Lotus Eletre Lands in Canada: 905 hp, 24 Carbon Editions, $119,900 — and Only Because Tariffs Dropped

The Lotus Eletre, the first electric SUV from the storied British sports-car maker, has arrived in Canada — and it is here partly because of a trade deal. In a Toronto Star Wheels review published September 5, writer Lee Bailie confirms the Eletre went on sale in Canada in June, priced from $119,900, with just 24 examples of the range-topping 905-horsepower Carbon Edition earmarked for the Canadian market.

The Eletre is built in a new assembly facility in Wuhan, China. Its parent company is Geely, which also owns Volvo and Polestar. And as the Star notes, the SUV's Canadian arrival is a direct consequence of the federal government's trade agreement with China announced earlier this year: lowering the tariff on Chinese-built EVs from 100 per cent to 6.1 per cent made importing the Eletre financially viable. Under the deal, Canada will import up to 49,000 China-sourced EVs in 2026.

What $119,900 buys — and what the Carbon Edition adds

Three regular trims are offered — Eletre, Touring and Sport — with pricing beginning at $119,900 and rising by $10,000 for each step up. All share a 112-kWh lithium-ion battery and a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain producing 603 horsepower and 524 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds, according to Lotus.

The Carbon Edition sits above them all. Its dual motors produce 905 horsepower and 725.6 lb-ft of torque, launching the SUV from 0-100 km/h in a claimed 2.95 seconds. With only 24 Carbon Editions allocated to Canada, it will be among the rarest new EVs on Canadian roads this year. The Star's tester, as equipped, carried an as-tested price of $179,900.

Range, charging and the Lotus character

• Range: about 412 kilometres per charge in the Carbon Edition tester.
• Charging: 10 to 80 per cent in roughly 20 minutes on a DC fast charger.
• Hardware: 23-inch wheels on all trims, staggered Pirelli P Zero tires (315/30 rear vs 275/35 front), six-piston aluminum front brake calipers, variable damping, air suspension and torque vectoring.
• Interior tech: a 15.1-inch OLED centre touchscreen, a slim 12.6-inch instrument cluster, leather sport seating, a fixed glass roof with adjustable tint, head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
• Cargo: 688 litres behind the rear seats, 1,532 litres in total.

Bailie's driving verdict: the Eletre is "darty" and light in a way that belies its bulk, with sharp steering "in perfect unison with its rocket acceleration." The ride is firm on the big wheels but not harsh, and Comfort mode softens it further. His conclusion — that the Eletre "feels uniquely British" and that company founder Colin Chapman would approve — speaks to how Lotus has translated its handling ethos into a 2.5-tonne-family-sized electric SUV.

Why a quota EV costs $119,900

The Eletre is a useful reality check on expectations that the China quota would flood Canada with cheap electric cars. Lotus used the reduced-tariff window to import the Eletre in the low hundreds of units — it is one of only three brands, alongside Tesla and Lincoln, that has actually shipped vehicles under the quota so far. The affordability requirements baked into the deal only begin in 2027, when roughly 10 per cent of quota imports must be priced under $35,000, rising to 50 per cent by 2030. Until then, the Eletre shows the quota's other face: premium Chinese-built metal that was simply uneconomic to import at a 100 per cent tariff.

For Canadian buyers cross-shopping the Eletre against German electric SUVs like the BMW iX and Audi Q8 e-tron, the pitch is rarity and acceleration at a comparable price. The 24 Carbon Editions, however, will sell themselves — the question is how quickly the regular trims follow them out of Canadian showrooms through the rest of 2026.

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