At the end of March this year (2022), Lotus released the brand's first pure electric SUV Eletre, and according to the british media Autocar, the first pure electric coupe will be published in 2023, although the official name has not yet been determined, but it is certain that its development code will be Type 133. The Type 133 is expected to be as similar to Eletre's manufacturing in Wuhan, and its powertrain will be similar to Eletre's, which means that the Type 133 can be expected to have a good 600 horsepower output performance.
The report pointed out that Lotus did see the Porsche Taycan as a competitor when developing the Type 133. Although in fact, there are still differences between type 133 and Taycan in some product settings, but from the perspective of the market, there is indeed a competitive relationship between the two car series. On the other hand, Lotus also revealed that the Type 133 will have a fairly advanced hardware configuration.
First, the Type 133 will be developed as Eletre is based on the EPA (Electric Premium Architecture) electric modular platform and is expected to include Active Roll Control, Continuous Damping Control (CDC), air suspension, rear wheel steering, and active air power kits. Its powertrain is also expected to be in a configuration similar to that of the Eletre, which means that the Type 133 can be expected to have a dual-motor configuration with a maximum horsepower output of 600 hp.
If the final Type 133 does adopt a 600-horse two-motor setting, then compared with the original opponent Taycan, it has reached the level of Taycan GTS, and it can indeed be said to be a direct opponent. Of course, if it is based on 600 horsepower, whether it is to launch a more sporty model upwards or an entry-level version downwards, it is a strategy that can be attacked and retreated.