Lotus has revealed information about its hybrid-powered Eletre SUV, claiming some huge numbers in terms of range and power. The new model is called the Lotus Eletre ‘For Me’ in China, but it will have a different name when it arrives in the UK later this year. Pricing has not been confirmed, but we expect it to start between the current electric model variants at around £120,000 – if Lotus continues its ambitious pricing strategy. By comparison, the current electric-only Eletre starts from just under £87,000 and is currently available through the Auto Express Buy A Car service.
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That is a large number in itself, but the hybrid’s peak combined power and range figures might well justify it. The new powertrain is a range-extender hybrid set-up, with two electric motors fed by a 70kWh battery pack, before turning to a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that can act as a generator.
The peak combined power figure is 939bhp, which is 46bhp more than the highest-performing all-electric Eletre 900. However, the extra weight associated with the more complex powertrain makes the 0-62mph time 0.4 seconds slower than the pure EV’s at 3.3 seconds.
Lotus quotes an all-electric range of up to 260 miles on a charge before the ICE engine needs to get involved, but there is a caveat to this too, because it’s based on the far more lenient CLTC economy cycle. A 200-mile range is more realistic on the local WLTP cycle, but this is still impressive. Lotus quotes a total range of 877 miles on battery and petrol power, again on the CLTC cycle.
