Lotus Eletre in the footsteps of Porsche Cayenne

It’s an open secret that sports car manufacturer Porsche escaped bankruptcy nearly twenty years ago thanks to its SUV models. Lotus has learned a lesson from this and expects success in the global market with the Eletre S, a modern sports car with an SUV look. Made in China.

Colin Chapman, the name means nothing to you? The enthusiastic and successful British engineer, designer and car builder died in late 1982 at the age of 54 from a heart attack. A grueling lifestyle and working 16-hour weeks, seven days a week, takes its toll.

Seven constructors’ and six drivers’ titles in Formula 1

Chapman was in his twenties when the Lotus Mark I, one of his designs, made its debut in motorsport in 1949. During the day the intrepid engineer works for the Royal Air Force, after work and at weekends he assembles classic racing cars in the parents-in-law’s garage which achieves surprisingly good results.

In 1952 he founded the Lotus Engineering Company, which became Lotus Cars in 1955. With the Lotus Eleven, Chapman presents the first iconic model that is characterized by simplicity, light weight and sporty performance. Best of all, eleven is cheap.

In the 1960s, its revolutionary racing cars also set new standards in Formula 1. Lotus was the first brand to place the engine in the rear and introduce a wedge shape using a side shell. Lotus is also the first racing team to paint its cars in the colors of its main sponsor.

In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Lotus won seven constructors’ titles and six drivers’ titles in Formula 1. Only Ferrari, Williams, McLaren and Mercedes have won more titles. From Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Carlos Reutemann, Mario Andretti. Ronnie Peterson, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet to Mika Häkkinen have raced for Lotus. Jim Clark and Jochen Rindt died at the wheel of a Lotus.

The basic Lotus Chapman boss designs are aerodynamic masterpieces but not always safe and reliable. This brings him strong criticism, but he does not lose sleep over it. Chapman is the type to win, the one who doesn’t dare doesn’t win.

Lotus becomes Chinese

Lotus’ sports car division benefits from the name recognition of the successful F 1 team and designs roadsters and coupes with popular names such as Elite, Elan, Eclat, Esprit, Excel, Exige and Evora. Some of them appear in the television series Avengers and Prisoner. Esprit will play a central role in the James Bond films The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only.

After Chapman’s death, Toyota acquired 16.5 percent of Lotus shares, and in 1986 the English sports car brand became the property of General Motors. Lotus engineers are involved in the development of the Opel Speedster. In 1993, Lotus was bought by Bugatti and three years later by Malaysian DRB-HICOM, the Elise dates from that period. In 1998, Malaysian carmaker Proton took a 16.25 percent stake in the Lotus Group and split it into Lotus Group and Lotus Engineering in 2005.

In 2017, Chinese car group Geely took a majority stake in Lotus and moved production from the UK to China. Geely is one of China’s largest automobile groups and has made several notable acquisitions over the past fifteen years. Volvo cars are the most advanced example of this, Lotus the most obvious.

Henry Ford of his generation is a visionary entrepreneur and strategist. He understands the art of leading without being pedantic, Li Shufu can delegate and give confidence to the leaders of his project. At least, that’s what I’m hearing unofficially from Volvo Cars executives in Ghent about the relationship between Geely’s CEO and sister brand executives.

A full-spec sports car in the form of an SUV

Everything or almost everything the Chinese entrepreneur touches turns to gold. Whether that will happen to Lotus is anyone’s guess. Taking over in 2017, Li Shufu is primarily responsible for the name recognition that the English sports car brand still enjoys around the world.

In the case of the Lotus Eletre, the recognition of this name is supplemented by modern features such as an electric drive and an SUV appearance. Both and others guarantee commercial success. Lotus follows the example of Porsche, which has managed to survive as a sports car brand by expanding its range with SUV models.

Purist Porsche customers screamed bloody murder, but in the end the Cayenne and Macan have ensured that Porsche and the 911 are still on the market. For those who want to have the prospect of success as a newcomer to the market, an SUV is a must today.

The world upside down

Originally, the Lotus was synonymous with a light sports coupe or roadster, the Eletre presents itself as an attractive sight. The alien is big, high and wide and weighs more than 2.5 tons. However, he exudes elegance and athleticism, reminding me of the American 100m sprinter, Car Lewis.

Foreign available as Eletre, Eletre S and Eletre R. The latter version is intended to keep the fastest cycle times on the circuit. Judge for yourself: from 0 to 100 km / h in less than 3 seconds. Thanks to the electric wheel drive, the great power of 918 hp is at 100 percent from the first meter. Such an electric start works as follows: left foot on the brake, right foot on the power pedal, then release the brake and press the power pedal. What follows is an adventure that will never be repeated. At least not on public roads. For irresponsible behavior.

Eletre S (612 hp and 710 Nm) is also surprisingly fast: from 0 to 100 km / h in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 250 km / h. The S version has a WLTP driving range of 600 instead of 490 km and is 30,000 euros cheaper. The cheapest Eletre costs 98,690 euros.

I’m more satisfied with the S version. It sticks to the road, so to speak, and feels like a modern sports car. Thanks to the air-sprung chassis with multi-link suspension front and rear. The Lotus Dynamic Handling Package with rear-wheel steering and active roll controls ensures a tight turning circle and great agility and contributes to the car’s sporty driving character. The Eletre S responds quickly to small signals from the driver.

Don’t ask me about the alien’s off-road qualities. The target audience of the Eletre S is not that of wildlife rangers and horse breeders. They will find something they like in a BMW, Mercedes or Range Rover.

On public roads, power consumption varies between 20 and 32 kWh, depending on driving style and weather conditions. Thanks to the 800-volt design and charging speed of up to 350 kW, the Eletre S charges from 10 to 80 percent in 20 minutes.

Ergonomics on board the guest are exemplary. The dashboard of the future is definitely eye-catching. The central OLED screen is easy to operate, two small displays raised in the field of view of the driver and front passenger provide all the important driving and traffic information.

Inside, the finish and the quality of the materials used make a convincing impression. Optionally, you can replace the standard exterior mirrors and camera mirrors according to the dashboard. At first glance it is a good gadget, but on closer inspection it is not worth it. Because of unconvincingness in specific situations. No one is perfect.

With that I have come to my final destination and it is time for the final comments. Lotus follows in Porsche’s footsteps. The Eletre S is definitely a sporty look with a split that can accommodate four adults plus lots of luggage. The bold visitor drives and feels like a full-fledged sports car, without emitting harmful CO2. Made in China In the case of Eletre S, this means that it is advanced in terms of electric propulsion, digitalization, connectivity and pricing.