The sketches reveal a typically sleek and sporty crossover SUV that bears similarities to the Porsche Macan in terms of proportions. From the front, a large grille and air vents under the lights can be picked out, but the SUV doesn't appear to adopt any design cues from Lotus' current product range. Sketches of the rear show a more coupe-like roofline, similar to the BMW X4. Another notable feature at the back is a prominent rear diffuser, roof spolier and two large exhausts, hinting further high performance. The new images could indicate that Lotus' plans to build an SUV have been accelerated since Chinese manufacturer Geeley took a majority stake in the Norfolk-based car company. Back in 2015, Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales told Auto Express about the brand鈥檚 plan to introduce a lightweight SUV 鈥渨ithin the next five years鈥? with an eye to selling it in the Chinese market first. Lotus is the latest sports car brand to join in on the performance SUV craze, with Lamborghini and even Ferrari joining in on the act. Alfa Romeo recently set the Nurburgring lap record for SUV鈥檚 with a time in under eight minutes courtesy of its Stelvio Quadrifoglio, lapping it quicker than most sports cars. Would you be tempted by an SUV with a Lotus badge? Let us know what you think below!
A curious Porsche 718 Cayman prototype has been snapped during testing and according to some, it may be an early tester for a Cayman GT4 Touring. The Cayman and Boxster T models premiered back in December but were mysteriously missing some of the features of this prototype. This could be because the prototype isn鈥檛 a Cayman T at all but instead a previously unseen version. The most striking thing about the Cayman prototype in the gallery below is that it has the same exhaust layout as the incoming Cayman GT4 which is allegedly bound for the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. As the exhausts are the same, there鈥檚 a chance that the engine may be the same. The prototype we鈥檙e looking at is outfitted with a naturally-aspirated 3.8-liter flat-six engine pumping out approximately 420 hp. The 鈥榬egular鈥?Cayman GT4 has been spied with aggressive bodywork and a large wing and there鈥檚 a chance Porsche is developing this new 718 as a slightly softer version of the GT4 dubbed the 鈥楾ouring鈥? Porsche decided to go down this route not too long ago with the launch of the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring. This model features largely identical mechanical parts to the normal GT3 but has a more restrained appearance. If Porsche is doing the same with the Cayman GT4, it will want to replicate the sales success of the GT3 Touring. One other theory about this Porsche 718 Cayman test car is that it could be a future six-cylinder version designed to slot between the GTS and GT4. A Spyder variant would likely be sold as well.
Having a lot more goodness, meaning that there are options available as a first for any Cayenne which includes a head-up display, remote park assist, seat massagers and 22-inch wheels. Unfortunately, all four options were unavailable in both the sporty Purpurit Metallic and luxury Quarzite Grey Metallic test cars that we drove. Regardless, I was here to test the newly electrified Cayenne鈥檚 engine and handling performance. So how does it fair for a 5,000-pound car? Shockingly agile鈥?to the point where you won鈥檛 even notice the additional few hundred pounds that it gained over the Cayenne S. Part or the weight gain due in part to the 14.1 kWh battery. Our test cars came equipped with rear-axle steering so, at higher speed, it helps to virtually extend the wheelbase while shortening the wheelbase making it feels smaller than it is. Looking at specs alone doesn鈥檛 tell the whole story about this car, I mean, horsepower, torque, 0-60 mph, they鈥檙e all just numbers until you get behind the wheel and experience the new Cayenne E-Hybrid for yourself.
Since towing (loads up to 7,716 lbs) is potentially important for Cayenne owners, in place of PDK dual-clutch transmission, Porsche uses a newly developed eight-speed tiptronic S automatic transmission. 20-25 miles). The gas pedal acts as a virtual firewall between the electric and gas engine. Pressing pass the pressure point, taps into the Cayenne E-Hybrid鈥檚 full power; which we did often. It didn鈥檛 take me long to run the battery dry, so luckily, the system automatically switches over to Hybrid Auto which, and per Porsche, the ideal combo use of the electronic and gas motor. Hybrid Auto considers the driving profile, speed, how much charge is available allowing the drive control system to calculate the most optimum engine efficiency. For most, this is likely the daily driving scenario. Performance is the name of the game here; Porsche was kind enough to make the Sport Chrono Package standard, nets you a drive mode dial on the steering wheel. That鈥檚 where all the magic happens allowing you to select between E-Power, Hybrid Auto, Sport and Sport Plus. My favorite feature is the Sport Response button, placed conveniently in the middle of the mode switch.