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The Lotus Eletre is the brand’s first SUV. (Lotus)
Lotus has unveiled its first SUV, the Eletre, which will make it one of the historic sports car brands to add a commercial vehicle to its range, after Porsche, Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferrari. McLaren is the last company selling cars in significant numbers that has yet to join the fray.
The Eletre is electric and has 600 hp. (Lotus)
As the name suggests, the Eletre (which is pronounced El-etra) is also all-electric, like all future Lotus models.
The upscale interior features multiple digital displays. (Lotus)
The Eletre is slightly longer than a Ford Explorer but only has two rows of seats. It’s fitted with a 600hp all-wheel drive system that Lotus says can propel the vehicle to 60mph in under three seconds and further to a top speed of 161mph. Expected range is over 373 miles per charge in the European test cycle, which is typically about 10% more generous than the EPA’s regime.
The Eletre will be available with either four or five seats. (Lotus)
Its notable features include video cameras mounted in sleek aerodynamic housings in place of side mirrors, although this technology is not currently a legal replacement for the reflective surfaces in the US
The Eletre features hidden lidar sensors. (Lotus)
There are also four lidar sensors that pop out of the roof and front fenders both front and rear to enable autonomous driving capabilities, which will be added through over-the-air software updates as they become available.
The Eletre is longer than a Ford Explorer. (Lotus)
Unlike Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system, which uses only vision sensors, Lotus combines the lidar with radar and cameras and is reportedly aiming for Level 4 autonomy, where the car can drive itself in most situations without driver involvement can drive.
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Pricing for the Eletre has not yet been announced, but it will go on sale in Europe in 2023 before coming to the US in 2024.