With the arrival of the Eletre SUV (Cover Story in A&D n. 254), Lotus officially enters a new era, made up of products that clearly go beyond the tradition of the English factory, leading it towards a broader market. What is a moment of epochal changes for almost all Manufacturers, in the case of Hethel’s becomes a real leap and requires a completely new approach to design, which will have to convey the essence of the brand through a new language. To understand how, on the occasion of the official debut in Italy of Eletre held in Milan in mid-September, we gathered the opinions of Ben Payne, Managing Director of the Lotus Tech Creative Center.

With electric vehicles, the classic “symbols” of sportiness are disappearing, such as large exhausts and air intakes. Which will be the new ones?

“Yes, there will be no more exhaust terminals and transparent engine covers, although there are elements such as cooling air intakes, which will serve the electrical systems. But we are in a transitional phase in which customers are still attached to the visual sensations of the past and it will take some time to identify the new signs of sportiness. What’s more, we are trying our hand in areas other than pure sports cars, and we are trying to show that it is possible to apply the same principles to new products. The design will be able to bring out the technological content, perhaps exposing part of the propulsion system again, and express technical values such as lightness and aerodynamics.”.

And inside? The old Lotus were cars with an almost racing style, with narrow cockpits wrapped around the driver, the new ones will be cars for daily use, for an extended clientele. How can these two natures be reconciled?

“Mostly through technology: we will offer sporty driving modes that will help focus on the road through tools such as the head up display, but they can be deactivated getting information more suitable for city driving, for example”

Which elements of the Lotus tradition will we be able to recognize in the lines of the new models?

“Belonging to a brand that has always been a pioneer of technology and innovation means that we can look more to the future than to the past and a model like Eletre is different from what we have being doing in the last 30 years. It conveys a new message, it is a four-door vehicle with a low profile, long wheelbase and a large interior space, which expresses muscularity and performance through clean lines and large wheels.

Did you receive specific inputs from any particular markets that influenced the style choices of the new cars?

“At the moment, the public is asking electric cars above all to be more efficient and have high autonomy, while the taste is moving towards a globalization that requires less and less specific solutions for this or that market”

Is there a brand in the present landscape that you consider a key competitor?

“Porsche, for the path it has followed in evolving from a sports-only Manufacturer to a more generalist brand, its current positioning on the market, but also for its business model and commitment to sustainability”.