Leaked: Genre-busting Lotus SUV revealed by patents

Patent images of what's claimed to be Lotus' first ever SUV have surfaced over the weekend.

The drawings, discovered by Chinese car website PCauto.com.cn, are said to be genuine and appear to show an SUV heavily inspired by the current Evora, Elise and Exige sports cars.

Featuring Lotus' trademark three large front air intakes, the unnamed SUV also features a pair of Exige-style headlamps.

The Lotus design cues continue at the rear, with an Elise-shaped C-pillar, steeply raked rear screen, a huge rear diffuser and a pair of circular rear lamps.

Already claimed to have been approved for production, the ground-breaking SUV program is thought to have begun before Volvo’s Chinese owner, Geely, also purchased the small British car maker.

Back in 2015, Lotus CEO Mark Gales, in an interview with a British car magazine, claimed the SUV would be on sale as early as 2019, but said such a car would initially be limited to just Chinese buyers - with other markets, like Europe, having to wait up to five years before sales kick-off.

Mr Gales confidently declared Lotus' first ever offering would redefine the SUV segment and would be both lighter and faster than all its rivals and "better" than the Porsche Macan.

Gales insisted he wanted to expand Lotus' partnership with Toyota, suggesting the Japanese giant would supply engines for the SUV but, following Geely's purchase, some re-engineering will no doubt be on the cards, most likely to accommodate engines sourced from Volvo.