British supercar brand Lotus have finally revealed their long-awaited first foray into the SUV and EV sector with the launch of their ‘Eletre’.
Produced in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which has had its fair share of Covid related headlines over the last few years, the new Lotus has been developed by Lotus Technology the company’ all-new electric innovation hub, also based in Wuhan.
Lotus, whose main headquarters are in Hethel, Norfolk, expect the Eletre to retail at a price mark starting just south of £100k, and they will be aiming it directly at the British made Aston Martin DBX, the Lamborghini Urus and Ferrari's Purosangue SUVs.
The naming convention for the new Lotus SUV follows the company’s tradition of being named after the letter ‘E’ following in the tyremarks of the Elan, Europa, Esprit, Elise. The word Eletre has its roots in Easter Europe where it means ‘Coming To Life’, marking a new era in the 74-year history of the brand which was launched by motor racing icon Colin Chapman.
“The Eletre is a progressive all-electric performance vehicle embodying emotion, intelligence and prestige and, as the first of the brand's lifestyle cars, it sets the standard for what will follow,” said the car’s designer, Ben Payne.“We have taken the iconic design language of the Lotus sports car and successfully evolved it into an elegant and exotic hyper-SUV.”
And if the expected style of the Lotus Eletre is not enough to catch the eye, the new SUV has its very own light show, which activates four different light colours when the key fob is activated to unlock the car doors. A first in motoring according to Payne.
“This walk-up sequence is a ‘peacock moment’ – a little ‘showing-off’ that highlights the Eletre’s engaging personality. It’s a visual expression of a car coming to life, and a metaphor for the reinvention of the Lotus business and brand which begins with the Eletre.”