Lotus is back, and this time it’s ready to dominate the premium segment with the Eletre, an electric hyper-SUV due in New Zealand from the start of 2024.

It is the first of a new breed of pure electric SUVs. It takes the core principles and Lotus DNA from almost 75 years of sports car design and engineering, evolving them into desirable all-new lifestyle cars for the next generation of Lotus customers.

The Eletre is the all-new and all-electric lifestyle model from Lotus, as it continues its transformation from a UK sports car company to a global performance car business and brand.

The Eletre takes the soul of the latest Lotus sports car – the Emira – and the revolutionary aero performance of the all-electric Evija hypercar, and reinterprets them as a Hyper-SUV.

Matt Windle, Group Vice-President and Managing Director, Lotus Cars, commented: “Confirmation of the pricing and specs of the Lotus Eletre is a key moment in the transformation of Lotus through our Vision80 strategy. We know from media and customer feedback that they’re hugely excited by the arrival of this car – indeed, the Eletre has already won awards as 2023’s ‘most excited to see’ new model. Customer deliveries start during the first half of next year.”

He added: “The launch of the Eletre is the natural next step for Lotus. Two-seater sports cars are not for everyone, and we want to offer a Lotus for every stage of your life. The Eletre is the start of that.”

Already thousands of customers around the world have placed deposits to secure their Eletre. 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 450 kW single-speed version, with a maximum range of 600 km. The Eletre R comes with the flagship 675 kW dual-speed system and a maximum range of 490 km). Torque figures are 710 and 985 Nm respectively, delivering a 0-100 km/h 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 350 kW charger.