Hyperdrive
Lotus Looks to Renault’s Alpine for Help on Electric Sports Car
- British brand goes outside Geely group for platform partner
- First model using joint architecture is planned for mid-decade
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Lotus Cars is looking outside its Chinese owner’s sprawling empire for help preparing for an electric future, joining forces with another small automaker to develop a battery-powered sports car.
The closely held U.K. company opted to collaborate with Renault SA’s Alpine rather than any of the brands in Zhejiang Geely Holding Group’s growing stable because the French firm offers a way to accelerate delivery of an all-new architecture, Lotus Chief Executive Officer Phil Popham said in an interview. The two companies first disclosed their tie-up last week.