Lotus APX

Lotus APX Aluminium Performance Crossover

The Lotus APX Concept was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show 2006 recently. The Lotus APX, which means Aluminium Performance Crossover was designed by Lotus using it’s Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) and has an all-aluminium monocoque structure, which follows true to “Performance through Light Weight†core brand value.

The Lotus APX Concept is a demonstration of Lotus Engineering’s ability to rapidly develop different vehicles from a common Versatile Vehicle Architecture. The following shows the families that could be achieved using VVA.

Family A
Front engine 4WD crossover
Mid engine RWD supercar
Front engine RWD coupe
Front engine RWD saloon

Family B
Front engine FWD coupe
Front engine 4WD SUV

Family C
Mid engine RWD coupe
Front engine FWD saloon
Front engine 4WD crossover (example: the Lotus APX)

The car was conceived to target a specific customer, defined as a sports car enthusiasts who has a typical family of two young children, but also sometimes wants to carry a few adults in addition to the kids. The car is a 5+2 seater, with the third row of two seats suitable for children. The 5 other seats are full sized.

The Lotus APX goes from 0 to 100km/h in 5.4 seconds, and it has a top speed of 245km/h, thanks to it’s 191hpper tonne power to weight ratio. It’s powered by an engine developed by Lotus, part of it’s Project NEF. The engine is a 3.0 liter V6 supercharged DOHC engine that makes 300hp at 6250rpm and 360Nm of torque at 4500rpm. The engine is close to being production-ready.

So, what do you think? Will Proton adopt this platform for an MPV? Proton could also use the Project NEF engine family could also be used as a large capacity engine for it’s SUVs, MPVs and executive luxury sedans. Director of Lotus Engineering Simon Wood mentioned there is already a great deal of interest in the Versatile Vehicle Architecture by it’s client base.