Lotus considers hybrid powertrain for Emira sportscar to extend lifecycle

Lotus could extend the Emira sportscar’s lifecycle by adding a petrol-hybrid powertrain. The brand recently announced plans to hybridise its entire line-up, effectively postponing the sportscar's long-awaited all-electric replacement.

Lotus brought out the Emira in 2021 (it's scheduled to launch in India next year) as its final pure-combustion car and as an effective replacement for the Evora, from which it had evolved. While the company has never put an end date on the Emira's production, under its now-axed plan to go all-electric, Lotus was due to usher in an EV successor known as the Type 135 in 2027. It was assumed that the Emira would be phased out at that point. Now, however, Lotus' new European CEO, Dan Balmer, has suggested the Hethel-built coupé could live on with an electrified powertrain instead, reports our sister publication, Autocar UK.

The move marks a reversal of Lotus' plan to go all-electric by 2028 and raises questions about the future of its last remaining sports car. The Emira is currently available with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine supplied by Mercedes-AMG producing 360hp, or a Toyota-derived supercharged petrol V6 with 400hp. And both Mercedes and Toyota use these respective units – or at least versions thereof – as part of hybrid powertrains in their own respective line-ups.

If an Emira hybrid became reality, Lotus would no doubt extensively modify and retune any third-party components to ensure the coupe's performance and dynamic attributes were retained. It would at least seem to be technically possible to do so; barring any modifications that need to be made from a structural point of view.

Lotus is also working on range-extender technology that it called 'Hyper Hybrid' REx. This tech, which will be added to its EV models in 2026 in a bid to drive sales, uses 900V electricals and is compatible with the EPA platform that underpins the Emeya and Eletre EVs, so it's unlikely to find its way into the Emira. The future for this sportcar is especially unclear now that the Type 135, which was due to replace it, has been pushed back in line with Lotus’ haitus on new product launches.