The Lotus Eletre Is The First Chinese-Built EV Sold Under Canada’s Quota Program And It’s Shockingly Good

It’s amazing what can change in two years. In 2024, Canada moved quickly to match America’s 100 percent tariff rate on EVs made in China. Earlier this year, that tariff rate was relaxed under a new trading scheme. Under this quota system, as many as 49,000 Chinese-built EVs can enter the Great White North at a mere 6.1 percent tariff rate, and the first brand to take advantage of this is Lotus.

Yep, Lotus, the British sports car marque. While many North American enthusiasts will be familiar with the British-built Emira, the brand now builds a whole range of EVs in China thanks to Geely ownership. This technically isn’t the first time the Eletre SUV has been sold in North America, as it enjoyed a brief low-tariff stint before the weight of international trade concerns came barrelling down on it, but shifting tides in Canada make it a far more attractive proposition north of the border. The question is: How good is it, especially now that there’s a proper choice of posh performance-oriented electric SUVs in its price range? I spent a day in the range-topping Carbon Series to find out.

[Full disclosure: Lotus handed me the keys to an Eletre so long as I kept the shiny side up and reviewed it. They also gave an Atmos audio demonstration, followed by hosting an evening industry and client mixer for the local market relaunch. Transportation to and from was paid for by yours truly.] 

The Basics

Battery Pack: 112 kWh lithium-ion.

Drive: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive.

Output: 603 horsepower, optionally 905 horsepower on the Carbon Series.

DC Fast Charging: 350 kW, CCS connector.

Range: 460 km (285 miles) base, 385 km (239 miles) on the Carbon Series.

Base Price: $124,550 Canadian.

Price As-tested: TBA

Why Does It Exist?

From Formula 1 innovation to delightful sports cars, Lotus has an absolutely spectacular pedigree. Unfortunately, as with many small British sports car marques, it also has a history of financial instability. After the untimely death of company founder Colin Chapman, Lotus was owned by a consortium of British investors, followed by General Motors, followed by Bugatti EB110 mastermind Romano Artioli, followed by Malaysian automaker Proton. Nearly a decade ago, Chinese automaker Geely purchased a 51-percent controlling stake in Lotus, and it’s since sought expansion. It seems like Geely is seeking to adopt the old Porsche model, and after seeing what the Cayenne did for Stuttgart’s sports car company, the Eletre SUV has been tasked with achieving the same sort of sales success.

How Does It Look?

Right off the rip, the Eletre looks absolutely nothing like the sports cars of yore. How could it? We’re looking at a distinctly different form factor, although Lotus has been able to put its own twist on things. The aerodynamic channeling is wild, with large air curtains and flow-through ducts up front and huge wheel arch extractors out back that seem primed to shoot gravel should your right foot suddenly become leaden.

In a way, the functional ducts speak volumes about the look of the Eletre. It’s not traditionally handsome, but it’s certainly purposeful. Only time will tell if it can forge its own identity, but a few great colors certainly help. I mean, come on, just look at this green.

What About The Interior?

Slide behind the wheel of the Eletre, and you’ll immediately know why it commands a six-figure price tag. From the stitched dashboard to the carbon trim, the material spend feels massive. It also all feels remarkably well-screwed-together, with nary a stitch out of place. Lotus has huge luxury aspirations for this model, so it helps that pretty much none of the switchgear appears to be shared with anything else. The e-shifter moves with heft, the paddles for regenerative braking and drive mode selection offer beautiful tactility, even the recline switches for the rear seats have remarkably little shaft play. Speaking of seats, the front thrones are genuinely astonishing. The level of support is nigh-on perfect, and they’ll hug you like your favorite pair of jeans.

How Does It Drive?

At face value, the Eletre is the antithesis of “Simplify, then add lightness.” We’re talking two-chamber air suspension, more gadgets than a Best Buy, and a base curb weight of more than 5,600 pounds. The thing is, Lotus doesn’t just make sports cars. For decades, the chassis experts in Hethel have helped dozens of marques build better-driving cars, so if anyone can make a 2.5-ton SUV go around a corner, it’s these people. Surprise surprise, the inputs are all there. I’m talking beautifully weighted steering that builds effort with load naturally, air spring pressure, and damping that’s taut but never harsh, even in the Eletre’s most aggro mode. Then there’s the way this absolute unit communicates weight transfer. Instead of trying to completely eliminate body roll, Lotus has dialed in just enough to add feedback without eroding confidence. The result is the best-driving car of this weight class that I’ve ever experienced.

