An electric juggernaut

Lotus Cars has launched the Eletre electric SUV in India. We take the R variant for a drive to find out if this British branded Chinese made electric SUV has what it takes to be a performance SUV

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Step out of the enthusiast circle and not many are aware of the Lotus brand in India. Awareness about its entry into the Indian market with an all-electric sports SUV is lacking as well. But for those unaware of Lotus, the company has its roots in Britain and is currently owned by the Chinese company Geely. The Eletre then is made in Wuhan, China. However, the SUV has been designed in the UK and engineered in Germany. Now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way, let us come to the car in question.

The Eletre looks like no other SUV out there. The sharp lines grab eyeballs like crazy and adding to it is the colourway. The front end is dominated by the massive bumper which comes with massive gills which open and close automatically to aid aero efficiency. There are numerous scoops and air channels all through the SUV which again aid aerodynamics. The sleek pair of headlamps add to the menacing look if the Eletre. Last but not the least it is the massive width of the SUV which endows it with a dominating road presence. In profile one can spot the sleek lines which not just look good but also allow the SUV to cheat through the air. The mega 22in alloy wheels add to the look. There are numerous cameras all around as well as pop out LIDAR sensors - above the front wheels and the centre of the windshield. At the back too, the Eletre is a design marvel. The connected tail lights not just look good but are bright and do a splendid job in splitting the rear design. Adding to this is the split spoiler at the lip of the roof which sends the airflow down to a manually deployable spoiler.