hasn't been announced. The bulletin below from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more information.

Lotus Type 133 sedan caught testing in China

Before the Lotus Eletre battery-electric SUV debuted in March, Chinese car spotters snapped photos of prototypes in testing. The same has happened again with the Lotus codenamed Type 133. An image of the tester parked along a curb showed up on the Chinese site Weibo, with a camouflaged Eletre in the background left and an uncamouflaged Eletre parked opposite. The Type 133 is a four-door sedan being developed as a driver's car, benchmarked against and planning to take on the Porsche Taycan as well as the Audi E-Tron GT. Slated for a reveal next year, recent Lotus trademark applications for the names Envya and Etude lead watchers to believe the Type 133 will adopt one of those monikers for its debut in March, Envya getting the short odds. Lotus SVP of design Peter Horbury said the 133 wouldn't be just a smaller Eletre, we'll need to wait until the covers come off to know the truth of it. What we can tell for now is that the sedan doesn't look far off the kind of four-door we'd have expected from Lotus if the English maker had got into family sedans before the electric age. Peeking through the window, the driver's area gives off the same vibes as in the Eletre thanks to a squared steering wheel and minimalist instrument panel. An earlier spy shot picked up by Car News China shows a rear door with pillarless window. The biggest surprise is how long it looks. Some of that length could be a trick of the angle and the camera lens; even so, this won't be a wallflower. And why should it be? Said to sit on the same Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) as the Eletre — a derivative of parent company Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) that supports the Polestar 4 and the new Smart range — we expect overlap in powertrain possibilities. That could mean an entry-level battery pack of 92 kilowatt-hours juicing a dual-motor drivetrain with 595 horsepower and 524 pound-feet of torque, and a 120-kWh pack powering four motors producing 893 hp and 727 lb-ft. That latter model should get the Type 133 from standstill to 62 miles per hour in under 3 seconds. After the sedan debuts, the Type 134 SUV isn't anticipated until 2025, a challenger to the Porsche Macan EV. The following year, Lotus returns to its roots with the Type 135 sports car that will usher the current Emira into retirement. Related video: