The new all-electric Lotus SUV is called Eletre

Lotus has announced its first all-electric SUV will carry the Lotus Eletre nameplate.
 
Developed under the Type 132 codename, the 2022 Lotus Eletre – the British car-maker's battery-electric Porsche Cayenne rival – will be unveiled later this week and is set to share a dramatic design with both the Evija hypercar and latest Emira.

Previous teasers have revealed that there will be plenty of aero trickery involved in the Lotus SUV's design to maximise its range.

These include bonnet dimples and active aero flaps within the front bumper.
 
The entire underbody has also been shielded for optimum aero.
 
The earlier patent ended the mystery of where exactly Lotus will position its LiDAR sensor, with the Eletre mounting the sensors in the optimum space above the windscreen.

The door mirrors have also been dumped for a pair of rear-view cameras that, along with pop-out door handles, have been designed to cut drag.
 
The charging point, meanwhile, is located on the left front fender.
 
Other key aspects of the new Eletre already previewed include its lightweight carbon-fibre reinforced aero wheels and full-width LED rear light bar.

Above the light strip there's curiously another high-mounted housing for sensors that's surrounded by an intricate two-piece roof spoiler.
 
There's also an active rear spoiler, although it's not deployed in the images released.
 
We already know the Chinese-built SUV will be based on Lotus' fresh Premium Architecture that has been designed and developed specifically for electric vehicles.
 
It will be powered by large batteries ranging from 90kWh to 120kWh. Versions with the biggest batteries should have a range of up to 650km.

Performance claims are still to be released, but the company has said its Premium Architecture can be driven with multiple electric motors that will see the fastest versions capable of an incredible 0-100km/h time of less than 3.0 seconds.

 And the British sports car-maker's Eletre will not only be quick in a straight line. Thanks to an 800V architecture, it will be among the fastest to charge in its class – at a rate of up to 350kW.
 
That could see an 80 per cent top-up taking a little over 20 minutes.

The Lotus SUV is one of four EVs that Lotus will launch over the next five years, with a larger SUV and then a four-door Porsche Taycan rival coming next. 

While production of its incoming sports car will remain at its Hethel HQ in England, the Eletre SUV will be built in China at a new $A1.6 billion factory in Wuhan, China.
 
Set for an official reveal on March 29, 19:30 BST (March 30 5:30 AEDT), it's thought the all-electric Lotus Eletre will go on sale in Europe before the end of 2022.

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