Move into Lotus Position

Racing pedigree meets modern luxury as Lotus broadens its appeal with their first-ever SUV, the Eletre.

- JAMIE NONIS

Apart from the Carlton, no other Lotus in history has stirred up this much controversy. The Lotus Eletre has Lotus purists miffed, but it’s also the car that will likely secure the British marque’s future under Chinese owner Geely, the megacorporation that purchased a controlling stake in Lotus in 2017 and also owns Volvo, Polestar, and more. After all, almost every sports car manufacturer has glommed onto the SUV bandwagon to splendorous success, and it was only a matter of time before Lotus followed suit. How else would the 75-yearold automotive brand accomplish its ambitious Geely-mandated goal of selling with mostly manual-only transmission.

The new Eletre is as much a head turner as it is a conversation starter. Perhaps it’s because no one’s ever seen a Lotus SUV before, and this unit was the only one of its kind in Singapore during our test drive last November (customer deliveries start January 2024). Or perhaps it’s because it’s giving Lamborghini Urus vibes styling-wise. Trust us, you’d do a double take, too, but that’s about where the comparisons begin and end.

To temper the outrage of Lotus enthusiasts, it is worth noting that the first Lotus ever to proffer four doors still comes with the Lotus badge, and with the Lotus 100,000 cars by 2028?