Porsche Macan-rivalling Lotus SUV to be Volvo-based

Lotus' forthcoming SUV, when it goes on sale in 2022, will share its underpinnings with Volvo's XC90 it has been revealed.

According to Autocar, the British sports car will be given free reign by its new parent company Geely, to cherry pick platforms, parts and electronic architecture from Volvo.

Created to rival SUVs like Porsche's Macan and the Maserati Levante it's almost certain Lotus engineers will opt for the Swedish firm's Scalable Product Architecture Platform (SPA) underpinnings, rather than squeeze its new SUV on the firm's smaller Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) that's used for the XC40.

Not only will the SPA platform afford the dimensions needed, its widespread use of ultra-high-strength steel means the architecture is both relatively light and rigid - characteristics needed if Lotus is to fulfil its aim of making its first SUV the lightest and best to drive in its class.

"It will go round bends like nothing else in its segment," said CEO Jean-Marc Gales speaking to the Brit magazine.

"If we fail on that, we fail the project."

Unfortunately, for Lotus, there's a significant catch with using the new SPA as it has only been engineered for four-cylinder application, meaning the car maker's powerful Toyota-sourced supercharged 3.5-litre V6 will not fit.

To compensate, Gales said Lotus would again borrow from Volvo, this time its 300kW T8 Twin Engine hybrid powertrain.

It's not known how the British car maker will keep weight below two-tonnes with the added mass of both the electric motor and large lithium-ion battery cells that will provide for a pure-electric range of 50km.

Inside the Lotus SUV, again, beneath the surface will lie Volvo sourced electronic hardware.

"I love the new Volvo interiors because they are so simple, the screen is great," said Gales, although adding that the huge touchscreen wouldn't feature in Lotus models in the near future.

Admitting that the design is still yet to be finalised but will be "within the next two months", it's still also not known where the SUV will be manufactured.

The most likely place, according to Gales, is China but a location within the UK hasn't been ruled out but a decision will be made after Brexit, said the Lotus CEO.

To help develop the new SUV and forthcoming sportscars, Lotus is hiring an additional 250 engineers at its Hethel HQ.

As well as the all-new SUV, Lotus says later this year in the European summer it will unveil concepts for two-new sports cars that will be on sale by 2020.

The two models, thought to be replacements for the Elis and Exige, will set a new benchmark in terms of "handling, aerodynamics and weight".