After axing its plan to go all-electric by 2028, Lotus has confirmed it is working on a V8 supercar with a hybrid setup, slated for a 2028 debut. Interestingly, the new model carries the ‘Type 135’ codename, previously used for the now-cancelled electric replacement for the Emira. Lotus last sold a V8 car in 2004, when it stopped producing the Esprit.
- The new supercar will produce over 1,000hp, as per Lotus
- Lotus may use the ‘M177’ AMG V8 for its 2028-bound car
- It’ll feature a hybrid powertrain instead of a plug-in hybrid
Lotus claims the new car will follow the brand’s older, extreme light-weighting approach. “Lotus was born from the rebellious spirit of [founder] Colin Chapman, and that is not lost today,” CEO Feng Qingfeng said. That matters because the current Lotus line-up is dominated by electric cars (Emeya and Eletre), which are known to be relatively heavier than combustion-engined models due to their battery packs.
2028 Lotus hybrid V8 supercar details
Powertrain
Lotus has not made it clear which V8 engine the new supercar will use. It has, however, confirmed that the car will feature a hybrid powertrain, rather than a plug-in hybrid setup, as part of its weight-saving plan. Since it already sources a 2-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine from Mercedes-AMG for the Emira, a supply arrangement could be extended for an AMG V8.
Mercedes recently updated the ‘M177’ 4-litre twin-turbo V8, giving it a motorsport-derived flat-plane crank. In the S-Class facelift, it makes 537hp and 750Nm, and Autocar UK understands work is underway to push for higher outputs for more performance-focused models. In fact, the carmaker claims the supercar will produce over 1,000hp; a 0-100kph sprint could take less than 4 seconds.
Design
The teaser shared by Lotus shows the rear of the car, which takes some cues from the 2024 Theory 1 EV concept. The biggest difference is the pair of large exhaust pipes. The new supercar was designed at Lotus’s Coventry design centre, the same place where the Theory 1 was created. Autocar UK also stated that the car could adopt a three-seat layout, similar to the McLaren F1, if it carries over more than just the styling from the concept. The new supercar is likely to be built in Europe.
Lotus new strategy
The V8 supercar is part of a wider change in Lotus’s product strategy. In the coming weeks, the brand will also reveal the updated ICE Emira, which it says will be the most powerful and lightest Emira yet. Previously, Lotus stated that the Emira will gain a PHEV powertrain as part of a facelift timed for Euro 7 regulations in 2027. But its latest claim that the updated model will be lighter than the current 1.5-tonne ICE car makes that less certain, according to Autocar UK. Lotus wants PHEVs to account for 60 percent of its global sales in the short term.