The British sports car maker Lotus has revealed that the first ever electric SUV from its stable has been named Eletre. The car, which was originally code-named Type 132, will be formally unveiled at a company event in London tomorrow (March 29).
The company said: “Lotus Eletre. Coming to life on 29.3.22.” via Twitter and posted a YouTube video titled “Lotus Eletre is coming to life.”
Earlier this month, design leaks on various internet site gave us a glimpse into the exterior of the car that is assembled at --- wait for it --- Wuhan, China at a plant constructed by Lotus' parent company Geely.
Eletre will be pitted against Jaguar I-Pace, Audi E-tron Sportback and Ford Mustang Mach-E. For the record, Lotus already has an EV named Evija hypercar, but its manufacturing numbers are limited.
Lotus had earlier announced that Eletre will be followed in 2023 by an E-segment four-door coupe, Type 133, and in 2025 by Type 134, a new D-segment SUV. This trio will be joined in 2026 by an all-new electric sports car, Type 135.
Lotus EVs will be from China
Lotus Technology, headquartered in Wuhan, is the new division of Group Lotus. The company formed the new division "to accelerate innovation in the fields of batteries and energy management, electric motors, electronic control systems, intelligent driving, intelligent manufacturing and more." An all-new Lotus factory, to manufacture Lotus electric vehicles for global markets, will open later this year.
According to the company, Eletre will inaugurate Lotus' bespoke electric platform called Evolution.
So far, Lotus has revealed that the forthcoming electric crossover will be built on the firm’s modular EV platform called Evolution, and thus will feature an 800-volt electrical architecture for quick charging and battery packs with capacities ranging from 92-120 kWh.
Eletre: Exteriors and other details
Going by leaked specs and pics so far, Eletre's exterior will feature pop-out, flush-fitting door handles, and will have exterior mirror cameras, as well as forward- and rearward-facing cameras and a roof-mounted Lidar sensor. Eletre will likely have all-wheel drive, meaning it's going to pack dual electric motors.
Eletre will sport Lotus' very distinctive design language and will likely have crescent-shaped headlights and a wraparound rear light bar. The SUV is expected to feature an active grille shutter which is made up of a number of hexagons which have been split into triangular segments. Illuminated steering wheel buttons, a digital dial display, the alloy wheel design, the headlights and the sneak peak of the powertrain have all been teased.
The BEV SUV is likely to be available in two four-wheel drive variants with between 450 kW and 560 kW on tap. Claimed performance will be a 0-100 km/h time of less than 3 seconds. The new electric SUV, to start off, is likely to be meant for the Chinese and European markets.
