Lotus Eletre Electric SUV Reveals Its Price, Power And Range
Lotus, makers of the Elise and Exige is decidedly a sports car company. The brand's entire design ethos is "simplify and add lightness," it has been associated with the racing world for decades, and the its engineering department has had a hand in the development of sports cars and supercars from multiple different automakers. When it announced an EV crossover earlier this year, then, it's fair to say the Lotus Eletre was a surprise to the automotive world.
Lotus
A heavy grocery getter full of batteries seems like it would be diametrically opposed to a brand known for lightweight cars. Still, Lamborghini already has the Urus SUV and Ferrari is coming out with the Purosangue SUV, so it was arguably only a matter of time until Lotus made its entry into the sport utility world. Today, the brand announced all the Eletre's pertinent specifications ahead of its official launch. Fortunately, for speed fans, the Eletre is anything but slow.
Simplify and add batteries
Predictably, the Eletre is not cheap by any means. According to a press release by Lotus, the EV starts at £89,500, or a little over $100,000. The "hyper-SUV" — as Lotus insists on calling it — will come in three distinct flavors: the Eletre, Eletre S, and Eletre R, with the Eletre S starting at £104,500 ($118,000) and the Eletre R coming in at £120,000 ($135,000).
Either way it's configured, the Eletre puts out impressive numbers. Both the base model and Eletre S generate 603 horsepower from its dual motor setup, and the Eletre R squeezes out a staggering 905 horsepower. Lotus claims the Eletre R is the fastest EV SUV in the world with a 0-60 time of 2.95 seconds, though it's worth noting Tesla's Model X Plaid claims 2.5 seconds for the same thing. The Eletre R is also available with a "Track Mode" that lowers the ride height and utilizes the model's active aerodynamic for peak racing performance.
Lotus
Inside, the Eletre sports all the bells and whistles one would expect from a $100,000+ EV including carpets made out of recycled materials, available 23 speaker audio, and touchscreens galore. For range, the Eletre and Eletre S tout an estimated 373 miles before running dry, and the Eletre R will go for an estimated 304 miles before needing a charge, according to Lotus. Prices for North America have not been revealed yet, but the brand said it will divulge that information closer to the Eletre's launch in the United States in 2024.