LONDON: Lotus has premiered its all-new and electric Hyper-SUV called Eletre.
Meaning ‘Coming to Life’ in some Eastern European languages, the naming convention follows the long line of Lotus rod cars whose names starts from ‘E’.
Said to be ‘Born British Raised Globally’, the all-wheel drive Eletre was an UK-led design with engineering support from Lotus teams around the world.
The Hyper-SUV features a cab-forward stance, long wheelbase of 3,019mm and very short overhangs front and rear.
A signature element of the design is its ‘porosity’ – the aerodynamic principle of air flowing through the car as well as under, over and around it.
The front of the Eletre has a very sharp and crisp leading edge that reveals a clear lineage with the Emira and Evija.
Other styling cues include an aggressively raked windscreen, narrow glass area and muscular haunches that dominate the profile view.
The rear is dominated by the unique cantilevered carbon fibre ‘floating’ split roof spoiler that is a motorsport-inspired design feature that evokes race car winglets.
Each door mirror is replaced by an Electric Reverse Mirror Display (ERMD), which houses three different cameras – one for the rear-view mirror, a second to help create a 360-degree view of the car, and a third which is part of the intelligent driving technologies.
Inside, the Eletre is available in four individual seats or layout for five seats along with a fixed panoramic glass sunroof for a bright and spacious feeling.
The interior uses premium feel and highly durable man-made microfibres on the primary touchpoints, and an advanced wool-blend fabric on the seats.
It is 50% lighter than traditional leather, allowing for further weight savings, while hard materials are carbon fibre that are recycled fibres trimmed from the edge of the weave.
The driver-focused cockpit and high centre console are inspired by the Lotus Emira and Evija, creating a cossetted feeling.
Centre display is the latest in OLED touch-screen technology, a 15.1-inch landscape interface which provides access to the car’s advanced infotainment system.
The standard audio system on the car is provided by renowned British brand KEF. Called KEF Premium, it is a 1,380-watt 15-speaker which can be upgraded to KEF Reference, a 2,160-watt 23-speaker system with Uni-Q and 3D surround sound technology.
The Eletre's comprehensive suite of intelligent Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), many of which are designed to be futureproof so new features can be enabled via Over The Air (OTA) updates.
The LIDAR system means the Eletre supports end-to-end autonomous driving technology.
Also available are Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC); 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); Children Presence Detection (CPD); Lane Keep Aid with Lane Departure Warning / Prevention (LKA+); Parking Emergency Brake (PEB); Collision Mitigation Support Rear (CMSR); and Emergency Rescue Call (E-Call).
There are i-Size child seat anchor points on the outboard rear seats.
Power system is an all-new 800v dedicated architecture with integrated, high-voltage power distribution system.
The dual motor, one on each axle, Eletre is targeting a power output of 600hp, a high voltage battery of 100kWh, 0-100kph sprint below 3.0 seconds and a top speed of 260kph.
Driving range under WLTP is targeted at 600km.
The Eletre will be made at an all-new hi-tech facility in China later this year.
