The fully electric Lotus Eletre is the brand’s first ever SUV, delivering around 600bhp and a range of almost 350 miles…
On sale 2023 Price from £115,000 (est)
Whether it’s Blockbuster, Blackberry or maybe a brand that doesn’t begin with a B that first springs to mind, we can all name numerous examples of companies that failed to move with the times, and went out of business as a result. The new Lotus Eletre is intended to ensure that its maker doesn’t join that list.
By their very nature, SUVs are comparatively heavy vehicles, while electric SUVs are heavier still, making them a complete contrast to the lightweight sports cars that Lotus has traditionally specialised in. And yet the simple fact is those sports cars sell in miniscule numbers.
It’s not hard to see why moving into the booming electric SUV market appeals to Lotus, then. But the question is will it be able to compete?
Well, in an effort to ensure it can, the Eletre uses bespoke mechanicals – rather than existing underpinnings sourced from Lotus’s Chinese parent company, Geely – with these said to be adaptable enough to ultimately allow a whole raft of new electric Lotus models.
In addition, Lotus says the Eletre itself will be offered in three forms, with differences in performance and specification, but four-wheel drive and upwards of 592bhp standard in each case.
Exact figures are still to be confirmed, but the target is a top speed of 162mph and 0-62mph in less than 3.0sec; such performance would make the Eletre significantly faster than the range-topping S version of the Audi E-tron, and instead put it on the same sort of level as the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo Turbo.
As for range, a battery capacity of more than 100kWh will apparently be standard, allowing the Eletre to travel up to 348 miles on a charge, while a 350kW maximum charging speed allows a 10-80% top up in just 18 minutes – assuming you can find such a fast unit.
By comparison, the Taycan Turbo has a range of up to 281 miles, and its maximum charging speed of 270kW gets it from 10-80% in 20 minutes.
So far so encouraging, but can Lotus really hope to compete with the likes of Audi and Porsche when it comes to interior quality? This is, after all, an area where it has always struggled, and the truth is we won’t know for sure until we’ve actually sat in the Eletre. However, its interior certainly appears to be a lot more sophisticated than anything the brand has offered before.
Below the instrument panel you find a blade of light that changes colour to communicate with occupants; for example, if a phone call is received.
Meanwhile, the 15.1in touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard automatically folds flat when not required. And although everything can be controlled via this screen or voice control, there are also traditional switches for the climate control.
Perhaps most intriguingly of all, a camera in the dashboard observes where the driver is looking and adjusts screen brightness accordingly. For example, the door mirrors have been replaced with cameras, with the screens that these are linked to set at 50% brightness until the driver looks at them to avoid unnecessary distraction.
In a sign that Lotus hasn’t forgotten its weight-saving roots, the seats and parts of the dashboard are trimmed in a wool-blend that’s said to be 50% lighter than traditional leather. Plus, the hard surfaces are made from genuine carbon fibre and the central part of the upper dashboard has been left off entirely.
Buyers will be able to choose from the four-seat layout in our pictures, or a more traditional five-seat interior. And Lotus says the combined boot and under-bonnet storage will exceed the luggage capacity of the Taycan Cross Turismo.
There’s an elephant in the room, though, and it’s the new electric Porsche Macan, which is due to go on sale around the same time as the Eletre. Specifications – and indeed pictures – of this are still to be revealed, but it should be quite a twin test when the moment comes.
Keyword: 2023 Lotus Eletre SUV revealed: price, specs and release date