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Lotus announces electric Type 130 hypercar

Lotus announces electric Type 130 hypercar

Rumors peg its output at over 1,000 horsepower.

Lotus is in the process of expanding its line-up and (finally) renewing the cars that are currently in it. And yet, its first all-new model since 2008 won't be the next-generation Elise or the long-rumored, Porsche Cayenne-baiting SUV. It will be an electric hypercar named Type 130 internally.

"Type 130 will be the most dynamically accomplished Lotus in our history. It marks a turning point for our brand and is a showcase of what we are capable of and what is to come from Lotus," said company CEO Phil Popham in a statement.

Lotus published a video that shows a vague outline of the car's silhouette. We can tell a lot of work went into making it as aerodynamic as possible while keeping pure, smooth lines. It looks like it blurs the line between a street-legal car and a race car.

Earlier rumors peg its output at over 1,000 horsepower thanks in part to four-wheel drive and at least two electric motors, and its driving range at up to 250 miles. British magazine Autocar learned Lotus is developing the Type 130 with input from Williams Advanced Engineering, a British firm that's bringing battery knowledge gained for years of supplying Formula E teams to the project.

Lotus will unveil the Type 130 -- a name that likely won't be featured on the production car -- in London before the end of 2019. Pricing and availability haven't been announced yet, but we expect it will be expensive, and it will almost certainly arrive as a limited-edition model.