First off, the newest model from one of the most quintessentially British marques in automotive history, Lotus, isn’t even being built in England. Which is understandable, once you consider how long Lotus has been an Asian-owned halo brand. It also helps to justify the new Lotus motto, “Born British, Raised Globally.” The words certainly apply to the newest, and all-electric, offering, the Eletre, for which we don’t have a pronunciation guide. The Eletre is, indisputably, all new and a fully all-electric vehicle that Lotus is terming as its first Hyper-SUV, which just may serve to define a new market segment here.
Extensively fabricated from carbon fiber and aluminum, with an interior crafted from sustainable materials, the Eletre is clearly aimed at serious drivers. Power outputs from the new, dedicated electric platform will start at 600 horsepower, with 350kW charging capability that can add 248 miles of range in 20 minutes, and a claimed 0-62 MPH time of under three seconds. Lotus also says the Eletre will feature the most advanced active-aerodynamics package of any SUV, EV or otherwise. One of four new Lotus “lifestyle” EVs planned for the next four years, pricing should be available closer to the start of production at an all-new plant in China later this year.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 