DThe car market is booming. At least in terms of the number of brands trying their hand there. The newcomers mostly come from China, rely almost exclusively on the electric cars preferred by local politicians and are still having a hard time. Others at least have an established name, although Lotus from Hethel in England is currently only known and famous for light and nimble sports cars. Lotus has been in Malaysian hands since 1996, and today 51 percent of the shares belong to Geely from China, meaning that Lotus in the broader sense belongs to the brand family around Volvo, Polestar, Lynk & Co and Zeekr. Money and expertise are flowing from China, the new SUV Eletre is the first Lotus to be built in the Middle Kingdom. “Wuhan Lotus” is listed as the manufacturer on the vehicle registration document. It is the first step in expanding the brand; the second will be the also purely electric Emeya, a sedan that positions itself against the Porsche Taycan. The Emira sports car, launched in 2022, is the only remaining classic Lotus.
So the question arises as to what else can be Lotus in a 5.10 meter powerful SUV. Well, people wanted to know the same thing from Porsche 22 years ago when the Cayenne came out. Lotus engineers developed the Eletre, a lot of brainpower went into the aerodynamics, and the drag coefficient of 0.26 is exceptionally good for an SUV. There is a lot to discover on the body, numerous air inlets and outlets, on the roof on the left and right there are two small spoilers that look a bit strange, at the rear a wing extends automatically depending on the speed. The lidar unit for the assistance systems in the middle of the roof is also noticeable. This radar sensor is also available at the front; it extends when the adaptive cruise control is activated. As a result, wind noise is annoying and the whole thing is a bit reminiscent of a taxi sign.
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