. Yet in terms of price, it’s closer to the Porsche Cayenne, which won’t go fully electric until 2026. Fortune favors the brave? We’ll see.Lotus Cars Limited—now owns Lotus, the Eletre is made in Wuhan, China, rather than a quiet corner of rural England, and our test drive takes place in Norway, where we’ll tackle a road route, followed by performance testing at a private airport.
Also somewhat noticeable are the pop-out LIDAR sensors, one at either end of the roof and on each of the front fenders. They’re among a suite of 34 safety sensors and cameras that give the Eletre what Lotus touts as “a true 360-degree view of the world around it”. If and when regulations permit it, this comprehensive system will allow Level 4 autonomy—in other words, the Eletre will be able to drive itself. An Elise certainly couldn’t do that.
Leaving Oslo in stop-start traffic, the Eletre proves as easygoing as any EV. With 524 ft lbs of torque from a standstill, the SUV presents acceleration that’s effortless and impressively refined. “We took the decision not to introduce any artificial noise,” explains chassis engineer Sylvain Verstraeten. The vehicle also feels very settled on its air suspension, shrugging off the speed humps that litter this first part of our route.