Lotus brings its biggest ever stand to the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend to showcase its full range – Eletre, Emira and Evija. After choosing to make the switch to being fully electric for the future, the three car lineup is reflective of changing times in the automotive world as companies reach a watershed moment where decisions on future production will have to be made.

That’s not to say that all Lotus cars due to make an appearance at Goodwood are electric. A unique parade of cars from the past and present will take place every day of the event, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Norfolk based brand. This year, the Lotus stand is located close to the Goodwood Hill and one of the cars on display, the Eletre, will be making its debut, with customer deliveries in the UK and across Europe due to start in the coming weeks.

Recent reviews of the Eletre have praised it for its more affordable price and impressive power when compared to the Lamborghini Urus. However, some have questioned whether it will ever be truly accepted by Lotus purists, whose love of the brand stemmed from the fantastic and iconic sports cars it has produced across its history. Lotus say that the Eletre is “aimed at a new generation of Lotus customers” and “blends the core DNA of the Emira and Evija, reinterpreting them as a spacious family-oriented hyper-SUV”. With so many electric SUVs currently on the market, time will tell to see whether it will be accepted for its individual qualities, rather than blending into the ever-growing tapestry of EV SUVs.

Along with the Eletre, the Festival of Speed will be the place to view the much anticipated expansion of the Emira range with the public debut of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder version. Deliveries of the new Emira will start later this year in what has been a busy year for the 75 year old brand.

All four current cars from Lotus – Eletre, Emira, Emira V6 and the Evija – will take part in the iconic Hill Climb throughout the festival. The Evija, the only pure electric hypercar, will be driven by F1 World Champion Jenson Button on Saturday and on the same day, the Radford man will also be sitting down for a live Q&A at the Lotus Stand.

Pictures from Driven’s day behind the scenes at the Lotus Eletre launch last year can be viewed here.

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Lotus