In an interview with the British publication Autocar, Lotus executives disclosed preliminary details about the Type 133 and confirmed that it is being benchmarked against the fully electric Porsche Taycan sedan.
In its production form, the Type 133 will receive a name starting with the letter ‘E,’ following Lotus tradition, and will feature “active roll control, CDC” (continuous damping control), independent rear-wheel steering, and active aerodynamics, according to Lotus’ Director of Product Attributes and Integrity, Gavan Kershaw.
Lotus is keeping more details of the Type 133 under wraps, but Managing Director Matt Windle confirmed that it will produce 441 kW of power. This power output would compare it to the mid-range Porsche Taycan GTS, which produces 440 kW with its dual electric motor setup.
The more powerful versions of the Type 133 sedan could potentially compete with the high-performance Taycan Turbo or Turbo S.
Autocar speculates that the design work for the Type 133 is nearing the approval stage and won’t merely resemble a low-slung Eletre. The full appearance is yet to be seen beyond a shadowy teaser of its front end.
Lotus Senior Vice President of Design, Peter Horbury, mentioned that while there needs to be “some continuity and family identity” throughout their electric vehicle (EV) lineup, “each member of a family can have its own character.”
Following the launch of the Type 133 E-segment sedan, Lotus will unveil a D-segment SUV (Type 134) in 2025 and a sports car (Type 135) in 2026. All these models, including the Eletre SUV, will be manufactured in China at the Lotus Technology plant in Wuhan.
These models will join the fully electric hypercar Evija and the Emira, Lotus’ latest gasoline-powered car, both produced at the Hethel facility in the United Kingdom.
