Lotus and Williams have just announced a new pair up on powertrains. While they haven't said what exactly will come from the agreement, a report says that it might be a new all-electric hypercar.
Lotus Engineering, now owned by Geely, and Williams Advanced Engineering are both well known for developing fast cars. Lotus has been building featherweight sports cars that can punch above their performance weight class for decades. Williams is the same Williams that builds its Formula 1 cars. It has also been supplying battery systems to Formula E since 2014.
The partnership is "part of a strategy to expand our knowledge and capability in the rapidly changing automotive landscape," said Lotus Cars CEO Phil Popham. "Applying advanced propulsion powertrains can provide numerous exciting solutions across multiple vehicle sectors." When these two companies are talking advanced powertrains, that likely means an electric, or at least electrified, car.
What are they building? A report last month from Autocar says that it's an electric hypercar. And not a cheap one.
The report said that Lotus was working on a new hypercar set to appear as a concept this year. Codenamed Omega, it's said to have a £2 million (C$3.5 million) price tag, which points the finger at a whole lot of technology going into the car.
So it's likely not the same technology that Lotus showed back in 2010 with the Evora 414E Hybrid concept and cutout shown above, which featured plug-in hybrid technology and a relatively small lithium-ion battery.
It's more likely the kind that could be big bragging rights for Chinese automaker Geely, who also owns Volvo. The two companies may also be developing some slightly more pedestrian powertrains for the rest of the Lotus lineup. And given the history of both, for sale to any other automaker that wants it.
