Lotus confirms new V8 hybrid supercar for 2028

How Autocar imagines the new Lotus supercar could look

In the recently refreshed Mercedes S-Class, the V8 develops 530bhp and 553lb ft of torque, and Autocar understands that work is being done to push it beyond 650bhp and 590lb ft for more performance-focused models, suggesting a 0-62mph time comfortably under 4.0sec.

Lotus said its new supercar is “likely” to be built in Europe, without specifying that it will definitely be produced alongside the Emira and Eviya hypercar at its long-time home in Hethel, Norfolk. 

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. 

The new supercar has the codename Type 135, which had originally been applied to the now-cancelled electric replacement for the Emira.

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. However, the refreshed model being “lighter” than the current 1.5-tonne pure-ICE car throws this into doubt.

As part of its pivot away from EVs, Lotus said today that it wants to increase PHEV sales to 60% of its global total “in the short term” as it ramps up production of the new Eletre X SUV.