This is the last car you would expect as a plug-in hybrid

September 2, 2025

Lotus plug-in hybrids

Plug-in sports cars are not new. Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren had plug-in hybrids in their showrooms years ago. But what Lotus is doing is remarkable: the brand is going to convert a model originally developed purely with gasoline engines into a plug-in hybrid. The model in question is the Emira. The British sports coupe has been in the catalog for a few years with a four-cylinder or V6, but will also come plug-in in 2027.

From purist to pragmatist

The choice comes not from a desire for more power, but from necessity. Euro 7 emissions standards are just around the corner, and the Emira’s current engines won’t make it. The Mercedes-AMG four-cylinder is likely to disappear, while the Toyota V6 is running up against its economy limits. The facelift scheduled for 2027 will therefore go beyond a set of new bumpers and lights: a radical technical transformation will take place under the skin.

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Hyper hybrid

In the updated Emira, Lotus is introducing its brand new “Hyper Hybrid” technology, the same powertrain that is more likely to appear in the Eletre. Thus, the brand is trying to find the balance between tradition and future. It will be the first plug-in compact Lotus sports car – although the brand now also has the all-electric but highly exclusive Evija in its lineup.

Collaboration across continents

The project shows how closely Lotus Cars in Hethel and Lotus Technology in China are trying to work together. The Chinese arm develops the electrification and software, while in the UK the sports cars are built and designed. This makes the plug-in hybrid Emira a car of two worlds.

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Dark clouds

The timing of the announcement is remarkable: recently Lotus announced it was cutting 550 jobs in Britain. Yet Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng stressed that Hethel will continue to play a key role and that the factory has a future. For workers, then, the prospect of the Emira getting a second life is a ray of hope.

Difficult times

That’s something Lotus could use, because the numbers look bleak. Emira sales dropped 64 percent in the first half of 2025, partly due to higher U.S. import duties. For months, no cars were shipped toward the U.S. at all. The tariffs have since been reduced slightly and deliveries are running again, but the damage is great: in six months, Lotus posted a loss of $313 million.