Lotus Eletre SUV 2023: all-new electric SUV for the Lotus brand revealed in full

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Lotus has officially pulled the covers off its all-new, all-electric SUV – the Eletre – which will represent “a new breed of pure electric SUV” according to the British sports-car company.

While the Eletre appears to be a clear departure from the lightweight, driver-focused cars of the past, Lotus promises that this electric SUV has evolved the game in the area of ride, handling, steering and aerodynamic optimisation. 

The Lotus Eletre is on sale now across global markets, with first deliveries scheduled to happen in China, the UK and Europe in 2023. 

Lotus claims the Eletre is all about making the driver feel special – when the key is pressed, the Eletre’s lights run through a sequence, the active front grille ‘breathes’ and the flush door handles deploy. Lotus calls this a ‘peacock moment’ that adds to the status of the vehicle. 

Powertrain and performance 

The all-new Eletre has been built on an 800-volt electric-vehicle architecture with a flat, skateboard-like battery pack structure. 

The Lotus Eletre will feature a 100+kWh battery pack that will feed two electric motors that produce at least 441kW of power – however we could see a version that makes much more power than this.

According to Lotus, the Eletre will be able to rocket to 100km/h in under three seconds and reach a top speed of 260km/h. Range will be a WLTP figure of approximately 600km.

Five-link suspension features on the rear axle, along with standard air springs, active ride height, active rear-wheel steering, active anti-roll bars and torque vectoring will all be available. 

Four drive modes are standard on the Eletre including Range, Tour, Sport and Off Road.  

Exterior, interior and infotainment  

A brand new design language has been created for the Eletre, which measures in at 5103mm long, 2231mm wide (including mirrors), 1630mm tall and rides on a 3019mm wheelbase – making it slightly larger than the BMW iX electric SUV.

One of the main features to debut on the Eletre is a roof-mounted LIDAR sensor which can retract into the top of the windscreen – LIDAR being a radar-based technology that works especially well in low light conditions to detect obstacles. Deployable LIDAR sensors on each side of the car also provide assistance for autonomous driving technology. 

Each door mirror is replaced by an electric reverse mirror display that houses three different cameras – one for reversing, one for a 360-degree view and another that assists driving technologies. 

The Eletre features huge 23-inch machine-cut alloy wheels with carbon-fibre inserts that aid airflow to the ceramic composite brakes with 10-piston calipers. 

Inside the Eletre, both four- and five-seat layouts are available. A strong focus on sustainability has led the Lotus team to implement highly durable microfibres on primary touchpoints along with wool-blend fabric for the seats – a material that is 50 percent lighter than traditional leather. Hard material surfaces are finished in carbon-fibre. 

Lotus has yet again emphasised its philosophy of light weight by removing material that is not needed to keep overall mass as low as possible – even though an official kerb weight is yet to be divulged for the Eletre. 

Infotainment is a ‘world-class digital experience’ according to the company, largely thanks to a large 15.1-inch landscape touchscreen interface which automatically folds flat when not in use. 

British brand KEF has supplied the sound system for the Eletre, which is a 15-speaker set-up in standard guise. Those wanting even more sound performance can upgrade to a larger KEF 23-speaker system with 3D sound technology.

Lotus claims that the Eletre’s driver can access 95 percent of the SUV’s controls with three touches of the main infotainment screen. 

The Eletre is full of active-safety technology and advanced driver-assistance systems, all of which are designed to be future-proof thanks to over-the-air updates. 

Available safety technology includes adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation support, traffic sign detection, rear cross-traffic alert, front cross traffic alert, lane change assist, child presence detection, lane-keep assistance with departure warning, rear collision mitigation support and emergency rescue call.