REVEALED: Lotus’ New Hyper-SUV

Lotus’ first SUV is extremely luxurious, powerful and (probably) expensive

SUV haters look away now! Lotus has joined the ever-expanding bandwagon and announced a new SUV!

Even if you despise SUVs, the Eletre is still likely to put a smile on your face and that’s because it’s not your average run-of-the-mill SUV, oh no. This new all-electric car from Lotus is the world’s first (self-proclaimed) hyper-SUV.

Details of the car’s performance and power are still being ironed out but so far we know this ‘hyper-SUV’ will have at least 600hp and be capable of ridiculous acceleration, obviously. 0-60mph is said to be less than 3 seconds thanks to front and rear electric motors to power all four wheels.

Furthermore, that’s just the base model. A more powerful variant will also be released later on with around 900 horsepower and three electric motors instead of two.

So, what sets this car apart from the Tesla Model X that has existed for years and is also capable of the very same extreme acceleration? Probably the price. It’s reasonable to guess that this car is going to be very expensive, especially when you learn about how luxurious Lotus have made the interior.

Rear seats are available in a configuration of two separate seats, each with individual reclining functions and a shared control screen to access various functions. In the front, the driver and passenger are surrounded by gold-coloured switches, extra plush materials such as cotton and an Alcantara-like fabric, plus plenty of exposed carbon in the seats and the centre console.

The overall styling of the exterior, however, appears to be a little divisive. It truly looks nothing like a Lotus. In other SUVs such as the Urus, Model X and even the Mustang Mace E, certain design queues can be spotted that are consistent with their non-SUV counterparts. We can’t really see any of the Elise, Evija or Emira in the Eletre’s design, leaving it feeling a bit alien and unfamiliar.

That being said, there are some great aspects of the Eletre’s design. The rear is undoubtedly better looking than the front, featuring a full-width light bar which is accentuated by the air vents that are actually functional! Also on the back is a pair of winglets and an active rear pop-up spoiler making for a truly sporty combination, which certainly helps with solidifying the self-proclaimed title of ‘hyper-SUV’.

Range is said to be around 370 miles which is quite decent and the car’s quick charging capabilities allow for 248 miles to be added in just 20 minutes when using a 350kW rapid charger.

This is Lotus’ first ever SUV and also its first 5-door production car. In fact, it’s the company’s first-ever production car that isn’t a sports car.

Being an SUV it’s a pretty safe bet this will do wonders for Lotus’ sales but let us know if you think it’s a good offering in the world of electric SUVs, in the comments.

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