Lotus's first SUV will come in three trims, with up to 905 hp. Yes you read that right.
This is not a sports car. Lotus is now flush with cash, and needs to sell cars to make Geely happy it made a massive investment in the place. That means the second new car to come from Lotus under its new ownership isn’t a car at all. It’s a massive electric SUV.
The Eletre, which we first saw this spring, is unlike anything the company has built before. It’s now, officially, the most powerful production car the company has ever built in any of its forms, with the base Eletre and the Eletre S making 603 hp and using a single-speed gearbox, while the nutty Eletre R has 905 hp and a two-speed transmission. Quite a departure from a company that had a number of cars in its past making less than 100 hp. That makes them quick, with the lower-powered version estimated to hit 60 in 4.5 seconds, and the R can get there in 2.95. Fast.
It’s also loaded with tech. The operating system for the center stack and the gorgeous interior is dubbed Lotus Hyper OS and uses gaming technology. There’s advanced navigation tech to make sure you don’t run out of juice, and if you do, it can fast charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 20 minutes. Of course, your experience with the reliability and speed of fast chargers may differ, so this seems like it’s in an ideal environment. There will also be Dolby Atmos audio and a KEF speaker system, high-end stuff to keep you entertained while it charges.
The most interesting tech gizmo might just be a feature Lotus is working on that would let owners drive the Nurburgring autonomously. What’s the point of this feature, and who would go to the ‘Ring to just ride around, you ask? I’m not too sure either, though, it could give an owner who takes their Eletre to the Nordschliefe the chance to see what it can really do if they aren’t the most confident driver. The Eletre R will be the only model with a Track Mode, which lowers the ride height and gives it more aggressive damping. So if you want to take your big electric SUV to the track, you can.
Of course, there’s all the other stuff you’d expect. Carbon pack this and sport pack that, with 22-inch wheels standard and 20- or 23-inch wheels available. The Eletre will also be a five-seater on all trims, with a four-seat layout optional.
The three trims of the Eletre aren’t cheap, but also aren’t as expensive as they could be. While U.S. pricing isn’t announced yet, and it won’t be on sale here until 2024, the U.K. pricing sees the Eletre start at £89,500, the better equipped but not more powerful Eletre S at £104,500, and the wild 905-hp Eletre R at £120,000.
Travis Okulski Editor-at-Large Travis is an editor at Road & Track.
Keyword: The Lotus Eletre Will Be Fast, Won't Be Cheap