Lotus Confirms a Hybrid V8 Supercar for 2028
The Type 135, a clean-sheet successor to the Esprit idea, targets more than 1,000 hp and a sub-1.5-tonne kerb weight.
Lotus has committed to a new mid-engined hybrid V8 supercar, the Type 135, due in 2028. Chief executive Feng Qingfeng confirmed the plan to investors on the company's 27 August earnings call, and the car is being widely framed as the return of the Esprit, though it is a clean-sheet, factory-built design rather than an update of the original.
Targets are ambitious. The V8 is aimed at more than 1,000 hp with a kerb weight under 1.5 tonnes, running on an 800-volt architecture and a dual-clutch gearbox whose gear count is still being settled. Lotus is using Formula 1-derived electric motor technology to save weight, with a new motor design said to weigh about 44 lb compared with up to 209 lb for a typical 150 kW unit.
A V6 variant is also planned, drawing on hardware from Horse, the Geely-Renault joint venture already supplying combustion components to Lotus. The Type 135 will sit above the Emira in a range that also includes the electric Evija and Emeya.
The car forms part of Lotus's Focus 2030 strategy, which keeps combustion, plug-in hybrid and electric models in the line-up. Price and production location have not been confirmed.
Source: AutoGuide
