Lotus Type 132 SUV

0-100 times for a suv. I hate this planet.

This is like the **** in his fort ranger double cap racing from robot to robot in a 60km/h zone.

If you want a suv or a double cap, fine. If you want a fast car, buy a fast car. Don't be a ****ing arsehole though.
 
Lotus Eletre review

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?

“Yes, it’s built in China and not Norfolk. Yes it’s electric. Yes, it’s a high-riding SUV. But it’s also a really very convincing one”

It’s hard not to carry some weight of prejudice into any conversation about Lotus - especially as a British brand so hardwired into the sportscar identity. But the truth is, a company cannot live by niche alone, and Lotus needed to broaden its appeal or it would die. Even if you bear antipathy towards the platform or format, you can at least have empathy for the need for it. Cue the agglomeration into the Chinese Geely Megacorporation (which also owns Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr, Lynk&Co and the London EV Company as well as others). Next step? Do a ‘Porsche Cayenne’ and make a vehicle that’s unpopular with the diehard fans but globally saleable - and these days that means an electric SUV.

The trick here is to roll with the fact that the Eletre has nothing to do with ‘traditional Lotus’, but that doesn’t mean it can’t align itself with Lotus values, and be an interesting aspect of a growing brand. Yes, it’s built in China and not Norfolk. Yes it’s electric. Yes, it’s a high-riding SUV. But it’s also a really very convincing one, and despite all the various arguments arranged against it, it still, just a little bit, has some Lotusness in there. More than enough to take on anything in the sector - including electric luminaries like Tesla.

A Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo would still steal the TG collective heart here, but if you absolutely have to have something with more hip-height, then it works. Maybe it’s just in the steering, or the slightly soft-edged tautness when rowing down a bumpy B-road, but there’s a lot to like here. It’s not perfect, but it’s a damn good start.

 
Lotus breaks new ground in China with digital mirror-equipped Eletre SUV

We're all aware of the EV race, with manufacturers sprinting to unveil the latest, most technologically advanced electric vehicles. But Lotus, the veteran automaker with a fresh infusion of Geely cash and vision, has just taken a leap forward. With the introduction of the Eletre Hyper-SUV, fitted with optional digital rearview mirrors, they've got the Chinese auto industry buzzing, and perhaps a bit jealous.

On July 21, the first Eletre EVs with these futuristic rearview mirrors rolled off the assembly line at Lotus' plant in Wuhan, Hubei province. In China, with all of its technological advancements and some of the most futuristic-looking EVs in the world, the digital side mirrors were only just approved for use on public roads.

The journey to this historic milestone began with the launch of the Eletre SUV on October 25, 2022. The electric SUV from Lotus comes in two versions in China - Eletre S+ and Eletre R+. With prices starting at RMB 828,000 (€107,300) and RMB 1.028 million (€133,300), it's clear that Lotus isn't targeting the budget-conscious.

 
Lotus reveals record-breaking order books for Eletre and Emira

17,000 orders for the SUV and sports car placed worldwide as the company looks to bounce back from heavy losses

Lotus has confirmed that the first half of 2023 has been a record-breaker for sales, with around 17,000 orders placed for the new Eletre SUV and the Emira sports car.
Okay, so the eagle-eyed among you will point out that we already knew this, but the positive noises are worth hearing all the same.

The Emira was launched in 2022 and 2,200 examples have been built in the UK this year, a 381 per cent increase. Crikey, no wonder order books are full for the next two years.

And deliveries of the Eletre began in China at the end of March, with Lotus’ first electric car (we’re still waiting on the Evija, harumph) expected to arrive in Europe in a few weeks’ time.

 
COMPLICATE THEN ADD WEIGHT: IS THE NEW ELETRE SUV A *REAL* LOTUS?

Love it or loathe it, Lotus’s new electric SUV will help keep the firm’s balance books in the green. But is it a Lotus in anything but name?

So here we are, then. An electric Lotus SUV that we don’t want to like, but do. Feel free to be outraged, but if Lotus was selling enough two-seat sports cars with driving dynamics sharp enough to slice your fingertips off and the luggage capacity of a teaspoon, it wouldn’t need a car like this. You might have antipathy towards the platform, but you have to have empathy for the need of it. And it’s just the start: spun from the same electric bits will be a saloon, a smaller SUV and yes, a two-seat sports car. In fact, some would have you believe that in creating a vehicle like the Eletre, Lotus has somehow sold out. But that’s wrong. Lotus hasn’t sold out, it’s bought itself time and opportunity. And the Eletre will be the tip of the indignant social media iceberg when Lotus hasn’t just branched out, it’s trying to grow a whole new forest.

 
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