Revised Lotus Emeya and Eletre on sale now
Not really interested in an electric Lotus? How about with up to £10k off...
Lotus has tweaked the naming strategy of its EVs, the Eletre and Emeya. Forget S, R, and all that - you’ll now choose whether you want a 600 or a 900 (denoting somewhere close to the horsepower, both with two motors and all-wheel drive), then an old school spec on top. Like the resurrection of Turbo SE with the Emira, Lotus has gone classic with the new trim levels, with GT, GT SE, Sport, Sport SE and Sport Carbon available across both models. Standard equipment has been tailored to suit, with racier options included on the Sport-badged cars and a more luxurious vibe for the GTs.
Both new Eletre and Emeya ranges kick off with a 603hp ‘600’ model, which boast a 112kWh battery pack, active air suspension with Continuous Damping Control, 20-inch wheels, a 15-speaker KEF audio system, four-zone climate and LotusWear fabric for the seats. The GT brings bigger wheels (21s on the saloon, 22s on the SUV) with six piston brakes; the GT SE adds a glass roof, ambient lighting and illuminated side sills - an Eletre GT SE also gets a 23 speaker sound system.
The Sport models are where Eletre and Emeya arguably get most interesting. The 600 Sport SE brings the Lotus dynamic handling pack, active rear spoiler, massaging and cooling front seats plus soft-close doors. For the Emeya, Sport SE also brings the active rear diffuser and front air dam. Sport and Sport Carbon are only available with the 918hp powertrain, distinguished by a Quartz interior theme. And by disappearing up the road, with 0-62mph in both claimed in less than three seconds. Sport Carbon is really the model to mark your Lotus out as the 900hp flagship, with extended exterior and interior you-know-what the perfect contrast to new Zenith White and Akoya White colour options.
Given both models are still fundamentally quite new, it should be no surprise to learn that this update doesn’t alter the vitals. Maximum range is still quoted at 379 miles for the Emeya and 373 for the Eletre, with the former able to boost its battery from 10-80 per cent in around 14 minutes if everything on planet EV is hunky-dory. And you’ve found a 400kW DC charger.
Both the updated Emeya and Eletre are on sale now, priced from £84,990. In fact, helping simplify the process further, all variants of the EVs cost the same as each other. So the 600 GT is £89,990 in either shape, the 600 GT SE £94,990, the 600 Sport SE £104,990 and so on. The 900hp models start at £130k, with the Sport Carbons topping things off at £139,990.
Given the Emeya was launched a little more than a year ago at £95k, a £10k price reduction now looks significant. The recent changes to the Porsche Taycan offering could hardly have been better timed, either. And given our experience of both Lotus EVs has suggested that the lesser-powered models are the more enjoyable cars, they arguably look more appealing than ever. This new price point makes an Emeya 600 less than a base 435hp Taycan, more than £10,000 cheaper than an Audi S6 e-tron and also slightly undercuts the new Volvo ES90 in Twin Motor Performance form. A lot of money still, of course, and the monthly numbers will be the important ones, but it surely changes the Emeya prospect somewhat.
As for the Eletre 600, its closest rival in terms of performance, remit and making brand purists recoil in horror is the BMW iX, freshly updated and costing £93,115 as a 544hp, xDrive 60 M Sport. The Kia EV9 is £77k in range-topping GT-Line trim, and the Volvo EX90 kicks off at £96,265. So again, if not exactly affordable, then the new Eletre range is perhaps a tad more viable.
Or, of course, there are the classifieds, where there are 600hp Eletres with very few miles from just over £70k. The new £85k entry point buys a used 900hp one, if desired. The Emeya is a little harder to come by, and none near the revised price point yet. So if the Lotus is the EV super-saloon for you, it looks as good a time as any…
Now all we need is the obligatory 8 pages of EV vs ICE and "It's not a Lotus" comments.
It's 2025 guys, not 1979.
These are awesome vehicles, massively more advanced than any previous Lotus, massively better built than most cars. Essentially these are what Lotus fans (and I'm one, having owned an Elise, Evora and now Emira) always wished Lotus had the money for.
I bet Ferdinand Porsche is not turning in his grave over all their SUVs.
In any case, no-one buys the sporty stuff so they didn't really have much choice if the company was going to stay afloat.
but buy a used one with virtually no use for 70K...
I think the market is trying to tell you something chaps, this along with Taycan used prices basically shows folks don't really want this kind of car
Feel free to check the classifieds for all cars with a registration year of 2024 with between 50 and 1000 miles and compare to the RRP for a brand new 2025 vehicle with the same spec.
On average, any vehicle (regardless of powertrain) will typically lose from 20% to 30% in its first year. Luxury cars like these will be the highest hit.
Check the prices for barely used Maserati MC20, Porsche Panamera, BMW 7 series, any non-limited run V12 Ferrari.
I've seen the SUV thing but not the saloon thing.
I can't get used to these names if you're wondering...
Not seen an Emeya yet.
Overseas recently I saw a few Zeekrs and Nios. They looked great too vs the European alternatives and it’s not surprising that European brands are struggling a bit.
I was in their lovely Picadilly showroom a little while ago (admiring Senna's tiny F1 car), the salesman said to me that Lotus would be doing hybrids soon. But that they'd be called "super-hybrid". I asked what was going to make them "super". He clearly hadn't been briefed on that.
I spent some time in the Far East at the beginning of the year and saw a few of the Saloons in China (I also struggle with the names but that's my age!). Its a great looking car, way better looking in the flesh than the pictures. Large dealership in exclusive part of Seoul as well. big push on Lotus in FE. I also saw a number of the Zeekrs and Nios. Good looking cars as well. Anybody who thinks China are still a nation creating facsimiles of Western products are living in the past.
It's 2025 guys, not 1979.
These are awesome vehicles, massively more advanced than any previous Lotus, massively better built than most cars. Essentially these are what Lotus fans (and I'm one, having owned an Elise, Evora and now Emira) always wished Lotus had the money for.
I bet Ferdinand Porsche is not turning in his grave over all their SUVs.
However, I don't think the mass market wants those, either
I saw one of these, might have been an Emiya, or an Eletre or an Emiletra or an Elimya or whatever in Huddersfield. Bright yellow. It was gopping.
Not sure what the attraction is and I say this as a Lotus fan. It's a badge nailed onto an EV, like MG.
I really want the Emira to succeed but this, meh.
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