The Lotus Eletre has ushered in an unprecedented season for the British manufacturer, poised to transform itself into a producer of high-performance, all-electric cars. The Eletre is Lotus’ first Suv and we drove it in Norway and found it to be uncommonly agile despite its size, thanks to a real sports car set-up and powerful engines: 605 hp for the Eletre S and even over 900 for the Eletre R. The designers chose not to differentiate the two versions of the SUV aesthetically. Below is the design story of the Lotus Eletre, published in Auto&Design no. 254.<\/p>\n
The team behind the new Lotus Eletre had a tricky job designing the British brand\u2019s first ever SUV. They knew they had to reference the brand\u2019s sports cars but they also wanted to avoid the profusion of styling details that overcomplicate modern SUVs. \u201cOverly stylized designs tend to last a very short time,\u201d Peter Horbury, who recently passed away<\/a> and who oversaw the project as Senior Vice President of Design at Lotus, told us.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Recalling the past<\/strong><\/span> \u201dIt doesn\u2019t look like anyone\u201d<\/strong><\/span> A pair of \u201ccantilevered winglets\u201d at the rear<\/strong><\/span>![\"Lotus](\"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022050602_LotusEletre.jpg\")
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\nChina-built SUV would need to fulfil the local buyers\u2019 desire for visual strength in their luxury car, reference the brand\u2019s more delicate sports cars, and appeal to a European buyer. It would also need a design that suggested it was powered by electricity, giving the car a visual edge over internal combustion engine rivals such as the Lamborghini Urus, Aston Martin DBX and Porsche Cayenne.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Lotus](\"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022050603_LotusEletre.jpg\")
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\n\u201cI think that was the biggest thing in the architecture, to try and get this cab-forward look,\u201d Payne, head of Lotus Tech Creative Centre (LTCC) in Warwickshire, told Auto&Design. \u201cTo most people they’ll look at the product and understand that it doesn’t look like a Porsche or an Aston Martin.\u201d The sports car references are everywhere. The blade-like nose and the thin LED headlights hint at the new Emira sports car while underneath them, the car becomes porous with aerodynamic vents and cooling ducts in a nod to Lotus\u2019 Evija electric hypercar.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Lotus](\"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022050604_LotusEletre.jpg\")
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\nThe lower part of the grille meanwhile is divided into a series of triangles that can open and provide cooling to the battery if needed. This feature, which Lotus has copyrighted, is more form\/function cleverness that \u201cpromotes engineering to the A-surface\u201d Payne said.
\nPayne and his team had to be clever when it came to the rear. A pair of \u201ccantilevered winglets\u201d at the top of the rear hatch keep the air attached down the curved hatch before it separates or is manipulated by the active spoiler.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Lotus](\"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022050605_LotusEletre.jpg\")
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