Lotus Type 132 SUV

Lotus is adamant big, heavy EVs will still be fun to drive

Famed lightweight sportscar brand is making some seriously hefty stuff now… and is convinced you’ll still love it

The company that brought you the Elise, the Elan, the Seven and countless other lightweight hall-of-famers over the decades is tracking towards a future in which it sells almost nothing that weighs less than two tonnes. Cuts deep, doesn’t it?

The Eletre tips the scales at 2,490kg and the Emeya won’t be much lighter; the Emira is 1,440kg, but its electric replacement is already looming large. Who knows how portly the new D-seg SUV will be when it enters the fray in 2026.

And okay, the Evija is a 1,680kg greyhound by comparison. But have you got £2.4 million in the bank to buy one? We’ve given the TG Magic 8 Ball a shake and it’s telling us ‘Outlook not so good’.

Until battery technology gets much, much lighter - and that’s assuming it ever does - it’s increasingly hard to see space for lightweight stuff in the electric vehicle universe. Sub-tonne Dacia Spring aside, perhaps. The days of ‘Simplify, and add lightness’ are gone, aren’t they?

 
Review: Lotus Eletre R

Lotus Eletre R Fast Facts

Price: from R4 500 000
Engine: Dual permanent magnet synchronous motors
Power: 675 kW
Torque: 985 N.m
Transmission: 2-speed automatic
0-100 km/h: 3.34 seconds
400 m: 11.54 seconds
1 km sprint: 20.55 second
Top speed: 265 km/h limited
Claimed range: 455 km

Having come away so impressed with the strides in terms of usability, comfort and convenience – without compromising on legendary driving dynamics – that Lotus had made with its Emira, the prospect of the all-electric Eletre with its substantial footprint and difficult-to-ignore overall mass has left me conflicted. I understand why this vehicle needs to exist and, like Porsche and Lamborghini before it, a volume-selling SUV package should translate to more funds with which to continue building “core” products. And yet, unlike the two Volkswagen Group-owned brands mentioned, a box-fresh all-electric product like the Eletre SUV is so far removed from the kinds of vehicles that made Sir Colin Chapman’s creations so revered that it arguably appeals to a completely new customer who might never appreciate what the Lotus brand has been meant to so many enthusiasts since it first opened its doors in 1948.

www.carmag.co.za

Review: Lotus Eletre R

A commitment to an all-electric future is one thing, but can Lotus’ first SUV do for this famous British brand what the likes of the Cayenne did for Porsche?
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za

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My £150k Lotus Eletre DISASTER! This Went From Bad To Worse! - Dadcars​

A life long Lotus lover reviews the Eletre R from a parents perspective BUT the family dream turns into a nightmare... Including breaking carbon fibre, you have been warned. A big thank you to Lotus for offering and supporting the loan.

We very much look forward to getting a replacement in the new year and showing everyone what a 900hp family car is like in the real world.

 
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