While these renderings give a good idea of proportion, it is likely that the real thing will be significantly more striking.
With the first units due locally in July 2022, the Emira represents a new direction for the brand, as well as a swansong to ICE.
Just ahead of the unveiling of Lotus’ Type 132 SUV on the 29th of March, the iconic sportscar manufacturer confirmed the name of its new all-electric SUV, the Eletre, via their social media platforms.
The brand said: “Lotus Eletre. Coming to life on 29.3.22.” via Twitter and posted a YouTube video titled “Lotus Eletre is coming to life.”
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Earlier in March, design patents of what was referred to as the Type 132 emerged on Australia’s online intellectual property platform, likely because someone forgot to click a certain tickbox when uploading sensitive information to the system. Nevertheless, the renderings afforded us a better glimpse into what Hethel’s angular and dramatic SUV will look like.
Its very likely that the blank grey renderings disguise a lot of the interesting reflections and flow of the bodywork, but what we can see is a very distinctive design language in line with that of the Emira featuring crescent-shaped headlights, a wraparound rear light bar and a protruding leading edge of the bonnet. Aerodynamic efficiency is suggested by the heavily raked roofline, flush fitting door handles, slim wing mirror cameras and prominent rear spoiler, elements which will most certainly aid in maximising the range of the electric SUV.
While these renderings give a good idea of proportion, it is likely that the real thing will be significantly more striking.
The SUV will supposedly feature an active grille shutter which is made up of a number of hexagons which have been split into triangular segments. The manufacturer claims that this is an “authentic Lotus air management system” which serves a dual purpose in that it both improves the Eletre’s front aerodynamics, as well as aids in cooling the vehicle.
Themes of “heart, power, energy and soul” were named in preview videos released by Lotus on YouTube, showing some of Eletre’s key details, too. Illuminated steering wheel buttons, a digital dial display, the alloy wheel design, the headlights and the sneak peak of the powertrain were teased, as well as a quick flyby of the SUV with its rear light bar in full display.
A quick rundown of the Eletre, as previously reported by Autocar.co.uk, is that the BEV SUV will be available in two four-wheel drive variants with between 450 kW and 560 kW on tap, power coming from a 92-100 kWh battery that is capable of 800 V charging. Claimed performance will be a 0-100 km/h time of less than 3,0 seconds.
With the first units due locally in July 2022, the Emira represents a new direction for the brand, as well as a swansong to ICE.
Eletre will be manufactured at Lotus’ new R17 305 000 000 plant in Wuhan, China, and will be built alongside another Lotus EV which will be launched in the next five years.
While nothing has been confirmed yet, it is likely that the Eletre will be available locally in 2024 through the Daytona Group, sole importers of Lotus Cars in South Africa.
Keyword: Eletre: Lotus confirms the name of its new all-electric SUV