Lotus Eletre X, the British sports SUV, expands its range with a 952 CV plug-in hybrid version

Lotus is one of those brands that has decided to bet on pure electric models, and has even succumbed to the SUV craze. An example of this is its flagship for this new era of the British brand, the Eletre. This model went on sale in Europe in 2023 and now, almost three years later, the family will be expanded with a plug-in hybrid version, named Eletre X.

The Lotus Eletre X is based on the X Hybrid technology that debuted officially in China. Let us remember that Lotus belongs to Geely Auto Group, through the SUV called Lotus FOR ME, and therefore all the figures we will give below belong to this model. Lotus plans to launch the Eletre X in Europe in June 2026, so closer to its launch date they will reveal the official figures for the European specification, as well as its equipment and price.

For the moment, though, the Lotus FOR ME serves to show us what the Eletre X has in store, and at least in terms of figures it seems it will be a sports car that won’t disappoint, although obviously its price will only be suitable for a few pockets. In fact, according to what Lotus has said, the Eletre X and its X Hybrid platform will set a new milestone in Europe as far as high-performance hybrid technology is concerned, all combined without the range problem that can deter buyers of pure electric sports cars.

Until now, buyers of the Lotus Eletre could choose from two fully electric powertrains: on the one hand, versions with two electric motors, one on each axle, delivering a total system power of 450 kW together with a 116 kWh battery. On the other hand, there are the more powerful versions, with the same battery and the same motor configuration but, in this case, raising power to 675 kW.

Well, the Eletre X will sit one step above the previous ones in terms of power, since it uses, apart from the combustion engine, front and rear PMSM motors, achieving a combined system power of 700 kW (952 CV) and a torque of 935 Nm, figures that allow it to accelerate to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds. Lotus also states that even with a battery SOC of around 20% the system can deliver up to 550 kW, which means it can overtake with ease even on demanding roads such as a mountain pass.

This hybrid system relies on a 52-litre fuel tank and a 70 kWh battery, so that the combined range is expected to exceed 1,200 kilometres, while the range in fully electric mode will be around 350 kilometres, enough to get through the day without worrying about daily journeys. This platform also allows ultra-fast direct current charging (DC), so that the battery can go from 20% to 80% in about 9 minutes thanks to the 900 V architecture, which is complemented by four levels of regenerative braking to recover energy while driving.