Lotus Makes India Debut With Eletre Electric SUV, Drives On Pirelli P Zero Tyres

With the all-electric Eletre SUV, Lotus has announced its official presence in India. Read more to find out the details of the tyre options and the details of exterior and interior styling and performance of the Lotus Eletre:

• Available in three variants – Base, S and R, the prices for Lotus Eletre start at Rs 2.55 crore (ex-showroom, India). 
• All three variants of the Lotus Eletre in India come with 22-inch, 10-spoke forged alloy wheels with Pirelli P Zero tyres – 275/40 R22 front and 315/35 R22 rear.
• Two dual-motor powertrain options are offered in the Lotus Eletre, with a 112kWh lithium-ion battery on offer as standard.
• Lotus claims 2.95 seconds for the 0-100 kmph sprint and a top speed of 258 kmph for the top-spec Eletre R.

British sportscar brand Lotus has made its official entry into the Indian car market with the Eletre all-electric SUV. Currently owned by Chinese auto brand Geely, Lotus will be retailing the Eletre SUV through New Delhi-based Exclusive Motors, with the first showroom coming up in New Delhi in early 2024. With prices starting at Rs 2.55 crore, the Lotus Eletre is being offered in three variants – Base, S and R. 

Lotus Eletre: Tyres & Wheels

Globally, the Lotus Eletre is offered with 22-inch and 23-inch Pirelli P Zero and 22-inch Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres. However, for the Indian car market, Lotus has chosen to equip all the Eletre variants with 22-inch Pirelli P Zero tubeless radial tyres.

Developed jointly by Pirelli and Lotus for the Eletre, the P 22-inch P Zero sport tyres for the electric SUV are a part of the Pirelli sport tyre range formulated using Elect technology. It allows the Pirelli P Zero tyres to have a reduced rolling resistance for a more comfortable ride quality despite the sport-oriented positioning of the Eletre.

The optimized structure of the Pirelli P Zero, which features an asymmetric tread pattern, allows it to have an impeccable balance between handling and steering feel. Along with the use of specific compounds, the optimized structure also gives the Pirelli P Zero uncompromised grip levels, which eventually result in reduced wheelspin under acceleration – a possibility due to the instant availability of torque from the electric motors.

Lotus Eletre: Looks & Design

Inspired by mid-engine sports cars from Lotus, the Eletre also has a low-slung stance with short front and rear overhangs, with more edges all around and a glass canopy at the top inspired by the Lotus Evija sports car. For the Indian car market, the Lotus Eletre has been equipped with 22-inch 10-spoke forged alloy wheels.

To make the Eletre feel stable and aerodynamic at higher speeds, Lotus has given it an active front grille and air channels behind the front and rear wheel arches and above the D-pillar. The SUV also comes with all-LED headlamps, a full-length ribbon LED tail lamp and a roof-mounted spoiler made of carbon fibre and is three-stage deployable.

The cabin of the Lotus Eletre has a dashboard, which is split into two and has a blade of light running below its entire width, with a large 15.1-inch foldable touchscreen infotainment system in the middle that runs on Lotus Hyper OS. Instead of a traditional instrument console, the Eletre gets sleek 30mm TFT strips on either side of the dashboard for displaying vital information.

The cabin of the Lotus Eletre is partially finished in leather upholstery of lighter shade and partially using 100 per cent recyclable materials, while also using Kvadrat sustainable material and wool-blend fabric. Other premium features offered in the cabin of the Eletre include 12-way electronically-adjustable front seats, 15-speaker Dolby Atmos audio system, wireless charging, configurable ambient lighting, four-zone automatic climate control and LIDAR-based ADAS features. 

Lotus Eletre: Engine & Specifications

Based on Lotus’ new Electric Premium Architecture, the Eletre is offered with two powertrain options. The base-spec Eletre and Eletre S are powered by a dual-motor configuration, claiming 603 bhp power and 710 Nm torque. Meanwhile, the range-topping Eletre R has a more powerful dual-motor configuration, promising 905 bhp power and 985 Nm torque. While the Eletre and Eletre S take 4.5 seconds for the 0-100 kmph sprint, the Eletre R takes 2.95 seconds for the same. Lotus claims a top speed of 258 kmph for the Eletre R. 

All three variants of the Lotus Eletre come with a 112kWh battery, which claims 600 km of range in the Eletre and Eletre S, and 490 km of range in the Eletre R. While the Eletre comes standard with a 22kWh AC charger, the battery takes 20 minutes for 10-80 per cent charge using fast DC charger.

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