Lotus SUV gets rendered based on patent drawings

Little has been disclosed since patent drawings of the forthcoming Lotus SUV were leaked, aside from reports that there will be a two-pronged approach to the product’s release, and have been tipped to rival the BMW X4 and X6. Here, we’ve received renders of what the British brand’s next major model could look like based on the aforementioned patent images, courtesy of rendering maestro Theophilus Chin.

Here, Theo has applied chrome brightwork for the grille surrounds at the front of the SUV, while the headlamps are now larger and decidedly less Elise-like in their appearance. The bonnet gets a slight change in its character lines along its sides, as well as additional creases further inboard.

A somewhat shallow glasshouse results from the sloping roof, underlined by chrome at the base of the daylight opening, and the upswept shoulder line towards the car’s rear, where the intersecting lines at the juncture of C-pillar, roof and rear window, somewhat recalls the treatment applied to the Evora.

In profile, a character line stretches from the mid-point of the front door to the top corner of the taillight housing – something likely to be updated from the Geely group’s inventory – while the wheels here appear to be enlarged items fashioned after Exige rolling stock; these will, at production, most likely be more ornate for the SUV that is certainly less track-focused than its two-seater relatives.

Since the Geely acquisition of a majority stake in the British marque, then-CEO Jean-Marc Gales told Automotive News Europe last year that the Lotus SUV will use “a mix of new and proven Geely modules”, and will most likely be manufactured in China. Components and powertrains adapted from Volvo, such as Swedish carmaker’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) and Twin Engine setups, are said to be used.

Though the SUV will feature Volvo’s electrical systems and semi-autonomous technology, it won’t be anything like an XC90, Gales said, noting that “it would still be lowest in its class, maybe the widest in its class to hold the road well,” according to the former Lotus CEO who was said to be an admirer of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

GALLERY: Lotus SUV patent drawings

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