Whatever Lotus says, it is difficult to spontaneously associate the new Eletre SUV with the rest of the English brand’s range. It is not its technical characteristics, its equipment and its prices, freshly revealed, which will contribute to this.
To continue to exist, Lotus must diversify. After 75 years of producing only thermal sports cars, the English brand is inaugurating its new range called “Lifestyle”, of which the Eletre is the first model. In addition to being 100% electric, the Eletre is Lotus’ first “Hyper SUV” (high performance SUV). On October 25, the manufacturer unveiled the latest details of the model to the press and fans of the brand, as well as the prices of the one that comes to shake up the Lotus range.
Lotus is not the only manufacturer to have incorporated a sporty SUV into its survival strategy. Many other sports brands have already been there: Porsche, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and even Ferrari are taking the plunge. It’s a way for builders to build volume, a way to get more money into the coffers. Except that none has launched a high-performance SUV coupled with an electric motor. Only Lotus is embarking on this crazy gamble of combining the two difficulties.
112 kWh of battery, isn’t that too much?
If the Lotus engineers announced at the beginning of the year a weight target of 2 tonnes for this Lotus Eletre, one wonders if this characteristic is still relevant. When we see that the brand indicates a 112 kWh battery, it seems difficult to reconcile weight optimization with such a large and necessarily heavy battery.
With its sporty Evija, Lotus has succeeded in combining electricity and contained weight. With the Eletre, we doubt that the brand can link this model to the famous saying ” light is right by Colin Chapman (“ what is light is good in French), dear to the brand and well known to Lotus aficionados. The manufacturer has chosen not to reveal the weight of its new model yet, which is surprising when all the other technical data is now known.
With this battery, the Lotus Eletre should be able to provide at best up to 600 km of autonomy. A distance which is not exceptional for this size of battery, but compared to the power of the engines offered, there is nothing surprising.
A model available in 3 finishes for 2 engines
Lotus begins marketing Eletre with three different versions: Eletre, Eletre S and Eletre R.
The Eletre and Eletre S versions are equipped with a 450 kW (603 hp) engine, but their equipment differs. For the highest version, Eletre R, the model comes with an engine displaying an output of 675 kW (905 hp).
| Eletre and Eletre S | Element R | |
|---|---|---|
| Max power (kW/hp) | 450 / 603 | 675 / 905 |
| Torque (Nm) | 710 | 985 |
| Max speed (km/h) | 258 | 265 |
| 0-100 km/h (sec) | 4.5 | 2.95 |
| Battery size (kWh) | 112 | 112 |
| Recharge 10-80% (min) | 20 | 20 |
| Range WLTP (km) | 600 | 490 |
With a minimum of 600 hp, the Eletre model aims for high performance. We could compare this model to the Lamborghini Urus, which is not without confusing, once again, fans of the brand.
On the price side, the Lotus Eletre is announced from €96,890 for its basic finish. For its most efficient version, its price slightly exceeds that of the Tesla Model X in its Plaid engine. A positioning that seems strategic for Lotus.
| Being | Element S | Element R |
|---|---|---|
| €96,890 | €122,090 | €152,090 |
Unlike historical models, Eletre is full of technologies
We had already seen a move upmarket in recent Lotus models. Originally, the Lotus models were known for their rather basic comfort. As for on-board electronics, it was often reduced to a vital minimum.
With this new, more “lifestyle” range, Lotus is completely changing its strategy. In Eletre, comfort becomes a strong commercial argument. The brand aims to find its place among luxury brands. It’s a big upheaval for the brand to offer comfortable seats with many adjustments, a large control screen, a state-of-the-art audio system. The Lotus Eletre is also equipped with a Lidar, which should make it possible to offer autonomous driving. And that as standard.
If we add the many advanced driving aids to the comfort equipment, we wonder what remains of the Lotus spirit apart from a few design elements inspired by the past and its name. The model will also be assembled in China, which reinforces this impression of being confronted with a model from another brand.