Unleash the future: Global news broadcast from Lotus, about eagerly anticipated Hyper-SUV
Lotus has unveiled the prices and specifications for one of the most eagerly anticipated models in its history – the award-winning Eletre Hyper-SUV. The news was delivered during Lotus Eletre: Unleash the Future, a global broadcast watched by tens of thousands of customers and fans around the world.
The Eletre is the all-new and all-electric lifestyle model from Lotus, as it continues its transformation from a UK sports car company to a global performance car business and brand.
It is the first of a new breed of pure electric SUVs. It takes the core principles and Lotus DNA from almost 75 years of sports car design and engineering, evolving them into a desirable all-new lifestyle car for the next generation of Lotus customers.
The company’s famed expertise in the fields of ride and handling, steering and optimised aerodynamics, have been carefully and respectfully evolved. The Eletre takes the soul of the latest Lotus sports car – the Emira – and the revolutionary aero performance of the all-electric Evija hypercar, and reinterprets them as a Hyper-SUV.
With a world premiere in London in March this year, the Eletre is ‘Born British, Raised Globally’, a collaboration between highly experienced and dedicated Lotus teams in the UK, Germany and China. They include the product definition and attributes teams at Hethel, the home of Lotus since 1966; the design teams at Lotus Tech Creative Centre (LTCC) in Coventry; the engineering teams at Lotus Tech Innovation Centre (LTIC) in Raunheim; and the Lotus Tech engineering and manufacturing teams in Wuhan.
Matt Windle, Group Vice-President and Managing Director, Lotus Cars, commented: “Confirmation of the pricing and specs of the Lotus Eletre is a key moment in the transformation of Lotus through our Vision80 strategy. We know from media and customer feedback that they’re hugely excited by the arrival of this car – indeed, the Eletre has already won awards as 2023’s ‘most excited to see’ new model. Customer deliveries start during the first half of next year.”
He added: “The launch of the Eletre is the natural next step for Lotus. Two-seater sports cars are not for everyone, and we want to offer a Lotus for every stage of your life. The Eletre is the start of that.”
Already thousands of customers around the world have placed deposits to secure their Eletre. Three different versions of the car are available – Eletre, Eletre S and Eletre R – with the choice of two powertrains. Eletre and Eletre S feature the 450 kw / 603 hp single-speed version, with a maximum range of 600 km (373 miles). The Eletre R comes with the flagship 675 kw / 905 hp dual-speed system and a maximum range of 490 km (304 miles). Torque figures are 710 and 985 Nm respectively, delivering a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) performance of either 4.5 or 2.95 seconds. The 112 kWh battery for both versions has a charging time (10%-80%) of just 20 minutes using a 350 kW charger.
As part of the Unleash the Future global news broadcast, key Lotus personnel explained the company is embarking on an ambitious future based on three key pillars – Life, Tech and Speed. They also previewed how the world’s first Hyper-SUV, the Eletre, measures up against the original Lotus EV hypercar, the Evija.
As part of the Tech story, Lotus announced more details of its advanced ‘digital cockpit’ cabin on the Eletre, including the name – Lotus Hyper OS. Lotus is using ‘Unreal Engine’ technology from the gaming industry, allowing the Lotus User Experience / User Interface (UX/UI) team to create next-generation real-time 3D content and experiences. The Eletre boasts state-of-the-art processing power which includes two Qualcomm 8155 automotive cockpit digital platforms.
A next-generation digital head unit from global mobility tech company ECARX will debut on the Eletre. It reconfigures the user’s in-car experience by providing fully customisable displays, hosted on an advanced Driver Information Module (DIM), and advanced ultra-slim floating touchscreen with one billion colours for more realistic graphics and a more futuristic visual effect.
The platform includes ECARX’s first dual-chip system to enable server-level computing power for rapid processing, an immersive multi-screen user experience and capacity for continuous improvement during the lifetime of the car via future Over-The-Air (OTA) updates.
Lotus has also revealed it will partner with HERE Technologies to deliver integrated navigation services for the Eletre. The service includes EV Routing, EV Range Assistant and Predictive Routing, and can be updated OTA.
The result is Lotus Hyper OS, which provides a seamless interactive experience that offers best-in-class performance in terms of visual effects and interactive feedback, putting the user – driver or passenger – in complete control.
Lotus also announced a new collaboration with Dolby, creator of the renowned immersive audio experience Dolby Atmos. Dolby Atmos is a new way to enjoy music that takes listening to new heights through unparalleled depth, precision and clarity. Together, Dolby Atmos and the Eletre’s KEF speaker system combine to elevate music listening to new levels. Driver and passengers will feel like they’re sitting in the middle of the recording studio alongside the artist. The Eletre is the world’s first car to combine Dolby Atmos and KEF Audio.
In the UK the Eletre is priced from £89,500 (from €95,990 in Europe). The standard spec includes five drive modes, active air suspension, torque vectoring, matrix LED headlights, active front grille and 22-inch 10-spoke forged wheels.