Lotus LAMBDA SUV – the name for the new Lotus SUV?

It looks like the new Lotus SUV will be called the Lotus Lambda, be built in China, have a Volvo Platform and come in ICE and EV versions.

It’s no secret Lotus are building an SUV in the hope the profits it rolls in will bankroll future Lotus Sports car models, just as it has for other sports car makers – from Porsche and Lamborghini to Bentley and now even Rolls-Royce.

What we haven’t had so far is many details on the Lotus SUV, but that changes with the arrival of documents from China which seem to tell us quite a bit.

Published by pcauto.com.cn, it seems the new Lotus SUV will be the Lotus Lambda (yes, as in ‘Lambda Probe’ or the Greek letter) and that it will be underpinned by the Volvo SPA Platform (we assume SPA2) which underpins Volvo’s XC60 and XC90 SUVs.

It seems it won’t be small or light either, with the report saying it comes in at a pretty hefty 2200kg and 4900mm long, which makes it XC90 size, at least in length.

Production of the Lotus Lambda will take place at the Geely Plant in Wuhan (a place better known for other reasons) and will be offered with petrol, hybrid and full electric powertrains. Which sounds rather like the next Volvo XC90.

Which all sounds interesting, if not exactly true to Colin Chapman’s ethos.