When the Emira came out in 2022, Lotus claimed it would be its last production vehicle powered by a combustion engine. From that point forward, the Hethel-based niche brand planned to launch only electric vehicles. For a while, it kept its promise, as the Evija, Eletre, and Emeya were all EVs. However, the Eletre SUV has since received a four-cylinder gasoline engine for the strangely named For Me in China.
There’s more to come on the ICE side from Lotus. The Emira will switch to a completely new V6 engine, while the future supercar is getting a V8. Both engines are being developed by Horse, a 50:50 joint venture between Lotus’ parent company Geely and Renault. The future performance models will both be hybrids.
