Lotus Eletre EV Officially Revealed – Lotus’s First-Ever ‘Hyper-SUV’

The sudden SUV boom has plagued car manufacturers across the world. Even big names and performance brands couldn’t get their ‘vaccines’ ready to combat said plague, with the likes of BMW and even Ferrari having joined the bandwagon.

The latest to come aboard now is British sports car marque Lotus through its latest unveiling of the Eletre ultra-performance SUV. Touted as the “world’s first hyper-SUV”, this Norfolk-born electric crossover packs enough punch to justify this bold claim. The Electre comes in three different specs – a ‘base’ Electre, a mid-spec Electre S, and range-topping Electre R.

On the powertrain front, both the base Electre and mid-spec Electre S share the same powertrain setup delivering 603 HP and 710 NM. This, in turn, grants 0 to 100 KM/H sprints in just  4.5 seconds before maxing out at 258 KM/H. .  Both are juiced by a 112 kWh battery pack that’s standard  across the board, which also grants an estimated maximum travel range of 600 KM (WLTP).

The range-topping Eletre R, on the other hand, boasts a 905 HP and 985 NM of twist instead, and this setup promises a sub-3-second 0 to 100 KM/H sprint time of 2.95 seconds, and a 265 KM/H V-Max. However, this level of performance does have a trade-off, his top-range SUV gets less maximum range of only 490 KM (WLTP). 

By the look of things, the Eletre shares similar traits with several other performance SUVs. This includes a sporty slanting roofline, aggressive design language with widened fenders and lower-than-usual ground clearance – because performance first, utility second. Interestingly, the front fascia does share a slight resemblance with the Lamborghini Urus, but overall, this is quite a decent-looking sporty SUV.

Primed on each of its four corners are massive 22-inch wheels, with options for 20-inch or 23-inch ones available too. There are five different wheel design choices available, which comes on top of six colour choices for the callipers alone.

Whilst its performance would make Lotus’s sporting heritage blush, the same can’t be said about its interior – in a good way, that is. Gone is the marque’s signature bare and spartan interior, now replaced with a cabin that appears both futuristic and luxurious. One key highlight of the cabin is the floating infotainment screen – a standard-bearer in modern luxury EVs nowadays.

in leather-like fibre materials, the interior struck a perfect balance between luxury and futuristic, whilst gold-coloured trims added a regal touch and feel to it all. Completing the luxury package is the addition of a KEF sound system with either a 15- or 23-speaker configuration (depending on variant).

Buyers will also get additional options like an Exclusive Seat Pack that changes the default 3-seat rear bench configuration for a more luxurious 2-seat layout. This option comes with a centre console in between two semi-bucket seats, which in turn changes the Eletre from a 5-seater SUV into a posher 4-seater executive crossover instead.

The Eletre is poised to go on sale in both European and China markets, with the North American market following suit. Pricing for the baseline Eletre starts at £89,500 (RM485,487), with the mid-spec Eletre S going for £104,500 (RM566,853). Finally, the range-topper Electre R will burn a big £120,000 (RM650,932) hole in your pocket, should you want one.