Lotus unveils the Eletre SUV with 600 hp and 600 km of range

Lotus just made a huge splash today by unveiling the Eletre, an all-electric "hyper-SUV" formerly known just by its codename: Type 132. Sports car brands unveiling SUVs isn't as shocking now as it used to be, but this is still rather out of the ordinary. The Eletre is Lotus' first five-door production car, its first model that isn't a sports car, its first lifestyle EV, and the most "connected" Lotus ever.

The Eletre is built on Lotus' new Electric Premium Architecture (EPA), which can easily adapt to accommodate different battery sizes, motors, component layouts, and driving technologies. The car definitely looks stunning, and was clearly designed to say "I'm fast". Which it will be, given that it's all-wheel drive and will come with 600 hp in the entry-level model.

Although Lotus isn't specifically saying more, we do expect even more powerful versions. Anyway, the range is expected to reach 600 km (373 miles) WLTP from its "over 100 kWh" battery, and the car using an 800V architecture means it can be charged at up to 350kW DC. On such a charger, you get 400 km (248 miles) of range in just 20 minutes. 22kW AC charging will also be supported as standard.

Top speed will be limited to 260 km/h (161 mph), and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) will take less than three seconds. The Eletre is 5,103mm long (200"), 2,231mm wide (87"), and 1,630mm tall (64"), with a wheelbase of 3,019mm (118"). A panoramic glass sunroof will be optional in all markets outside of China, and you get Electric Reverse Mirror Displays where they are allowed.

The Eletre promises to deliver "the soul of a Lotus with the usability of an SUV". According to the official press materials, it's "bold, progressive and exotic, with iconic sports car DNA evolved for the next generation of Lotus customers". It's the first of three new Lotus EVs arriving in the next four years, with a design language inspired by the "world's first British EV hypercar, the award-winning Lotus Evija".

Carbon fiber and aluminum have been used extensively for weight reduction, while aerodynamics have been improved through "porosity" - the principle of air flowing through the car as well as under, over and around it. This is most obvious where air is channeled under the leading edge of the Eletre, emerging through two exit vents in the bonnet above. Other examples are to be found ahead of and behind the front wheel arches, behind the rear wheels, and at the top of the D pillar.

The active front grille has a network of interconnecting triangular petals which remain closed when the car isn't moving or when there's a need to reduce drag. They open in a distinctive pattern to feed air into the radiator, cooling the electric motors, battery pack and front brakes when required.

One of the headline features is the fact that the Eletre incorporates the "world-first deployable LIDAR technology in a production car", which means the Eletre "supports end-to-end autonomous driving technology and is future-proofed for further development, achievable because of the hardware that’s already integrated. Further capability can be added via OTA software updates, as and when it is allowed by local market regulation". Translation? If full self driving will ever be legal where you live, this car might be able to achieve it after an update.

Inside you can pick from a layout with four individual seats, or a traditional five-seat arrangement. The interior uses highly durable man-made microfibers on the primary touchpoints and an advanced wool-blend fabric on the seats, which is 50% lighter than leather. The hard materials are carbon fiber.

There's a centrally mounted 15.1-inch landscape-oriented OLED touchscreen, and a thin 30mm high instrument cluster in front of the driver. This design is also repeated on the passenger side, where different information can be displayed, like music selection or nearby points of interest. The center screen automatically folds flat when not in use. An AR head-up display is provided too, as standard no less.

Manufacturing will start "later this year" at an all-new production facility in Wuhan, China. Sales have already commenced "across global markets", and deliveries will start in 2023 in China, the UK, and continental Europe.

The video above gives you a good overview of the brand new Eletre, and also nicely provides context for it by talking a bit about the brand's history.