FEBRUARY
Two months into 2021 and it was already time for two of Britain’s most famous brands to throw the rule book out of the window. Given how many other firms have since released their plans to be electrified by a particular date, it’s easy to forget how radical all this was just 11 months ago. There was a real feeling within the Autocar office (or our multiple homes, at any rate, because we were still in lockdown) that both of these announcements were seismic moments.
First up was Lotus, with a plan to develop a new electric two-seat sports car in conjunction with Alpine, as well as launch its first SUV by using the electric SEA platform supplied by the company’s owner, Geely.
Any concerns over the possible dilution of the Lotus brand DNA were allayed by then CEO Phil Popham, who told us: “Sports cars are the heart of our brand. Electrification is where the world is going and, as a pioneering brand, we want to be at the edge of that.”