MOTORS Norfolk-based Lotus’s SUV

A NEW CAR MADE IN NORFOLK

Two brilliant things come from Norfolk. Firstly, really good mustard. Secondly, Great British sports cars from Lotus. And now, the Hethel-based company is launching a brand new model, unusual not least because it’s a four-seater SUV, but also because it’s an entirely electric car. This is the Eletre and it’s the vehicle charged (pun intended) with transforming the company’s fortunes...

Words: Rob Davis.

THEY LAUGHED when Porsche did it with the Cayenne. They laughed when Bentley did it with the Bentayga. They laughed when Lamborghini did it with the Urus. But those who thought a sport car manufacturer releasing an all-wheel drive model was mere folly have long-since stopped laughing. And the latest brand to break out of their sports car praxis to produce a fivedoor, four-seater SUV is Lotus with this. It’s called the Eletre and it’s on sale now with first deliveries expected in 2023. A four-wheel drive machine with a battery of 100kWh capacity and power from 600hp, the car will offer a range of 248 miles. The Eletre will be available in different power outputs beginning at a whopping 600hp, with the fastest versions promising to reach 60mph in less than three seconds. No prizes for guessing which brand Lotus has in its sight, the Eletre will be taking aim at Tesla with its Models X and Y. Accordingly, it’s space age in its design with an ultraaerodynamic shape. Door mirrors are replaced by 360-degree cameras, and there’s a full suite of driver aids which will eventually facilitate autonomous driving. Elsewhere in the cabin, you won’t find leather, but rather a sustainable wool blend of seating material. Approach the car and its exterior lights run through a pre-entry sequence, with the central grill ‘breathing’ and flush door handles deploying as if the car is coming to life. Exact prices and specifications are to be confirmed soon, see www.lotuscars.com. n