Oh no, Lotus has started fiddling with the Eletre and Emeya's trim levels

Lotus has cut the prices of the all-electric Eletre and Emeya (hooray!) while introducing new names for the different variants and trim levels (uh oh).

Interestingly both cars now start from £84,990, down almost five grand for the Eletre and nearly £1k for the Emeya. Makes sense to us as they're basically the same thing. Meanwhile, the range-topper is a chunky £139,990 now... we'll get to that shortly.

More worrying is that Lotus reckons it needs to give customers a broader choice between luxury, techi-ness, and sportiness. Thusly, it's reverting to some historical trim names, and it's farewell to the previous S and R models.

Oh, and to cap it all off, it's also shoehorned in new 600 and 900 monikers that (loosely) refer to the power outputs. The entry-level dual-motor '600' (previously the S version) actually generates 603bhp, while the altogether more rapid R (now called the 900) produces 905bhp. All told, there are six different trim levels now.

Both models get a 112kWh battery pack, and in the base 600 guise you can count on LED headlights, 4WD, active air suspension, a 22kW onboard charger, 20in rims and torque vectoring. Inside, there's a 15-speaker KEF audio suite, fancy seat fabric and multi-zone climate control, accompanying a 29in head-up display in the Eletre and a monster 51in one in the Emeya.

The 600 GT trim (£89,990 for either SUV or salooon) introduces highway assist, parking sensors, bigger wheels, and fancier brakes. Add an extra SE to your 600 GT  (£94,990) and – rather than a refreshing aperitif – you get a clever glass roof, electric boot, a whole lot more cabin lighting and more speakers. 23, to be precise.

If you're here for the 'sportiness', the 600 Sport SE (we're into six figures now – £104,990) upgrades you to a dynamic handling pack, active rear wing, and more sophisticated seats that massage you on the way to the track and cool you down mid-lap.

It goes without saying that those sportier bits are standard on the 900 Sport, and while the interior theme shifts from Jasper to Quartz – whatever that means – the more notable difference is the two-speed transmission and heftier rear motor. This one's a tenner under £130k.

Finally, the top-spec 900 Sport Carbon adds a carbon pack, a lightweight bonnet, an active front air dam and carbon-infused cabin decor – the clue is in the name, eh? Yours for £139,990.

Performance-wise, the Emeya 900 will cover the 0-62mph sprint in a blistering 2.8 seconds, with a top speed of 159mph. The Eletre 600 makes the same ground in a hardly less respectable 4.5 seconds, peaking at 155mph.

The WLTP range figures haven't changed – so 379 miles max in the boggo spec Emeya 600, 373 in the Eletre 600. Granted, those official numbers aren't very real-world, but both can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in about 14 minutes – which coincidentally is the ideal* length of a powernap.

Order books are open now and deliveries will start later in the year. Let's pray the new trims are a success, or else Lotus might stray down the special edition path that so plagued the swansongs of the Elise and the Exige. Please no, never again.

 *This claim is entirely unverified.