Sports car will gain same ‘Hyper Hybrid’ technology being developed for the brand’s EVs
Lotus has confirmed it is planning a plug-in hybrid version of the Emira sports car as well as an ‘upgrade’ to the V6 model as part of a facelift timed to comply with the Euro 7 emissions regulation change in 2027.
Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng told analysts on the company’s second quarter results call the model would gain the same ‘Hyper Hybrid’ technology scheduled to be rolled out first in an SUV model later this year, expected to be the Eletre.
The current four-cylinder turbocharged Emira, which uses a Mercedes-AMG powerplant, appears to on the chopping block amid the EU7 makeover. The V6 uses a Toyota engine but Lotus has previously said that can’t be upgraded to meet the EU7 regulations.
The inclusion of plug-in hybrid technology in the Emira as part of a closer cooperation between the Chinese-based Lotus Tech division and Lotus Cars in the UK, which focuses on sports cars.
Feng made no reference to the Thursday 28 announcement that Lotus would cut around 40 percent of the workforce in the UK – 550 jobs – but said that the recent decision to combine Lotus Tech with Lotus Cars would bring efficiencies.
“We see big room for efficiency improvements while we consolidate a lot of the functions together, including the technology synergies,” Feng said.
The CEO confirmed his commitment to the UK arm, which had been rocked by news – since denied – that Lotus wanted to move production out of the UK
“We have ambitious goals for the Lotus Cars operation in the future,” Feng said. “We will focus on the very high performance attributes and also high-performance engineering services.”
Lotus’s commitment to the future of the Emira will bring a sigh of relief to those remaining workers at the company’s production plant in Hethel, Norfolk, who faced an uncertain future as the planned electric replacement was halted while sales in the US plummeted on the imposition of higher tariffs in April.
Lotus deliveries in the first half slumped by almost half to 2813 as the company halted Emira exports to its key US market on the tariff increase. Emira deliveries fell 64% to just 891 in the first half. Exports to the US resumed in July after the UK government negotiated cut in the tariffs from 27.5% to 15%
Lotus posted a net loss of $313 million (£230 million) for the first half of 2025, an improvement from the previous half-year performance, when it lost $424 million.
Lotus has pivoted to plug-in hybrids after sales of its electric Eletre SUV and Emeya saloon fell short of ambitious targets amid a wider reluctance among luxury car buyers to move to electric. “We will actively promoting our Hyper Hybrid technology,” Feng said on the call.
Lotus previously tested a plug-in hybrid version of the Evora sports car featuring a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine mated to an electric motor and 17kWh battery giving a potential range of 35 miles. The so-called 414E never made it to production.
There was some good news for Lotus in that sales of its Eletre and Emeya models rose in the second quarter in China helped by upgraded versions of the Eletre.
