2024 Lotus Eletre

Overview

Lotus, the British company best known for making low-volume, lightweight, high-performance sports cars, is diverging from this long-held marketing strategy with a new model that’s entirely different from any Lotus that came before it. The new Eletre is a high-performance electric SUV that will be built in China and is set to go on sale in the U.S. sometime in 2023. While it will certainly be considerably heavier than any other Lotus models due to its large battery pack, the Eletre promises to deliver strong acceleration thanks to its electric motors, which will produce at least 600 horsepower. Lotus aims to compete with other electric SUV models including the Audi e-tron and BMW iX, but the Eletre bears more than a passing resemblance to the jaw-dropping Lamborghini Urus.

What’s New for 2024?

The Eletre is a completely new addition to the Lotus lineup and is the company’s first SUV.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

$84,500 (est)

$98,500 (est)

R

$113,000 (est)

Lotus says it will offer the Eletre in Base, S, and R configurations and the base price will be below $85,000. To maximize range, we’d stick with either the base or S trim, both of which come with a less potent—but still quite powerful—602-hp electric powertrain and an estimated driving range of about 315 miles per charge.

EV Motor, Power, and Performance

The Eletre’s base powertrain is a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup making 602 horsepower. Lotus says that’s enough to rocket the Eletre to 62 mph in just 4.5 seconds, but the top-spec R boasts a whopping 906 horsepower and an estimated zero-to-62-mph time of only 2.9 seconds. Lotus hasn’t revealed anything yet about the Eletre’s suspension or handling, but we expect the sports car maker will imbue its first SUV with crisp handling and a fun-to-drive nature.

Range, Charging, and Battery Life

Lotus says that the Eletre’s battery pack will offer 112.0-kWh of capacity and claims that base and S models will offer a driving range of 373 miles on the European WLTP cycle. This means its U.S.-specific EPA rating will likely be lower than that and come in at around 315 miles per charge. The high-performance Eletre R’s range isn’t as impressive and Lotus estimates only about 302 miles per charge on the European WLTP, which would equate to about 250 miles by the EPA’s guidelines. Once we get an Eletre to test, we’ll run it through our real-world 75-mph highway fuel economy-and-driving range test to see what it can do.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPGe

The EPA has not yet released fuel economy estimates for the Eletre and we haven’t had a chance to test the electric SUV for ourselves. When we do, we’ll take it on our 75-mph highway fuel economy route and update this story with test results. For more information about the Eletre’s fuel economy, visit the EPA’s website.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

The Eletre will be offered as either a four-seater with two individual buckets in the rear or as a five-seater with a three-place rear bench. Its cabin features interesting materials such as microfiber, stitched leather, wool-blend fabric, and milled bronze accents. From photos, we can see some highly-bolstered sports seats which give us hope for the Eletre’s performance potential.

The Car and Driver Difference

Infotainment and Connectivity

A large 15.1-inch touchscreen dominates the dashboard and will run a version of parent company Geely’s ECARX infotainment system that’s shared with the Smart #1 SUV that’s not sold in America. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be standard and a head-up display will be available, along with an upgraded audio system with 23 speakers and 1500 watts.

How to Buy and Maintain a Car

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

Lotus claims that the Eletre will be capable of driving in a semi-autonomous mode thanks to several LIDAR sensors that are mounted on the roof and front wheel arches. The sensors rise out of the bodywork and retract when they’re not in use. But the company has not yet detailed which driver-assistance features will be standard and which will be optional. For more information about the Eletre’s crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features will likely include:

Standard automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection Standard lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist Available adaptive cruise control with a lane-centering feature

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

Lotus doesn’t provide spectacular coverage compared with other auto manufacturers. While its limited warranty aligns with many competitors, both its short powertrain plan and lack of complimentary maintenance are disappointing.

Limited warranty covers three years or 36,000 milesPowertrain warranty covers three years or 36,000 milesNo complimentary scheduled maintenance