The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Lotus Eletre electric SUV has been confirmed for Europe and the UK, significantly raising the chances of it being offered in Australia.
The partly combustion-powered SUV made its debut at the end of 2025 in China where it is marketed as the Lotus For Me. Thankfully for Europe the company has decided to stick with its tradition of ‘E’ names, simply branding the PHEV as the Eletre X.
It’s unclear if the Eletre X will be sold in Australia, with a spokesperson for the local distributor unable to confirm local availability as discussions with headquarters remain on-going.
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Deliveries to European and UK customers are expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2026. Lotus is keeping final European specs under wraps until the car’s EU launch in June.
Judging from European reports, the Eletre X’s technical specs won’t differ too much from the Chinese-market For Me.
While the Eletre For Me looks almost indistinguishable from the EV version, the plug-in hybrid is said to ride on a different platform altogether, which according to Top Gear is shared with the Zeekr 9X.
The Eletre For Me has permanent magnet synchronous motor for both the front and rear axle, while under the bonnet a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine joins the party.
Total system output is 700kW and 935Nm, and Lotus claims the Eletre PHEV can scoot from 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds. By comparison, range-topping versions of the Eletre EV have a 675kW dual-motor all-wheel drive system that can bring up the century in 2.95 seconds.
The PHEV drivetrain has three driving modes: pure electric; series hybrid, where the petrol engine works to power a 150kW generator to recharge the battery pack; and parallel hybrid with the petrol engine directly connected to front wheels. Parallel hybrid mode is only engaged during high-speed highway driving.
As the Eletre For Me typically operates as a range-extender EV, it is fitted with a larger-than-usual 70kWh battery pack. Under the lenient CLTC testing standard, the Eletre For Me is said to have a pure EV range of 420km.
It will be interesting to see if X/For Me are able to give Eletre sales a boost. Last year just nine Eletres were sold in Australia, placing it dead last in the Upper Large SUV over $120k category, and well behind the likes of the Lamborghini Urus (154), BMW XM (95), Aston Martin DBX (58), and Ferrari Purosangue (56).
Lotus has long desired branching out from its core sports cars, much like Porsche did in the early 2000s, but the British sports car maker wasn’t able to make good on these dreams until Geely bought a majority stake in the company in 2017.
With the Chinese automaker’s help it developed the Emeya sedan and Eletre SUV, both of which are produced in Wuhan, China. The Emira sports car continues to be produced in the Hethel, UK.