The much-awaited moment has arrived. Legendary carmaker Lotus has opened its doors to India by launching the all-electric Eletre SUV here. The car is available to order in three variants, and Lotus is offering all three in India. While the base Eletre is priced at a whopping ₹2.55 crore, the Eletre S and range-topping Eletre R are priced at ₹2.75 crore and ₹2.99 crore, respectively. The launch of the Eletre is likely to be followed by the launch of the Emira – Lotus’ last internal combustion engine sportscar – in 2024.
Much like McLaren and many other ultra-premium brands, Lotus Cars will also retail its products via an appointed retailer and distributor for pan-India sales. For this, New Delhi’s Exclusive Motors has been chosen (also the folks who manage the sales operations of Bentley in India). The first Lotus dealership will come up in Delhi by early 2024, with more in the pipeline.
About the Lotus Eletre
The Eletre made its global debut in March 2022 as Lotus’ first road-going production SUV. It is also the first model that began Lotus’ transition into an electric-only performance car brand. The Eletre is also the first regular production EV from Lotus, as the Evija electric hypercar before it had a limited production run of just 130 units. The list of firsts with the Eletre continues – it is also the first Lotus model to be produced at Geely’s all-new facility in Wuhan, China. China’s Geely (Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd.) is the parent company of Lotus Cars – the former acquired a 51% stake in Lotus in 2017.
Lotus Eletre: Powertrain & Charging
The Eletre is underpinned by an all-new bespoke platform called the Electric Premium Architecture (EPA). Made of about 43% aluminium alloys, the highly flexible EPA will also serve as the base for the brand’s “range of new premium lifestyle performance EVs.”
As mentioned above, the Eletre is available in three grades – Eletre, Eletre S and Eletre R. The entire range offers a choice of two powertrains. The Eletre and Eletre S feature a 603HP/710Nm dual-motor all-wheel drive configuration. Both can accelerate from 0-100km/h in only 4.5 seconds and go on to a top speed of 258km/h. Both variants can achieve a WLTP-certified driving range of up to 600km. The Eletre R features the same configuration, but it can be specced with a two-speed gearbox. The R offers 905HP/985Nm output, does the 0-100km/h run in 2.95 seconds, and can reach a top speed of 265km/h. The higher output does reduce the range – the Eletre R’s WLTP range stands at 490km. All three variants are powered by a 112kWh (800V) battery.
The Eletre features a 22kW on-board AC charger as standard. It can charge the car from 0-100% in less than six hours. Lotus has also added 350kW DC fast charging capability, which can offer a 10-80% charge in about 20 minutes; more than 120km of range can be added in about five minutes.
Lotus Eletre: Features
The Lotus Eletre is loaded to the gills when it comes to features. As standard, it offers active air suspension, continuous damping control, torque vectoring, Lotus Intelligent Dynamic Chassis Control, Adaptive Cruise Control, Visual Park Assist, multiple drive modes (Tour, Range, Sport, Off-road, and Individual), 22-inch 10-spoke forged wheels in silver (20-inch five-spoke in European markets), Matrix LED headlamps, four-zone climate control, 12-way electric-adjust front seats, head-up display, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, and a 1,380W 15-speaker KEF Premium audio system.
Over and above this, the Eletre S offers additional luxury-oriented features such as soft-close doors, privacy glass, an active rear spoiler, configurable ambient lighting, illuminated side sills, air quality monitoring system, a 2,160W 23-speaker KEF Reference audio system, and 22-inch 10-spoke forged wheels in grey with a diamond-turned finish.
The flagship Eletre R benefits from the addition of the Lotus Dynamic Handling Pack (comprising Intelligent Active Roll Control and Active Rear Steering), Carbon Pack, Pirelli P Zero performance tyres, gloss-black finish on the wheels, and a sixth drive mode: Track.
Lotus Eletre: Interior
Inside, the highlights include a 15.1-inch HD OLED landscape-oriented infotainment touchscreen that’s only 10mm thick and can fold flat when not needed. A 12.6-inch instrument cluster is paired with a 29-inch head-up display (HUD). The cluster is part of a 30mm display strip that Lotus calls ‘ribbon of technology.’
Lotus Eletre: Safety
The Eletre is equipped with a comprehensive suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The aDAS suite is so complex that its requires an army of 34 cameras and sensors in total – four deployable LIDAR sensors, six radar sensors , seven 8MP HD cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors. The ADAS suite offers features like:
Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Highway Assist (HWA)
Collision Mitigation Support Front (CMSF)
Traffic Sign Information (TSI)
Door Open Warning (DOW)
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Front Cross Traffic Alert (FCTA)
Lane Change Assist (LCA)
Life Detection and Care (LDC)
Lane Keep Aid with Lane Departure Warning / Prevention (LKA+)
Parking Emergency Brake (PEB)
Collision Mitigation Support Rear (CMSR)
Emergency Rescue Call (E-Call)