Eletre

Make
Lotus
Segment
SUV

Lotus is currently working on an electric sedan model, codenamed Type 133, and our spy photographers just spotted it testing on the Nurburgring. This is not the first time we have seen the car in prototype form, but this is our first time seeing it on the move. And it looks epic. Since the Type 133 (not the final name) will ride on the same Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) platform as the Lotus Eletre SUV, it stands to reason that the sedan should deliver similar outputs.

For reference, the top Eletre R model produces a Taycan-smashing 905 horsepower and 726 lb-ft of torque, yielding a sub-three-second 0-60 mph time. In a smaller car, this time would be even lower. The more basic Eletre and Eletre S are still pretty quick, with 603 hp and 524 lb-ft and 0-60 times in the mid-four-second range.

The prototype spotted here sure seems like the 900-hp model because it spit out a huge plume of tire smoke. Interestingly, that smoke is coming from the front wheel, indicating it has very little weight over it in the corner and thus spins faster than the others. Losing traction like this could be detrimental to lap times, so we imagine Lotus will make some tuning adjustments to the suspension on the production car to keep that front wheel planted.

This being our first clear look at the car without heavy camo on it, we're not at all disappointed with the styling. The front end resembles the Eletre, but the smaller frontal surface area gives the Type 133 a more streamlined appearance. This is no small sedan, but it remains low to the ground like a Taycan with what appears to be a large hatchback trunk.

Those taillights are clearly not production-spec, and we suspect they will be swapped for a connected light bar on the final model. There are cameras in place of rearview mirrors on this test mule, but those should be swapped for conventional mirrors in the US market. A LiDAR system on the roof should enable impressive driver assistance technology.

Power to the electric motors should come from a 112 kWh battery pack, just like the Eletre. No EPA range was announced for the SUV, but we hope it will yield at least 300 miles. Lotus says the Eletre can go from 10% to 80% charge in less than 20 minutes, hinting that the charging speed is near 350 kW.

Lotus will likely reveal the Type 133 later this year, with the car going on sale in 2024. It's currently unconfirmed, but we expect Lotus to use Envya as the production name.