Lotus Eletre Is an Electrifying Leap Into the World of Hyper SUVs

It was inevitable that Lotus would follow in the footsteps of the industry and create a car that is not only fast but can fit the whole family too, as owners Geely look to make a return on its investment, but don’t think this is simply a re-badged Volvo; the new Eletre aims to be the most exciting SUV to date. A Hyper-SUV, in fact.

Lotus rolled out its latest all-new SUV at the former BBC Television Centre in London, and Average Joes was there to witness the launch. Lotus put on quite a show and even staged a live history lesson going through the key stages of the Lotus journey. We haven’t been used to this from Lotus, but it makes sense. This new car is aimed at a global audience, many of whom will have no idea about the trials and tribulations of the Norfolk carmaker.

But what makes the Lotus Eletre different from all the other fast SUV rivals that have popped up in the market over the last decade or so?

Firstly, it has completely shunned fossil fuels in favour of electric propulsion. The Eletre will feature two powerful motors and put out around 600hp in its most basic form. Couple that with a slippery design and Lotus’ new fetish for advanced aerodynamics, and you should end up with one of the fastest SUVs to date. Expect 0-62mph in under three seconds and a top speed in excess of 160mph. All whilst offering more luxury and tech than any Lotus before it. It makes a Tesla Model X look basic.

The design is a departure from the Lotus norm and is the first Lotus not to be designed at its HQ in Hethel for quite some time. Going forward, Lotus in Hethel will continue to work on sports and supercars, whilst Lotus Technology in Coventry will work on the more practical models. This is the first fruit of Geely’s efforts to restructure and revitalise Lotus. Despite not coming from the same team that brought us the Emira and Evija, the Eletre still has all the family cues.

Everywhere you look, there are vents and holes to guide the air. Lotus calls this ‘Porosity’, and it uses it to keep the design clean and free from fuss whilst still offering maximum aero efficiency. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see if it makes any real impact on the car’s performance, but it certainly makes it stand out against things like the Porsche Cayenne and Lamborghini Urus.

“The Eletre is a progressive all-electric performance vehicle embodying emotion, intelligence and prestige and, as the first of the brand’s lifestyle cars, it sets the standard for what will follow. We have taken the iconic design language of the Lotus sports car and successfully evolved it into an elegant and exotic Hyper-SUV.”

Ben Payne, Lotus Technology

The design shrinks the size of the car. It’s similar in footprint to a full-size Range Rover, and up close, it’s far from small, but the low roofline and tapering rear end give it a much smaller overall look. It’s not a supercar, but it looks fast, and Lotus wants people to know it’s not a shrinking violet. The wheels are huge to help hide the mass but also house large carbon ceramic brakes. There’s also carbon fibre everywhere. Lotus cars are meant to be lightweight, and this will buck that trend. Despite this, Lotus says it’ll be the lightest in its class. Its only real rivals are the BMW iX, Tesla Model X and Audi E Tron S, which are all around the two-and-a-half tonne mark.

Inside is where it gets most exciting. The design is unlike anything we’ve seen before from Lotus and quite like anything else on the road. There’s a big central screen — like a Tesla — but there are also proper buttons for the basics like heating and volume. Behind the steering wheel is a super-slim display that only shows the essentials. Rather than overload your view with meaningless info, it simply displays stuff like the speed, range and the current song playing. The passenger has one too. It’s a simple and effective solution.

The rest of the cabin oozes modern luxury. It’s not a Bentley, but the materials and finishes make a Porsche look dull. A Range Rover still offers the best cabin in the business, but this might be a close second for us. Assuming Lotus builds it as well as it looks. The show car had two large individual seats in the rear with a decent size screen in the middle to stave off boredom. We’re still determining if Lotus will also offer a five-seat bench option. Expect all the toys you could want, as well as great sound from the KEF sound system.

Overall this is a bold and ballsy move from Lotus but one that has to work. Porsche showed the world that an SUV in the line-up helps you build better sports cars because the bigger cars make more money. Lotus needs a bit of this to move up from a small sports car maker to a serious world player. Only time will decide if the Eletre is exciting enough to tempt buyers away from Lotus’ new rivals.