The covers finally came off the new Lotus Eletre last month, as the Norfolk-based firm unveiled its first SUV and first series production electric car.
Lotus, which is now owned by Chinese car giant Geely, plans to build four new electric cars by 2025, with the new Eletre SUV due to enter production at the end of 2022.
Using a new bespoke Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) platform developed by Lotus, the Eletre features a 100kWh battery delivering 373 miles of range, 441kW (529bhp) and promises a sub 3.0 second 0-62mph time.
The new Eletre marks a significant milestone in the future of the Hethel-based brand; a milestone where it waves goodbye to the internal combustion engine and hello to a purely electric model line-up.
So, is the forthcoming SUV a proper Lotus and what can we expect from the brand in the future?
We sat down with Lotus managing director, Matt Windle, and company director of vehicle attributes and products, Gavan Kershaw, to gain further insight into the Eletre and the Lotus brand’s future.
Why is Lotus making an electric car and why an SUV?
“We need to make a sustainable business. If it is we can invest in sports cars because they will always be at the centre of the brand,” says Windle.
“Let's not lie, we’ve been bouncing along for the last 20 to 30 years, and the fact that our newest car prior to the Evija's launch was back in 2008 tells you everything. By bringing the Electre to the market Lotus will be able to exist in a way where it is able to invest in new products going forward.
“This is a big change for Lotus, but this is where we want it to go.”
What has the brand done to ensure that the car drives like a Lotus should?
“When we first started developing the Eletre, we didn't just start with the driving, we thought about where you sit, where the controls are and how the car makes you feel when you sit in it,” says Kershaw.
“Three years ago we put a lot of work into making the car have a sporting feel, developing the window lines, visibility and seating position.
“A big thing for us was adding the right technology at the right time. The Eletre has active rear steering, active roll control and electric steering; everything that we needed to make the car as agile as possible or drive the way we want it to feel.
“We have every tool in the Eletre platform to make it as agile as you want, or virtually drive itself around track. When we initially launched the Evija people asked how we were going to make it feel like a Lotus. The very first time a journalist drove the car they said it felt like a Lotus and even rolled like a passively damped car."
How does the Eletre drive and what have you added to ensure it is capable in all environments?
“We’ve added CDC damping, two chamber air springs with roll controls. The driving modes are very pure, with touring, sport and off-road,” said Kershaw.
“When we say off-road, it means the car deals with sand, snow and wet grass. One of the most embarrassing things you’ll see is a four-wheel-drive that can’t deal with wet grass.
“With the Eletre, the electric motors have torque control and infinite differentials, so the car should be able to deal with any surface and any road.”
How has Lotus balanced the sporting side and the SUV side of the Eletre?
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a really small sports car or a big sedan, input equals output,” says Kershaw.
“When you’re in a car this size, you come up to a corner and the car behaves the way you expect it to. If you’re travelling at speed and you approach a general curve in the road, just the correct amount of steering wheel angle, the correct amount of roll, how the car rotates around your body - that’s what makes it a Lotus to drive or a sporty car to drive.
“We have been able to choose exactly how we want the car to drive. I think people trust us to do that. And that is without making the ride harsh or the car noisy in the cabin.”
Where do you expect to sell the most Eletres?
“I think the market will be split equally, between China, the US and then Europe and the rest of the world,” Windle explains.
“I think it will be popular in China, but I don't think it's going to be dominated by the Chinese market. We'll see what the rollout is because I think it's going to be a metropolitan car to start with. I expect to see it quite a lot in London.”
“The cost of driving in cities is greater now, but if you've got an EV that brings those costs down. That should give it global appeal."
Do you think that Lotus Eletre can rival the equivalent offerings from Porsche and Audi?
“Yes, in terms of the car itself. As for sales our ambitions are realistic. We're not going after massive volumes; they will still be modest compared to Porsche,” says Windle.
“The most important thing is the quality. We can’t put products out that will fail because you'll just ruin the brand straight away.
“That's why we've put in so much work and so much investment into the facilities and the products.”
Will Lotus need to build a new brand identity as it becomes a purely electric car firm and will this be an ongoing process?
“I think it will be an ongoing process forever,” says Windle.
“When we started this journey four years ago, most people thought they knew what Lotus was - but they didn’t. You would say Lotus to someone and they would think F1 and motorsport, and in America people would question if we were still alive.
“We’ve had a really strong brand, but it was getting the message out there that was the problem, and now the message has to be about delivering the cars and letting them tell the story.
“We want to build an ecosystem where people can buy into the Lotus brand at any stage of their life.”
Has Lotus considered creating any other forms of electric transport such as vehicles for personal mobility?
“At the moment we’re not looking into that,” says Windle.
“We’ve got three more cars to develop and build and we need to put the current cars into production as well.”
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