Lotus Needs Eletre SUV To Make New Sports Cars

TheLotus Eletrewas revealed just days ago but not everyone is thrilled that the maker of lightweight sports carssuccumbed to the SUV trend. Unlike the legendary Elise, for instance, the Eletre is anything but a lightweight vehicle, and that's hard for many brand loyalists to accept considering the famed "less is more" approach of the Lotus brand. But in order to survive, it was logical that Lotus would eventually build an SUV. After all, low-volume sports cars are not exactly financially lucrative. The Lotus boss has now doubled down on the decision to build the Eletre and says that the model is vital if Lotus is to continue producing news sports cars.

Speaking toTopGear, Lotus Boss Matt Windle made it clear that he has grand ambitions for the company over the next few years. "We want to be a proper global, serious player," he said. "When it's [the Eletre] fully on stream, we're hoping numbers in the tens of thousands." Consider that Lotus sold under 2,000 cars in 2021, and you'll come to see how important the Eletre is. Windle admitted that making money, not just making great cars, is crucial. "If you want Lotus sports cars to be around forever, we've got to make money," he explained. "We haven't been making money in the past, and that's why we haven't been able to invest in product."