The electric Lotus Eletre SUV is likely to be priced in line with a range-topping Tesla Model X when it arrives in Australia.
The Lotus Eletre, the brand’s upcoming all-electric hyper-performance SUV has been designed in the UK – but will see most of its engineering and production will come from Wuhan, China.
When it touches down, CarExpert understands it will be priced around the $200,000 mark. That’s not far from what you’ll likely pay for a top-spec Model X SUV, when Tesla returns pricing to the Australian website.
Lotus Cars’ global managing director, Matt Windle, confirmed to CarExpert the Eletre will cost less than £100,000 in the UK, equivalent to around $178,000 before taxes and on-road costs in our market.
Looking for comparative cars in our market compared to the UK, the Tesla Model X Plaid costs just over £100,000 in the UK excluding VAT. In Australia the same Tesla costs about $206,000 excluding on-road and any incentives (but including LCT).
That would suggest Lotus has positioned its high-performance electric SUV to directly take on the upper end of Tesla’s range, and is priced to match (or better) its American rival.
That Lotus Eletre has a claimed electric range of 600km, with a top speed of 260km/h. The real party trick, though, is its ability to go from 0-100km/h in just 2.95 seconds.
That makes it quicker than the current Lamborghini Urus (3.6 seconds), but not as fast as the Model X Plaid and its claimed 2.6 seconds (claimed).
Lotus says the Eletre is the first global SUV with 800V architecture, for ultra-rapid charging when connected to a 350kW public DC charger. Lotus claims a 350kW charger can give 400km of range in just 20 minutes.
The Eletre also supports 22kW AC home charging from a wall box.
While the battery pack size is yet to be confirmed, we know it will have “more than” 100kWh of capacity with power outputs starting at 442kW. As a comparison, the tri-motor Model X Plaid has 760kW of power and a claimed 547km of range.
It’s yet to be confirmed if the roughly $200,000 price point is for the base Eletre with lower performance, or if all Eletre variants will maintain the same acceleration and range performance.
At 5103mm long, 2231mm wide including mirrors, 1630mm tall, and riding on a 3019mm wheelbase, the Eletre is just 50mm shorter nose-to-tail than a BMW X7, and 231mm wider.
Lotus Australia has already taken numerous deposits for the upcoming SUV and expects local models to arrive in 2024.
