At long last, we finally could have a look at lotus first ever SUV, The Eletre, the car is also lotus’ first ever EV to hit the market, as we’re still waiting for the Evija hyper car to be released. The Eletre or the ‘type 132’ as it was previously known throughout its development phase is heavily relied upon to provide a fresh start for the company in a whole new territory that Lotus never tried before.
On the technical aspect, the Eletre is the first lotus to have the brand new 800-volt Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) as a powertrain, for its power supply it will have a 100-kWh battery and an AWD provided by two motors capable of generating an effective 591 horsepower, the company claims that the car has a top speed of 161 and can reach 60mph in a little under three seconds. When it comes to range, the new SUV promises 373 miles on a single charge, with the ability to recharge 248 miles worth of electricity in about 20 minutes.
Five driving modes will be available in the cars system, Range, Tour, Sport, Off-Road, and Individual, offering various options for the driver to ensure a smooth ride whatever the circumstances and the road condition.
When it comes to looks, historically, SUVs aren’t the best-looking cars, and that’s still true with the Eletre. But lotus leverages the car’s aerodynamic design to compensate for the beauty part.
Lotus calls it “porosity”, the word describes the smooth flow of air all around the car, and that’s thanks to the car’s long wheelbase and short overhangs, coupled with air exit vents in the hood, ahead of and behind the front wheel arches, behind the rear wheels, and finally at the top of the D-pillar.
Lotus tried to give their first SUV a mean menacing look, emphasized buy the narrow lighting clusters that squeeze together daytime running lights and scrolling directional indicators. The main lamps can be had with Matrix LED technology. The grill under, further accentuates the cars aggressivity. It is an active cooling system that can respond automatically to the electric motors, battery pack, and front brakes cooling needs, all the black parts are made of carbon fiber for weight and sustainability reasons.
Sadly, the US oriented model won’t have the camera system on the side mirrors, which are an integral part of the autonomous driving duties that the car is expected to perform, as it is at least a level 2 self-driving car, with the possibility to improve that with future updates.
The car’s rear is as active as the front, besides the aesthetic role of the split carbon fiber floating roof spoiler, it’s in charge of driving the air down the rear glass and through the adjustable tailgate spoiler, that changes the exit angle according to the selected driving mode.
On the inside, the name of the game is sustainability, Lotus used man-made microfibers for the primary touchpoints and an advanced wool-blend fabric on the seats all in collaboration with Kvadrat. The carbon-fiber elements are made of the recycled fibers trimmed from the edge of the main weave (the par that usually gets thrown away), further enhancing the environmental aspect of the car.
We can clearly see that the triangular shape of the front and the unusual shape of the top spoiler are both echoes on the dash ad panel designs.
The car comes with radical customization options, like the four or five seats option and also the top panoramic glass roof which is available outside of China.
It’s noticeable how Lotus successfully combined the aesthetic and practical aspects in the Eletre interior. The cabin offers the driver and passengers multiple wireless charging points, large enough Cupholders, and enough space separating between rear seats, just like in the front, all topped with an easy-to-use infotainment system.
Finally, the production will start at Wuhan, China later this year in a new purpose-built factory.
However, key details are still lacking, customers are still waiting for important information like the car’s pricing, US availability final power outputs. All crucial data that Lotus still refuses to disclose this early, and prefers to wait until the market launch gets closer.
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