It’s not slow, the new Lotus Eletre. And it’s only going to get faster. In case you were in any doubt, the Eletre that was unveiled this past week—a twin-motor car with 600hp and the ability to hit 100kph in 2.9sec—is the entry-level version. It’s in with a shout of being proclaimed the world’s fastest SUV with better sprinting ability than a Lamborghini Urus (3.6sec), a Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, or an Aston Martin DBX 707 (both 3.3sec). Tesla claims a 0-100kph of 2.6sec for the forthcoming Model X Plaid.
This means the Lotus is light. Comparatively. Six hundred horsepower is less than the peak output any of those ICE rivals, and although electricity’s torque-from-zero and zero gearshifts hands it an advantage, it means Lotus’ claim the Eletre weighs around two tons dead likely holds true. The 2,455kg Model X needs over 1,000hp to go 0.3sec faster. And that’s impressive when there’s no escaping the sheer mass of a 105kWh battery. We’ll have to assume the lightweight philosophy has been applied successfully elsewhere.
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Anyway, Lotus refers to the Eletre as a hyper-SUV. Of course it does—the super-SUV is so passe these days. But it’s only a few tenths faster, and is actually likely to substantially undercut its rivals on cost, starting at around £100,000 (P6.76 million). Not very hyper.
But the next one just might earn the tag. We learned the flagship Eletre, due in a couple of years, will have 900hp thanks to a second 300hp motor on the back axle. If this proves true, it should drop the 0-100kph time well below 2.5sec, putting it completely out of reach of any internal combustion rivals.
The fast-SUV game is now making the transition to electric.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
