Prior to initial customer deliveries, Lotus Australia has reduced the price of its first electric vehicle and SUV by between $35,000 and $49,000.
Six weeks ahead to the first customer deliveries, the Lotus Eletre electric SUV will get a substantial price reduction of about $50,000, depending on the model.
Price ranges for the Eletre, the first electric Lotus marketed in Australia, its first SUV, and its first Chinese-made vehicle, were revealed in September of last year. Three model grades range from $239,000 to $315,000 including on-road charges.
The line-up has now been reduced by a substantial $35,010 to $49,010, or 11 to 21 percent, to $189,990 to $279,990 before on-road expenditures.
As local deliveries are not expected to start until late next month, the discounted rates apply to all Eletres sold in Australia.
Although Lotus Cars Australia claims it "reviewed" pricing and that the reduced RRPs "increase the appeal and value proposition" of the Eletre line, it has not disclosed the cause for the price reduction.
While even the basic Eletre costs $5600 more, two of the three versions are now less expensive than a BMW iX M60 electric SUV ($233,400 plus on-roads), and all models are now less expensive than a BMW XM ($302,200 plus on-roads).
Production of 23 Model Year 2024 (MY24) Eletre S and R models for Australia began in April. These cars are scheduled to board a ship from China this month, and local deliveries will start in late June.
Model Year 2025 (MY25) models will be the next crop of cars produced, and they will go off the line in July at the same discounted pricing.
With the entry-level Eletre to start assembly by the end of September as a MY25 vehicle—rather than later in calendar-year 2025, as originally planned—only the Eletre S and R versions were in production for MY24.
Orders for the Lotus Eletre series made now should arrive in Australia by the end of August, or around three and a half months.
Together with the price reduction, the Eletre S now comes standard for model year 2025 production with a glass roof, a five-seat "comfort pack," and Akoya White paint.
Formerly part of a Highway Assist Pack option, lidar sensor hardware—which powers future autonomous driving features planned for international markets—has been removed from the standard equipment list.
"Australian consumers gave the upfront inclusion of the lidar hardware in the base build specification of the car little weight," Lotus Cars Australia stated in a statement.
"Most consumers doubted autonomous driving will be seen anytime soon in Australia and didn't want to be paying for hardware they won't be using."
The same 112kWh battery pack, which runs at 800 volts and can fast charge at a claimed 350kW on a suitable charging station—though testing in Europe has shown that the real-world number is closer to 300kW—powers the Eletre range.
While the Eletre R claims 675kW/985Nm from its two motors, 0-100km/h in 2.95 seconds and a 265km/h maximum speed, the Eletre and Eletre S employ dual electric motors producing 450kW and 710Nm for a claimed 4.5 seconds acceleration time and 258km/h peak speed.
European WLTP testing yields driving ranges of 600 km for the Eletre and Eletre S (standard 20-inch wheels on the former, free option on the latter), or 490 km for the Eletre R.
Lotus Cars Australia declares that it has no intention of implementing a fixed-price, or "direct-to-consumer," sales strategy.
Customers who are already in line will hear from their Lotus dealer; prospective purchasers may make a deposit online or in showrooms in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.
2024 Lotus Elettre pricing in Australia
Eletre : $189,990 (down $49,010)
Eletre S - $229,990 (down $39,010)
Eletre R is now $279,990 (down $35,010).
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