It’s remarkably easy to place on the road, both on tight city streets and when you want to get a bit cheeky with the apexes. You’re aware of what the tires are doing, and instead of feeling like it’s entering a boxing match with physics, the Eletre exhibits remarkable malleability. It loads up and rotates with a surprising degree of confidence, and it’s just as eager to settle down and shut out the world with plenty of suspension travel and high-grade sound insulation. Obviously, this is not a sports car in the same way that a rhinoceros is not a greyhound, but the top-flight Eletre proudly shows traits of a car you want to actively drive. What a lovely surprise.

So then, what about the other stuff? Well, every Eletre can see up to 350 kW of power through the right sort of DC fast charger, although the port on the car is of the CCS variety rather than the Tesla-style NACS port. The 905-horsepower Carbon Series model I drove isn’t exactly easy on electrons (it’s rated for just 385 kilometers or 239 miles of range), but 460 kilometers (285 miles) of range from the standard 604-horsepower models is right about on par with the similarly priced BMW iX M70 and Porsche Macan Electric 4S. Oh, and it comes with a full suite of advanced driver assistance systems. Job done on that, I reckon.

Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?

Aside from one key thing, a loaded Eletre will get you every gizmo you could possibly want. Massaging front seats, ventilated rear seats, an electrically dimming moonroof, soft-close doors, four-zone climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the works. You know what you don’t get, though? A volume knob. Instead, you have to either use the steering wheel controls or swipe down on the top of the infotainment screen to access a virtual slider. Bah humbug.

Speaking of sound, the top-shelf KEF audio system offers tremendously clean low-end extension and solid overall clarity, although Dolby Atmos support is still a bit of a gimmick for really keen audio enthusiasts. It does the immersive audio thing, but it’s currently limited to streaming, and that means you don’t get lossless quality, and the effective bitrate’s about half what you get from an old-school CD. Still, if you want to know the impact a front-mounted subwoofer has on soundstage, hop in a well-specced Eletre. It definitely warms the system up, but it also brings the action closer to you. Good stuff.

It’s also worth noting that the Eletre has the only good passenger screen I’ve ever encountered. Sure, functionality is limited to displaying relatively basic information like the time, key stats, and the current song playing, but it’s so wonderfully unobtrusive that it actually makes sense. Give whoever’s riding shotgun a little more information, but don’t bombard them with a billboard-sized fingerprint collector.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject of screens, the infotainment system is incredibly slick, with the sort of fluidity you’d expect from an iPad. It’s not perfect—Apple CarPlay integration could use a little work, and I encountered the occasional minor glitch in the native system—but it’s rather promising. We’ve come a long way from the days of aftermarket-supplied head units in Elises and Evoras.

Three Things To Know About The Lotus Eletre

1. The build quality feels remarkably excellent.
2. It handles better than anything weighing 2.5 tons should.
3. It’s the first made-in-China EV sold in Canada under the new import cap scheme.

Does The Lotus Eletre Fulfil Its Purpose?

It depends on how you define the Eletre’s purpose. As a way of offsetting the carbon emissions of the Emira sports car in particularly sensitive markets, it goes above and beyond. Longer-range EVs exist and the dealer network is rather small, but the Eletre drives incredibly well for something weighing more than two-and-a-half tons and feels reassuringly posh.

Thanks to Canada opening up a quota program for Chinese-built EVs, the Eletre now starts at $124,550 Canadian, including a $4,650 freight charge. That’s about $8,000 Canadian less than the 650-horsepower BMW iX M70 xDrive, but about $12,000 Canadian more than the quicker Porsche Macan Electric 4S. Granted, it is much larger than the Porsche, although options do add up similarly quickly. Want soft-close doors, ventilated massaging seats, and configurable ambient lighting? Be prepared to spend an extra $10,000 Canadian on the Eletre Touring. Want the top-shelf 23-speaker audio system with the front subwoofer unit, active aero, and fancy pedals? That’s another $10,000 Canadian on top of the Eletre Touring, or $144,550 Canadian before options.

That’s still quite competitive, and while the Eletre is a European take on a Chinese-built EV, the fact that it rides on a variant of Geely’s SEA platform makes me excited for the future. Geely-owned Zeekr is actively hiring in Canada, and with BYD on Transport Canada’s approved importer list, it’s only a matter of time before I get behind the wheel of fully-Chinese EVs. If they’re anything like this, they’re going to be good.

What’s The Punctum Of The Lotus Eletre?

Regardless of where it’s made, this is one surprisingly fun luxury SUV.

Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal