Lotus Emira to Add Plug-in Hybrid System in 2027
The Lotus Emira is one of the sexiest and most fun sports cars on the market, although fuel economy could be better. The company also needs to do something about the Euro 7 emissions regulation set to come into effect in late November of next year.
As reported by several media including Autocar and confirmed by CEO Feng Qingfeng during a second-quarter earnings call on August 29, the Emira will debut an upgraded V6 and add a plug-in hybrid variant in 2027.
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The so-called "Hyper Hybrid" system will be different from the one Lotus tested with the previous Evora coupe, which never got the green light and combined a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine with an electric motor and a 17kWh battery. It promised a very optimistic electric range of just over 50 km.
Further details will likely be provided later this year, as Lotus also plans to offer Hyper Hybrid technology in its Eletre SUV, which has enjoyed far less success than anticipated due to slowing demand for electric vehicles combined with tariffs on those made in China.
The turbocharged four-cylinder engine, currently included in the entry-level version of the Emira and derived from Mercedes-AMG, appears to be on the way out. Rumours about the addition of a V8 no longer seem to hold water, either.
As for the V6, which is borrowed from Toyota, Lotus has previously mentioned that it could not be updated to comply with the Euro 7 standard. What has changed? Time will tell.
Emira sales fell sharply in 2025 following the halt in exports to the U.S., a direct result of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on foreign-made automobiles. Exports resumed in July following the trade deal signed between the U.S. and the U.K., which calls for tariffs of only 15 percent instead of 27.5 percent.
During the call, per Autocar, the small British manufacturer’s CEO once again denied that Lotus car production will move out of the Hethel plant in the U.K. However, he said that the Lotus Technology (based in China) and Lotus Cars divisions will be consolidated into a single entity to achieve efficiency improvements.