Lotus has quietly ended US sales of its Eletre electric SUV. The model, which carried a starting price of $232,900, no longer makes business sense in America.
Just a handful of Eletre models were sold in the US last year. The all-electric Eletre Carbon, a fully loaded limited edition, was the only version offered.
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Tariffs Erode the Business Case
Lotus initially planned to sell the Eletre in the US from around $107,000. That price never materialized.
Months after the announcement, the Biden administration raised tariffs on Chinese-built EVs from 25 percent to 100 percent.
Lotus then shifted to importing a small number of high-end models based on the Eletre R, initially priced at $145,000.
The resulting Eletre Carbon cost $232,900. Even with the 100 percent tariff, Lotus managed to proceed.
But when the import duty increased again to 150 percent, the business case collapsed.
Massimiliano Trantini, president and CEO of Lotus Americas, told Motor Trend that after the 2025 allocation sold out, no further examples were imported.
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“We planned to bring the Eletre into the U. S.
,” he said. “We made all the activity to prepare the car, we got all the homologation.
We were ready.”
Trantini explained that with the higher tariff, Lotus could no longer find a viable path for the Eletre in the US market.
While the Eletre is now available internationally as a plug-in hybrid, its US return is unlikely.
The Connected Vehicle Rule, which bans new vehicles with Chinese technology, also affects the Emeya.
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Trantini noted that the Emira remains compliant through the 2027 model year. Built in the US, it may stay on sale for several more years.
