... Up For Sunrise
Nov 3, 2022
Purposely small, purposely simple. Such have been the calling cards of Lotus sports cars to date. But a transformative future beckons for the legendary British marque, which will see the brand purposely change focus from many of the established hallmarks of years gone by. That future starts with the Eletre.
Lotus has forever been the consummate sportscar brand. Unapologetically so.
Founder Colin Chapman’s race-bred fundamentals of lightness and simplicity have been very much at the fore since the brand’s foundation: a reason Lotus cars are so revered by drivers today. When the Eletre debuts in 2023, however, it will be something altogether different, developed to be revered by the drivers of today and tomorrow.
The Eletre delivers a significant number of firsts for Lotus. It’s the first five-door production car, the first Lotus model outside the sports car segment, the first EV, and it will be the most ‘connected’ Lotus ever.
With the all-electric Eletre hyper-SUV, Lotus’ commitment to moving into new automotive segments and widen its global appeal and accessibility is writ large. Very large in fact. Traditionally, Lotus cars have represented a relatively snug fit for two. But at over 5.1 metres long and 2.2 metre wide, the Eletre will be a full-size family SUV.
The infotainment system promises an intuitive and seamless connected experience thanks to a collaboration between the designers in the UK and a Lotus team in China, who have masses of form in developing user interface and experience.
Below the instrument panel a blade of light runs across the cabin, sitting in a ribbed channel that widens at each end to create the cabin’s air vents. While it appears to be floating, the light is more than decorative and forms part of the human machine interface (HMI). This changes colour to communicate with occupants, for example, if a phone call is received, if the cabin temperature is changed, or to reflect the vehicle’s battery charge status.
While undoubtably a wildly evolved interpretation of Chapman’s ideals, Eletre remains true to the company’s famed expertise in the fields of ride and handling. Steering and optimised aerodynamics have been carefully and respectfully modernised.
Borrowing aesthetically and technically from the revolutionary all-electric Evija hypercar, Lotus believes the Eletre reinterprets the hypercar for its hyper-SUV form factor and will offer the most advanced active aerodynamics package of any production SUV.
The Eletre will also be four-wheel drive with power output starting from 600hp (447kW); enough for the Eletre to join the exclusive ‘two second club’ with a sprint from 0-100km/h in under three seconds. A 350kW charger will deliver a 400km range in just 20 minutes and maximum WLTP driving range is expected to be around 600km.
Technology includes what Lotus describes as the most advanced active aerodynamics package on any production SUV as well as intelligent driving technologies such as a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system, Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Mitigation, Lane Assistance, and Children Presence Detection.
The latest connectivity technology, including 5G compatibility, enables continuous connection to the car via smartphone app, over the air updates and the ability for customers to purchase new features enabled via software as they become available.
Despite its raft of technological highlights, it is clear the Eletre is actually making a simple statement – this is Lotus reinvented.