A little over a year ago the invite came from the good folk at Lotus to head to the Concorde Hangar at Manchester Airport to see what was then, the new Lotus Emira sports car. I came away impressed and hope that sometime in early 2023 I will manage to get behind the wheel. Customer deliveries have just begun, and press cars will come on song sometime soon.
Fast forward to this month and another invite from Hethel, this time to inspect the new Eletre, described by Lotus as the world’s first electric ‘Hyper-SUV’. Same inspiring location as before, with all the action taking place around one of British Airways’ Concorde supersonic planes.

The press release tells me that this is the first of a new breed of pure electric SUVs, and one which takes its core principals 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 Lotus customers.

With the company’s famed expertise in ride and handling, I am told steering and aerodynamics have been carefully and respectfully resolved.

The world premiere of Eletre was in London earlier this year and is a collaboration between highly experienced Lotus teams in the UK, Germany and China.

Thousands of customers around the world have already placed deposits to secure their Eletre and the Lotus PR team are delighted with the bulging order book for both it and the Emira.

Three different versions of the car are available – Eletre, Eletre S and Eletre R with a choice of two powertrains.

The first two boast a 450kW/603hp single-speed version and an impressive range of 373miles (600km). The Eletre R comes with the flagship 675kW/905hp dual-speed system and a maximum range of 304 miles (490km). Torque figures are equally impressive at 710 and 985Nm respectively.

Performance figures are really quite staggering, so expect 0-62mph sprint times of 4.5 or 2.95 seconds! This from a large and capacious family-sized SUV. Hyper is definitely the word.

All models come with the same 112kWh battery which can be charged from 10% to 80% in just 20 minutes should a suitably quick rapid charger be at your disposal.

UK prices start at £89,500, rising to £120,000 for the top Eletre R version. All come with five drive modes, active air suspension, torque vectoring, matrix LED headlights, active front grille and 22-inch 10-spoke forged wheels.

The luxury cabin is well specced too with 12-way electrically adjustable seats (very comfortable they are too), four-zone air automatic climate control and wireless smartphone charging. 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 central 15.1-inch high-definition OLED centre screen.

All versions of the Eletre will feature five seats and standard, with a four-seat version available as part of the Executive Seat Pack. The version I tried boasted two extremely comfy seats in the rear.

UK Eletres will ride on 22-inch wheels as standard, though if ride comfort is a priority, 20-inch wheels are available. There are five wheel designs to choose from and six colours of brake calliper.

Six natty colours are on offer for the exterior – Natron Red (my choice), Galloway Green, Stellar Black, Kaimu Grey, Blossom Grey or Solar Yellow. More will follow.

Six unique interiors are available, with sustainability to the fore. Leather alternatives are available which claim to be odour-free and longer lasting.

Those who really must have the best will find the Eletre R is designed to thrill. As well as the breath-taking acceleration, there is also a Track Mode with a launch control which gives instant access to the car’s formidable full power. More performance-orientated settings for the dampers and anti-roll bars come as standard too.

A variety of packs are available from launch to allow buyers the opportunity to personalise and customise their car.

A five-year/100,000-mile warranty is offered and there’s five years of pan-European roadside assistance too.

I look forward to getting behind the wheel next year and will bring you my driving impressions then.

Oh, and if you are in the Manchester area, I strongly recommend a visit to the Concorde Hangar. The tour of the iconic plane was most enjoyable.