Lotus recently launched the all-new Eletre SUV, a model that’s been criticized for looking a bit too much like the Lamborghini Urus – or an evolution of it. There’s also some criticism around its billing as the “world’s first hyper SUV” when it doesn’t exactly post hypercar-like power or top speed, the latter of which comes in at 161 mph, by the way. 100 km/h or 62.1 mph is said to come in less than three seconds, but as of today, power output has only been disclosed at “from 600 horsepower.” Hyper SUV? Doesn’t seem like it, but that could just be consequential as a pair of new reports expose not only the Eletre’s weight but what else Lotus has planned for its future.

Lotus Eletre – 600 Horsepower is just the start

The Lotus Evija, which is quite a heavy car at 3,700 pounds or 1,680kg, won’t be the heaviest in Lotus’ lineup. We expected the Eletre to be heavy because of its style – it’s an SUV after all – and the fact that it’s an electric vehicle that’s powered by a big, bulky 100+ kWh battery. What made the Eletre’s debut so odd, however, is that Lotus intentionally avoided discussing anything about its weight…. at all. The company did the best it could to keep weight down, which included the use of carbon fiber body parts, aluminum body parts, and other weight-saving efforts inside. But why was Lotus so quiet about the Eletre’s weight?

As it turns out, the Eletre might not be quite as production-ready as we all thought. Or, at the very least, Lotus isn’t done with finalizing its design. A new report from Piston Heads claims that Lotus engineers are targeting a curb weight of 4,409 pounds or 2,000 kg. The figure is far from impressive, especially for a Lotus, but that weight figure – assuming Lotus engineers can hit it – would make it impressively lighter than the cars it will fight against on the market. The Audi E-Tron S, for example, tips the scales at 5,833 pounds or 2,655 kg. The Tesla Model S Plaid tells a similar story with a curb weight of 5,412 pounds or 2,455 kg. So, while the Eletre will be quite heavy for a Lotus, it’ll actually be very light for the segment it competes in.

This weight also explains how it the Eletre can do 62 mph in under three seconds with some 600 horsepower at its disposal. But, this isn’t the end of the story for the Eletre, either, as a second report from Top Gear tells the tale of a more powerful Eletre with 900 horsepower being in the works. This model will have an extra electric motor for a tri-motor setup that will be positioned at the rear axle.

This tri-motor Eletre with 900 horsepower is said to be the range-topping model and should be able to hit 62 mph in “well below 2.5 seconds.” That figure would make the Audi E-Tron S, which hits the benchmark in 5.1 seconds, come off as slow and would put the Eletre in the same league with the Model X Plaid, which makes the sprint in 2.6 seconds. This mode could arrive in the next couple of years and is probably expected to launch as a 2025 model. For now, the new high-riding Lotus will be available to those in Europe, the U.K., and China, the latter of which is also where 100-percent of the Eletres sold will be built. There’s still no word on U.S. availability, but that should be announced soon enough.