THE LOTUS ELETRE SETS THE BAR FOR THE ALL-ELECTRIC HYPER SUV MARKET WITH UP TO 905 HP ON TAP
It was just the other day that Lotus set the bar for EVs after the Evija was announced as the most powerful production car thanks to its rating of 1 470 kW from a quad electric motor setup. It would make sense then that if Lotus has that kind of tech available that it would filter into other models, and it's done just that with the all-new Eletre. The SUV is a first for the brand, they haven’t made an SUV before and even though it’s the first one all three trims are also fully electric. This new British attack on the SUV market sees Lotus launch the Eletre, the Eletre S and the range-topping Eletre R. The latter is so good in the power stakes that the resulting performance easily surpasses supercar performance territory. In fact, the performance claims are so impressive that it looks like a new motoring segment has been created by Lotus - the Hyper SUV.
The Eletre and the Eletre S share the same powertrain, a 450 kW (603 hp) single-speed version that offers up a max range of a healthy 600 km and pretty decent performance - torque is powerful at 710 Nm. Of course here at SXdrv we’re typical numbers fans and the Eletre R is the one that makes us the most happy. This is the version that’s forced the term ‘hyper SUV’ into existence. In this model that’s already seen numerous fans worldwide placing orders for one, the powertrain has ensured the Eletre R of the title of the world’s fastest dual motor pure electric SUV. In this setup the dual motors are rated and a ridiculously powerful 675 kW, which is just 55 hp short of 1 000 hp if we revert to the archaic power measurement from the US. The torque is equally impressive at 985 Nm. The two “slower” models can reportedly hit the 100 km/h mark in as little as 4.5-seconds which is damn fast, but that Eletre R can smash it in as little as 2.95-seconds. Also impressive is that the 112 kWh battery can also see up to 80% charge in just 20 minutes.
Matt Windle, Group Vice-President and Managing Director, Lotus Cars, commented: “Confirmation of the pricing and specs of the Lotus Eletre is a key moment in the transformation of Lotus through our Vision80 strategy. The launch of the Eletre is the natural next step for Lotus. Two-seater sports cars are not for everyone, and we want to offer a Lotus for every stage of your life. The Eletre is the start of that.” and with that in the the UK the Eletre is priced from £89,500 (R1 700 000 ex all the silly charges) for the standard spec that includes five drive modes, active air suspension, torque vectoring, matrix LED headlights, active front grille and 22-inch 10-spoke forged wheels. Will it come to SA? Likely by special order through independent importers because the brand isn't that popular here except with track day fanatics.
Take a look at the YouTube video that check out the all-new, all-electric Lotus Eletre that looks to have created a whole new class of car - the Hyper SUV: 2024 Lotus Eletre is a 905-hp electric super SUV | Autodtrader
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