On January 25, 2026 (local time), the bespoke Lotus Eletre electric vehicle, which British King Charles III acquired at his personal expense for £120,000 (equivalent to approximately RMB 1.16 million), made its first public appearance at the Sandringham Royal Estate in Norfolk. Conceived by a British design team and tailored at a factory in Norfolk, the car's essential components are sourced entirely from China. These include the power battery manufactured by CATL, the electric control system from a Wuhan-based company, and the body constructed from special steel produced by Baowu.
Marketed as a "fully electric super SUV with racing pedigree," the Lotus Eletre boasts a range of up to 600 kilometers on a single charge, a maximum power output of 918 horsepower, and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 2.95 seconds. This acquisition marks a departure from the British royal family's historical preference for vehicles powered by traditional fuels and is widely regarded as an endorsement of China's advancements in new energy technology.
