Lotus Technology Inc., the heritage of the famous British racing brand part of Chinese Geely, has delivered the first fully electric Lotus Eletre, a hyper-SUV, to Chinese customers at the Shanghai International Circuit F1 track to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the brand.

The company is now rolling out further deliveries across China and will begin delivery in the UK and EU later this year without specifying exact deadlines. The US and the rest of the world are following later. Until January 31st, Lotus had already registered some 5 000 orders for the Eletre SUV.

Milestone on a new path

This first delivery of a fully electric Lotus under its brand name is a milestone in the British racing brand’s new path. “Eletre is a crucial part of our plan to transform Lotus into a truly global electric car brand,” says Qingfeng Feng, Chief Executive Officer of Lotus Tech.

“We are a pioneer in decarbonizing luxury automobiles, and the delivery of Eletre has demonstrated our capability to lead the energy transition and steer the industry toward a more sustainable future.”

In October 2022, Lotus revealed the final pricing and specifications of its Eletre electric ‘Hyper-SUV’, which will be delivered to customers in the first half of 2023. Lotus offers a choice of two powertrains with up to 918 hp and three equipment levels, with Belgian prices starting from €97 690.

Coming in three flavors

The Lotus Eletre will have three variants: Eletre, Eletre S, and Eletre R. The first two share their 450 kW/612 hp drivetrain and reach a maximum range of 600 km thanks to their 112 kWh battery. 0-100 km/hour takes 4,5 seconds; the top speed is 258 km/hour. Fast charging up to 80% will take only 20 minutes thanks to the 800 V battery, which allows DC charging up to 350 kW.

The Eletre R gets 918 hp and a two-speed transmission, with 0-100 km/hour taking just 2,95 seconds and a higher top speed of 265 km/hour. The same battery pack is present, but the range drops to 490 km because of the increased power and wheel size.

From €97 600

As for pricing, the base-level Eletre costs €97 690 in Belgium, the Eletre S has a price tag of €123 090, and the Eletre R requires €153 090. Its main rivals would be the 1020 hp Tesla Model X Plaid (€143 990) and the 619 hp BMW iX M60 (€140 600), although McLaren is also working on an electric SUV.