Since the introduction of Lotus L5 sedan at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2011, within a short span of less than half a year, the two-door hatchback model was quickly launched at the Guangzhou Auto Show in September. From this, it can be seen that Youngman Lotus Cars had an unstoppable momentum for the L5 two-door model. However, the actual market sales performance of the L5 (including both two-door and four-door models) has not been very optimistic. Perhaps it is due to the insufficient automotive culture history of Youngman Lotus in China, or perhaps the sales channels have not been fully opened yet, or perhaps... But does poor sales mean that the quality of the L5 is bad and lacks competitiveness? The fact is quite the opposite.
Design Background: The Lotus L5 was designed by the British Lotus Engineering team for Youngman Lotus over a period of five years. The design elements are derived from the currently popular hatchback style. Therefore, on the appearance of the L5, besides the fashionable hatchback shape, the British style of the L5 Sportback can also be seen. The market positioning of the L5 Sportback (two-door) is "Urban Fashion Coupe." The further segmentation of the model provides more choices for the fashionable young people who like coupes.
Appearance: Although the design of the Lotus L5 comes from British Lotus Engineering, and we can indeed see some British style in the L5, whether this British style can be accepted by domestic consumers remains questionable. If the answer is yes, then at least so far, it hasn't been achieved yet, and it still needs time. On the exterior of the L5, we can see many willow-leaf shaped designs, such as headlights, grille, taillights, etc. Just this willow-leaf style has some differences with the aesthetic sense of domestic consumers.
The metal grille in the willow-leaf shape can definitely be given high marks in terms of craftsmanship. We can also see this kind of metal grille on some handcrafted sports cars. However, the combination of the willow-leaf shaped grille and the willow-leaf shaped headlights seems somewhat contrary to the domestic design style, indeed very unique. But the configuration is very generous. According to the official website of Lotus Cars, the entire series is equipped with LED daytime running lights and smoked headlights with lenses as standard.
Compared to the front face, I think the side hatchback design of the L5 two-door is easier for consumers to accept. The rear hatchback design transitions very naturally, and the rear design is quite successful. Let's take a look at the rims and tires. The tires used are Dunlop SP3 sport tires, with dimensions of 205/50 R16. The spare tire is also a full-size spare tire, and it is a standard configuration across the entire series! It's hard to find another car with such generous configurations among domestic cars that emphasize high configurations.
The hatchback design not only makes the "rear end" more full and stylish but also greatly enhances the trunk storage space. In daily household use, you can fold down the rear seats, and you can store whatever you want, as long as you dare to imagine! The designer considered the inconvenience caused by the hatchback design when opening and closing the trunk, and carefully designed a handle. If you want an electric tailgate, then you can check out Audi or BMW. You won't find an electric tailgate in a car priced around 100,000 yuan.