Peter Horbury explains new Lotus design role and future product
In Peter Horbury’s first official month in his new role as head of design at Lotus – and as its new Warwickshire design studio is renamed the Lotus Tech Creative Centre (LTCC) – he candidly explained to Car Design News his hopes and dreams for the plucky British sports brand, now with major Chinese backing
Peter Horbury’s official new Lotus title is a tad long-winded – senior vice president, executive advisor, design. Effectively, his job is to oversee the work of Lotus veteran Russell Carr, who continues to head up design for Lotus Cars at its HQ in Hethel, Norfolk, as well as Ben Payne, who looks after the newly-named LTCC, responsible for the brand’s non-sportscar ‘lifestyle’ products.
“I’m the connection to the next level up in China,” Horbury explained to Car Design News. “Russell and Ben run their respective studios beautifully, but they look to me to make sure the other part works. Between China and the leafy lanes of Norfolk there is a big contrast. We’re going into completely different market areas and niches and I’m piggy in the middle. I bring the Chinese needs to Hethel and take the rest of the world to China.”
After a decade as Geely Group’s design boss, Horbury is a trusted and proven ‘bridge’ to Chinese senior management and should be invaluable in fighting Lotus’s corner. In fact, he concedes to having taken a keen interest in Lotus as soon as the Chinese automotive powerhouse took a 51% controlling interest in the brand back in 2017. “I shouldn’t say this, but when a new brand is bought and it’s Lotus, it’s my prerogative to decide what to concentrate on,” he continued with a knowing chuckle.
“We had a really good design team for Lynk & Co and for Geely in China, so the boss was quite keen to let those guys continue and for me to help get Lotus off the ground. So that’s what I did over the last couple of years. And not just because it’s a nice brand, but because of the understanding of Lotus. We all know in England what Lotus is about, but in China it is relatively unknown.”
The LTCC Warwickshire location is where the next Lotus design is being readied – a Porsche Cayenne-sized full-electric SUV codenamed Type 132. It is due to be revealed in 99% production form in late March, at unveils in both London and China, and will go into production at the end of 2022 with first deliveries in spring 2023. A Porsche Taycan-rivalling four-door coupe EV called the Type 133 will follow late the same year, and a midsize EV crossover named the Type 134 will take on the Macan and others from 2025. An all-electric sportscar codenamed Type 135 will arrive in 2026.
Various official teaser images – plus imaginative independent renderings – are doing the rounds on the internet and in print as to how the new fully-electric range of Lotus cars will look, and while Horbury cannot ‘reveal all’ just yet, he’s happy to explain the broad direction of travel. “If you look at Lotus over the last years it’s been a mid-engined car and that gives a certain proportion,” he said. “The top of the car is centred between the wheels to give a beautiful balance and with electric you can do the same. You can move the windscreen forward – there’s no V8 engine to get in the way – so we can continue the Lotus look into more than sports cars. And the longer wheelbase, the more batteries you can add.”
Does he worry about the burden of expectation, given so many varied global Lotus aficionados’ opinions and even the ghost of founder Colin Chapman himself and his healthy obsession with making Lotus cars as lightweight as possible? “No, but there are certain rules,” Horbury said. “Aerodynamics often give a beautiful shape, and the practicalities of aerodynamics tend to give you smooth and flowing lines rather than abrupt ones. Also we will ‘lightweight’ as much as we can.”
And while Horbury instantly associates Lotus with Jim Clark – the legendary British 1960s double F1 champion – he understands that for Lotus’s new Chinese owners, other references may resonate more strongly. “[Geely Group] Chairman Li [Shufu] was quite keen that we be inspired by the Lotus blossom somehow. Each petal has a beautiful form to it, and it’s that sort of thing I admire him for. He’s into aesthetics and will talk about that as much as money, in fact probably more. Lotus to him and for many Chinese is about the flower so we can use that as inspiration too.”
So there you have it: aerodynamics, flower blossom, flowing lines and Jim Clark. Maybe all could subtly influence Lotus’s new range under new design boss Peter Horbury. We’ll find out in March.