Lotus says 'never say never' to Emira hybrid as it slows all-EV plan

Lotus could electrify the Emira and extend its lifecycle as the brand moves to hybridise its line-up and pushes back the sports car's long-awaited electric replacement.

It's responding to flagging uptake of electric luxury cars by reducing its sales volume ambitions over the coming years and introducing a new range-extender (REx) powertrain option in a bid to boost the appeal of its EVs. 

The move marks a reversal of Lotus's plan to go all-electric by 2028 and raises questions about the future of its last remaining sports car, which was due to be effectively replaced by an EV equivalent in the coming years. 

Lotus launched the Emira in 2021 as its final pure-combustion car and as an effective replacement for the Evora from which it was evolved. 

The firm has never put an end date on Emira production, but under its now-axed plan to go all-electric, it was due to usher in an EV successor known as the Type 135 in 2027, and it was expected that the Emira would be phased out in kind.

Now, however, Lotus's new European CEO Dan Balmer has suggested the Hethel-built coupé could live on with an electrified powertrain instead. 

Asked about the prospect of an Emira hybrid, he said: "In today's world? 'Never say never' is the current rule, because we have to be open-minded and understand what the marketplace wants and also what technology is available to us at the time. 

"So the potential for hybrid powertrains is there. Equally the potential for all-EV platforms is there. It's just a question of what technology is available for the attributes that we spec in a Lotus."

The Emira is currently available with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine supplied by Mercedes-AMG, producing 360bhp, or a Toyota-derived supercharged petrol V6 with 400bhp.

Both Mercedes and Toyota use these respective units – or at least versions thereof – as part of hybrid powertrains in their own line-ups.

The AMG four, for example, is mildly hybridised in the AMG A35 hot hatch, and the Toyota V6 is closely related to that used in hybrids sold in various global markets. 

If an Emira hybrid became reality, Lotus would no doubt extensively modify and retune any third-party components to ensure the coupé's performance and dynamic attributes were retained, but it would at least seem to be technically possible - pending any modifications that need to be made from a structural point of view.

The Anglo-Chinese firm's new 'Hyper Hybrid' REx technology, which it will add to its EV models in 2026 in a bid to drive sales, uses 900V electricals and is compatible with the EPA platform that underpins the Emeya and Eletre, so it's unlikely to find its way into the Emira.

The future for the Emira is especially unclear now that the Type 135 that was due to replace it has been pushed back in line with Lotus’s freeze on new product launches.

Lotus has also been open about the need to wait for new lightweight battery technology to come on stream so that an 'electric Elise' holds true to the dynamic prowess of its petrol forebear. 

Balmer said: "We have to look at the technology available to achieve the attributes that are important to us for those products, and at the right time as well. If we were to do it today, then we don't feel we could achieve that."