Lotus V8 hybrid supercar confirmed for 2028 as EV plans are wound back

Lotus will launch a new supercar in 2028, and it will be powered by a V8 engine, albeit as part of an electrified drivetrain.

Known internally as the Type 135, the new supercar will have a V8 hybrid drivetrain making 735kW (1000 metric horsepower). The debut is scheduled for some time in 2028, with more details about the car to be revealed later this year.

Interestingly, Lotus says the new supercar is “expected to be manufactured in Europe”. Ever since Geely bought a majority stake in Geely, the company has insisted on building its sports cars at its headquarters in Hethel, UK, with lifestyle vehicles produced in China.

Depending on how you define Europe, the Type 135 could be produced on the mainland or in the UK.

Speaking to AutoExpress, Qingfeng Feng, CEO of Lotus, nominated Hethel as “the best option”, but stressed it would require a lot of work to be done with the supply chain, especially if the battery is to meet rules of origin in the UK and EU.

It’s unclear where Lotus will obtain a V8 engine for the car but the one possible source is Mercedes-AMG, which currently supplies the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine for the Emira.

Last week Mercedes-AMG CEO Michael Schiebe revealed the company is preparing to launch an updated version of its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 in 2026. The current iteration of the engine has a flat-plane crank, 48V mild-hybrid tech and is compliant with Euro 7 emissions regulations.

As fitted to the S-Class, the twin-turbo V8 makes 395kW of power and 750Nm of torque, which is some way short of what the Type 135 is aiming for.

The Emira is also available with a supercharged Toyota 3.5-litre V6. Prospects for the company’s naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8 seem dim as production of the IS F Sport Performance sedan and RC F coupe has ended, and the LC coupe is seemingly nearly at the end of its cycle.

Toyota does, however, employ a hybrid version of the 5.0-litre V8 in the Century. The limousine’s drivetrain makes 310kW, and employs an eCVT.

When the Lotus Type 135 is launched in 2028 it will be the company’s first V8-powered model since 2004, when the Esprit was finally read its rites after a 28-year run. According to AutoExpress, the Type 135 will revive the Esprit name.

The Type 135 is one part of the company’s new Focus 2030 plan. An update for the Emira is due soon, and will include a new range-topping variant featuring a more powerful drivetrain and reduced weight.

Lotus is apparently also working on a plug-in hybrid Emira pencilled in for 2027, while the plug-in hybrid system that made its debut in the Eletre X SUV a few months ago is slated to join the Emeya sedan range.

In addition to this, Lotus is setting itself a more achievable sales target of 30,000 cars per year. In 2025, the company made just 6520 vehicles and is nowhere close to meeting the 150,000 sales target laid out in its Vision 18 strategy.

At the turn of the decade Lotus, like many other automakers, planned to go all-electric by 2030, with the Emira being the company’s last ever petrol-powered car. Now Mr Feng admits the company “did act too fast”, and that “is why we made a change and decided to go hybrid”.

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