The Lotus Eletre SUV goes on sale in Singapore

Lotus' all-electric hyper-SUV, the Lotus Eletre, is now on sale in Singapore. The Eletre is the brand's first SUV, its first four-door vehicle and the first series production EV to hit the streets of Singapore. And it has some big shoes to fill entering the fray of high-powered EV SUVs. 

At launch, two variants of the Eletre will be on sale; the Eletre S and the more powerful Eletre R. Both will come with a 112kWh battery pack that supports DC fast charging speeds of up to 350kW (22kW under AC) and an 800V architecture.

The "base" Eletre S produces 603 horsepower and 710Nm of torque from its dual motor powertrain, enabling it to sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds. Top speed is quoted at 258km/h and the car is good for 600km of range on the WLTP cycle.

The more powerful Eletre R comes with a dual motor powertrain layout as well but in this application, it produces a staggering 905 horsepower and 985Nm of torque which gives it a 0-100km/h time of just 2.95 seconds - making it the fastest accelerating SUV on sale in Singapore. The Eletre R tops out at 265km/h and has a max range of 490km (WLTP).

Prices for the Eletre S will start at $598,800 before COE and options, but the top-spec 905 horsepower Eletre R will set you back $693,800 before COE and options. Factor in COE prices (and "some" options), and you could be looking at a high-performance electric SUV that costs $750k, rising up to approximately $850k for the Eletre R.

On the face of it, the Lotus Eletre SUV adopts many of the styling cues that we've seen in the ICE-powered Emira and the brand's electric hypercar, the Lotus Evija. There are large air channels in the front bumper and rear fenders, along with chiselled ducts on the hood and plenty of carbon fibre on the arches, side skirts and rear diffuser. 

To aid the car's aerodynamic efficiency, the front bumper features an active grille shutter system along with flush door handles. The car even has concealed LiDAR sensors that can be retracted or deployed whenever necessary. All told, the Eletre has an impressive drag coefficient figure of Cd 0.26, despite its high-riding SUV chassis.

In the cabin, the design of the dashboard is a massive deviation from that of the brand's current range of vehicles. Nestled ahead of the driver and front passenger is a slim digital panel that displays driver-centric functions (and media/infotainment displays for the passenger). Mounted in the centre of the dash is a slim 15.1-inch infotainment screen that is powered by an Nvidia Orin chipset that can manage up to 500-1000 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second).

The multifunction steering wheel comes with numerous buttons to navigate the car's infotainment system and comprehensive suite of driver assist systems (up to Level 4 autonomous driving capability) as well as four paddles for switching between braking regeneration levels and the car's various drive modes - Individual, Sport, Tour, Range and Off-Road.

The rear of the Lotus Eletre can be had with a full bench or two body-hugging sports seats, and the rear centre console features a screen that can be used to navigate the climate menus, seat controls or infotainment screen. All cars will come with KEF sound systems as standard, but one can even option a 2160-watt 23-speaker sound system if they so please.

Despite its high starting price, the Eletre has a lot going for it, backed by a brand with bold ambitions and decades of history - and six F1 constructor's titles under their belt. As Lotus bids goodbye to the ICE powertrains with the Emira, the brand's upcoming portfolio is comprised of fully electric vehicles - like the Lotus Evija hypercar that is said to have nearly 2000 horsepower.

Earlier this year, the brand unveiled their Emeya hyper-GT sedan. Like the Eletre, the Emeya will have a dual motor powertrain with identical power figures to that of the Eletre R (905 horsepower and 985Nm of torque) and come with a 102kWh battery pack that can be fast charged at a rate of up to 350kW under DC charging. 0-100km/h is said to take 2.78 seconds and the car will have a max speed of just under 260km/h.

Sometime in 2025, the brand will also introduce a new D-segment SUV codenamed the Type 134. Come 2026, the brand will also launch another supercar (called the Type 135). Powertrain details on the latter two models have yet to be revealed but for the time being, the Eletre will lead Lotus' push toward electrification as the brand's flagship SUV.

ALSO READ: Lotus Eletre electric SUV previewed in Singapore

This article was first published in CarBuyer.