Lotus Eletre Debuts in North America, Reshaping Luxury SUVs Price starts at $107,000

Apr 20, 2024 01:07 AM EDT

VEHICLES ON ROAD BETWEEN BUILDINGS — (Photo : PEXELS/Helena Lopes)

With the Eletre SUV, Lotus departs from its conventional sports car portfolio and enters the SUV market. The wait is over for enthusiastic North American consumers, as they can now customize and order this ground-breaking super SUV. This is a major turning point in Lotus's commitment to an all-electric future, and the Eletre is a major contributor to this revolutionary path.

Lotus Eletre Sets for U.S

The Eletre, Eletre S, and Eletre R are the three separate versions available for China and the UK of this Sino-British crossover, which debuted as the market leader in electric hyper-SUVs. For American consumers, however, there are only two options: the Eletre and the high-performance Eletre R.

As reported by Electrek, Lotus, the hypercar company owned by Geely, revealed a strategy roadmap centered on producing only electric vehicles by 2028, making April 2021 a critical month. The journey commences with the launch of the "Type 132" E-segment SUV in 2022, signaling a profound shift toward electrification.

Today marks a significant milestone for North American customers as they gain access to the Lotus Eletre SUV, heralding the dawn of a new era for Lotus's SUV lineup, all of which are poised to embrace full electrification moving forward. In both the US and Canada, local markets will have the opportunity to choose from two variants of this Hyper SUV: the standard Eletre and the performance-oriented Eletre R.

Both versions feature an all-wheel-drive system with two motors and Lotus's state-of-the-art 111.9 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which is integrated into the brand's exclusive 800V platform. According to Autoblog, the base Lotus Eletre SUV will cost you $107,000 in the US, while the top-tier Eletre R will cost you $145,000.

Learn More About Lotus Eletre

As per DaxStreet, the Eletre impresses with a WLTP combined range of 304 to 354 miles, while the sportier Eletre R achieves 254 to 280 miles. Upon becoming public in February 2024, Lotus Technologies, the electric car subsidiary of Eletre, made clear its strategy focus on electrification.

DaxStreet predicts that the 2025 Lotus Eletre's cutting-edge performance and technology will probably have a big effect on the market for high-end electric SUVs. The Eletre represents a significant advancement for Lotus in the electrification field.

According to Robb Report, the British marque's first SUV, which will be built in China, is unlike anything we've ever seen from Lotus. It's bigger and roomier than any of the brand's previous vehicles, though still performance-oriented.

Robb Report shared there are purists out there outraged at the thought of Lotus releasing anything other than a zippy two-door, but for a brand intent on building more than just sports cars it's an important vehicle.

Production of the Eletre is handled by Lotus' EV division, Lotus Technology, at a plant in Wuhan, China. The same plant will build additional Lotus lifestyle models, including the upcoming Emeya sedan and a yet-to-be-revealed compact crossover. Lotus hasn't confirmed these additional models for U.S. sale yet.

Upgrading to the Eletre R doesn't only add more power. It also adds a Track mode to the existing Tour, Range, Sport, Off-Road, and Individual modes of the standard drive mode selector. Switching to Track mode will reduce the ride height, sharpen the powertrain response, and raise the threshold for the electronic stability control system's intervention. Buyers of the R can also choose to add carbon-ceramic brake rotors as an alternative to the standard steel rotors.