Iconic British Sportscar manufacturer Lotus has finally made its way to the Indian market. The brand has chosen to enter the country with the Eletre R which is claimed to be the world’s fastest dual-motor pure electric SUV. Being the first of a new breed of pure electric SUVs, Eletre takes the core principles and Lotus DNA from almost 75 years of sports car design and engineering, evolving them into a desirable all-new lifestyle car for the next generation of customers.
Design
The standouts on the exterior of the Eletre include matrix LED headlights with slim DRLs, active front grille and 22-inch 10-spoke forged wheels. The SUV rides on 22-inch wheels as standard, though 20-inch and 23-inch are also available. There are five different wheel designs and six colours of brake caliper on offer. At launch there are six exterior colours to choose from – Natron Red, Galloway Green, Stellar Black, Kaimu Grey, Blossom Grey and Solar Yellow. Lotus says more colour options will follow later.
Interior
As standard the Eletre comes with wireless smartphone charging, 12-way electrically adjustable front seats, 2,160-watt, 23-speaker KEF Audio system and four-zone automatic climate control. It is the world’s first car to combine Dolby Atmos and KEF Audio. The ‘intelligent cockpit’ infotainment system, which includes Apple CarPlay / Android Auto and a 1,380-watt, 15-speaker KEF Premium Audio, is operated via a centrally mounted 15.1-inch full High-Definition OLED centre screen. Six interiors are available a new fibre used in the carpets and boot liner is 100% recycled.
Lotus announced more details of its advanced ‘digital cockpit’ cabin on the Eletre, including the name of the Operating System – Lotus Hyper OS. Lotus is using ‘Unreal Engine’ technology from the gaming industry, allowing the creation of next-generation real-time 3D content and experiences. All versions of the SUV feature five seats as standard, with a four-seat version available as part of the Executive Seat Pack. The enhanced specification also has features like active rear spoiler, configurable ambient lighting, illuminated side sills, soft door close, auto-dimming side mirrors and an air quality system.
Powertrain
Three different versions of the car are available – Eletre, Eletre S and Eletre R – with the choice of two powertrains. Eletre and Eletre S feature the 603 hp single-speed version, with a maximum range of 600 km. The Eletre R comes with the flagship 905 hp dual-speed system, top speed of 265 kmph and a maximum range of 490 km. Torque figures are 710 and 985 Nm respectively, delivering a 0-100 kmph performance of either 4.5 or 2.95 seconds. The 112 kWh battery for both versions has a charging time (10%-80%) of just 20 minutes using a rapid charger.
The standard spec includes five drive modes, active air suspension and torque vectoring, Lotus Dynamic Handling Pack, Carbon Fibre Pack, gloss black wheels, stainless steel sports pedals, black badging and high-performance tyres. Also standard is the deployable LIDAR technology, a world-first in a production car which supports end-to-end autonomous driving (AD) technology. Integrated OTA software update capability ensures the system will be fully ready when individual market regulations allow for the more advanced levels of AD.
Prices
The Lotus Eletre starts at Rs. 2.55 Crore, ex-showroom while the top Lotus Eletre R is priced at Rs. 2.99 Crore. The latter will be available for deliveries first and the rest of the variants will follow soon. There’s a long list of optional extras and packs as well which will take the cost of the car up significantly. The brand has also announced that in 2024, its second car for India will be the Emira. The mid-engine sports car will come in two choices of engines – a 2 litre Turbocharged 4 cylinder producing 360 hp or a 6-cylinder supercharged option putting out 400hp. The car will come with auto and manual gearbox options.
The author is a Senior Editor at carandbike.com.