Lotus confirms new V8 hybrid supercar for 2028

How Autocar imagines the new Lotus supercar could look

Lotus said its new supercar, codenamed Type 135, is “likely” to be built in Europe, and Feng said the firm’s long-time home in Hethel is an especially attractive venue, given that UK-built cars incur lower US import tariffs than EU-built cars.

The Type 135 name was originally used for a planned EV replacement for the Emira, which is now no longer in the pipeline. In the next few weeks, Lotus will instead unveil an update to the ICE Emira that will make it “the most powerful and lightest Emira built”. 

The company previously said the Emira could get PHEV power as part of a facelift timed to comply with the Euro 7 emissions regulation change in 2027 for existing models. But the refreshed model being “lighter” than the current 1.5-tonne pure-ICE car throws this into doubt.

However, Feng said an Emira hybrid is ultimately planned and is tipped to be produced alongside the V8-powered Type 135.

The supercar has been created at Lotus’s design centre in Coventry, as was the Theory 1 concept. If it carries over more than just the look of that EV, a McLaren F1-style three-seat arrangement could feature.

The 4490mm-long Theory 1 was designed to be an approachable supercar, rather than a hypercar like the wild 2011bhp Evijia. For example, weight was reduced by using a carbonfibre tub. At the time, Lotus said 85% of the technology displayed in the model was ready for production.

The news of the V8 supercar is part of a wider shift within Lotus towards a mixed powertrain strategy after the company abandoned its plan to go all-electric by 2028. Feng said that, based on current trends in the global market, there should not be “a single solution when it comes to power; the power solution should be diversified”.

“You can see that different people love different kinds of vehicles,” he said, adding that there exist markets for both pure-electric and ICE cars globally. “However, I do believe that hybrid is the solution that will be able to provide all-scenario capabilities.”