Lotus opens the door to the Emira hybrid sports car

There may be good news coming from England: Lotus has not ruled out the possibility of a new Emira with a hybrid powertrain, meaning the Lotus combustion engine sports car may still be around in the future. In a discussion with the local publication AutocarRecently appointed European CEO Dan Balmer was asked if such a thing was feasible, and his response revealed that Lotus is no longer committed to replacing all cars with electric vehicles.

2024 Lotus Emira

Base MSRP

$99,900

Motor

3.5 liter supercharged V6 petrol engine

Horsepower

400 hp

Torque

317 lb-ft

Drivetrain

Rear wheel drive

0-60 mph

4.2 seconds

Top speed

180 miles per hour

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“In today’s world? ‘Never say never’ is the current rule,” said Balmer, “because we need to be open-minded and understand what the market wants and also what technology is available to us at this point in time. So the potential for.” There is also potential for purely electric drives. It’s just a question of what technology is available for the features we specify in a Lotus.

Okay, but what does this mean for the near future?

Lotus hasn’t brought anything new to market in a while, and that’s a good thing

Just a few months ago, Lotus unveiled an absolutely gorgeous supercar concept that suggested two-seaters were still high on the priority list. Unfortunately, this had little to no future with the internal combustion engine; The company dismissed all questions about the production launch, saying it was just a design study from which certain small elements might be produced in future electric SUVs.

Lotus planned to replace the Emira with a $95,000 EV in late 2027, although the current Emira was only one generation old and came to market very late for most customers. But just a week ago, Feng Qingfeng, CEO of the Lotus Group, put the brakes on a purely electric strategy.

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In conversation with the Wall Street JournalHe said that Lotus had “always chosen the best powertrain technology available, be it pure petrol, pure electric, hybrid or range-extended (EV).” Regrettably, he said that the company would develop a “super hybrid” system, which combines ultra-fast charging with a turbocharged petrol engine and promises enormous range. He also pointed out that plug-in hybrids are too heavy and complex and that the super hybrid engine would charge the battery much faster. This suggests EREVs, where the engine never drives the wheels. However, Balmer’s comments suggest that regular hybrids are also being considered, as we’ll get into that in more detail in a moment.

Why Lotus needs to move away from electric vehicles

There was once a time when simply saying the name Lotus was enough to make any self-respecting car enthusiast stand up and listen. The sports car maker was wedded to the mantra of its founder, Colin Chapman, who said that engineers building a car should “simplify and then add lightness.” Those days seemed all but over for the company in recent years as it plunged headfirst into an all-electric development plan.

Unfortunately, this didn’t work out as well as expected, as all of the promised products were delayed and the ones that made it here were priced out of the market. Because of the 102 percent tariffs on the Eletre’s Chinese-made components, its price in America is twice as high as in other markets. And let’s not even talk about how much demand there might or might not be for a six-figure electric vehicle, or what impact additional tariffs might have on Americans’ purchasing power.

Related

Lotus boss resigns after setting extremely ambitious sales targets

This comes shortly after the company reported poor 2023 financial results.

The bottom line is that the Lotus of today is almost indistinguishable from the one that has entered the annals of motorsport history and enthusiast legends. And while Lotus is still committed to finding a way to make electric vehicles lighter – like everyone else – it’s simply not possible with current resources. Therefore, the creation of a hybrid Emira needs to be considered, and both current Emira engine suppliers (Mercedes-AMG and Toyota) produce suitable systems.

That’s something enthusiasts may still want, but let’s also not forget the advances that electric vehicles have made. Several automakers are close to testing solid-state battery production – including Honda and Toyota – and if a breakthrough is achieved soon, Lotus could well revisit the topic of an electric Elise/Emira replacement. It simply won’t be possible to sell it in the US without at least finding a local battery supplier.

Source:
Autocar