Design review Lotus Eletre: better than most competitors

The Lotus Eletre is diametrically opposed to Colin Chapman’s ethos. His design philosophy ‘simplify, then add lightness’ finds its antithesis in the new SUV. The Eletre is not simple and with a thick 2,500 kilos it is by no means light.

However, idealism was never the essence of the Lotus brand DNA. Creativity was the dominant component. The lightweight construction was the main means of manifesting those qualities. Chapman was only going for one thing: success! A good example is the Omega, which was provided with a thick block and an even thicker appearance. It also had the name Lotus on it.

Competition

The Eletre should not be compared to the legendary Elise, Exige or Esprit, nor to the new Emira. The actual benchmarks are sports SUVs like the Lamborghini Urus, Aston Martin DBX, BMW XM and Porsche Cayenne. What the Lamborghini and Porsche in particular have proven is that heavy, large four-door cars will by no means damage the image or bank account of a thoroughbred sports car manufacturer. The BMW could even go on to prove that a downright antisocial appearance and an aesthetically repulsive appearance do not stand in the way of success.

Obviously, the Eletre is a typology far removed from the brand’s light sports cars, but without an SUV, the brand can pack. The execution of the design is clearly linked to the Lotus identity, starting with a good, light-footed-looking stance. The body is quite athletic and much more elegant than that of the chunky Urus. The XM can certainly not be compared to the Lotus in any way.

The BMW XM and the Lamborghini Urus are a lot less elegant than the Lotus.

Generic sports car inspired phrase

The Eletre nose has a rather generic sports car-inspired expression, unfortunately with huge air intakes wholly unnecessary for the electric drive. Because Lotus never had a recognizable grille in its down the road graphic, there is no reason to use a large optical intake here. Comparisons to the Urus nose have been made in the media. While the Lotus features more subdued graphics and a tangible connection to aerodynamic features, the comparison is justifiable and it’s a waste of time.

The appearance of the Eletre is not really feathery. In places the surfacing is a bit busy and cluttered, but the main visual gesture is impactful, horizontal and elegant. The rear, in particular, is strong, with just a few extraordinarily simple surfacing elements and pure graphics, which actually expel air from the wheel arches. And while the full-width light strip is one of the biggest styling clichés of this decade, it’s stylistically consistent and astutely applied on the Lotus.

The Eletre is a contradiction in terms. A large, heavy SUV from Lotus. He should not be allowed to exist with that and could never be correct. Yet this PC Hooft tractor, built in China, proves to be many times better and more interesting than a large number of competitors.

Astutely applied light bar on the back of the Lotus Eletre.