Lotus Focus 2030 abandons its electric-only strategy

In 2021, Lotus announced that it would stop introducing new combustion-engined models and would operate an exclusively electric line-up by 2028.

Five years later, that plan has been abandoned.

Its new strategy, called Focus 2030, marks a substantial change of course. Electric cars remain part of the brand’s future, but they will no longer be the sole answer. Plug-in hybrids, combustion engines and scope to extend the lifespan of models such as the Emira are all now included.

Lotus expects hybrids to account for roughly 60% of sales across its electrified range, with fully electric models making up the remaining 40%. This is a major shift for a manufacturer that, until recently, positioned the Eletre, Emeya and Evija as the beginning of an irreversible transformation.

The revised strategy is explained by results that fell far short of expectations. Lotus delivered 6,520 cars in 2025, down 46% on the previous year, and returned to losses of $464 million (€404 million).

The original target of 150,000 annual sales was entirely detached from reality. Even the more realistic target of around 30,000 units in the new plan will require Lotus to increase the just over 6,500 deliveries recorded in 2025 by almost fivefold.

With demand for electric cars rising more slowly than expected, incentives being reduced, and tariffs penalising models built in China, retaining an electric-only strategy would have made a recovery still harder.

Becoming Lotus again

Focus 2030 is also an effort to reclaim the marque’s identity. Lotus says it will once again put lightness, aerodynamics, engineering and driver engagement at the heart of its cars. Some of those principles are difficult to spot in the heavy Eletre, Emeya and even the Evija.

Chief executive Qingfeng Feng himself acknowledged the contradiction, saying that a sports car weighing more than 1,800 kg can scarcely be genuinely good - and every Lotus electric model exceeds that threshold. The aim is now to bring what Lotus builds closer once more to what its name stands for.

The first Lotus plug-in hybrid has arrived

It may take several years before the benefits of this renewed focus become clear, but the retreat from the ambition of becoming 100% electric has already begun with the Eletre X, the brand’s plug-in hybrid SUV.

It combines a combustion engine with electric motors and a 900 V architecture. Lotus claims up to 952 bhp, 0–100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, and more than 1,200 km of combined range.

In China, where it is sold under the unusual For Me name, it attracted more than 1,000 orders during its first month. European deliveries are expected to begin in the final quarter of 2026.

Lotus intends to introduce this long-range hybrid technology in other models, most likely including the Emeya. Electric versions of both the Eletre and Emeya will remain available.

The Emira lives on with more power

The Emira, which had been intended as the final combustion-engined Lotus, has been given a new lease of life. Production will continue at Hethel, and it has already gained a more powerful 420 Sport version.

Its Mercedes-AMG-sourced 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine now produces 420 bhp and 500 Nm. With the Lightweight Handling package, the Emira sheds 25 kg through items including a titanium exhaust, a lithium-ion battery and adjustable Multimatic dampers. At 1,430 kg (DIN), it is now the lightest Emira yet.

The sports car’s future is also expected to bring more far-reaching changes. The current Toyota- and Mercedes-AMG-sourced engines could be replaced by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 developed by Horse Powertrain, the company established by Geely and Renault.

Designed from the outset for electrified powertrains, this engine would allow Lotus to retain a compact combustion-engined sports car while also meeting future environmental requirements.

A hybrid V8 supercar in 2028

However, it is the Type 135, internally known as Vision X, that best illustrates the new direction. It was originally intended to be the Emira’s fully electric successor. It will now be a hybrid V8 supercar with more than 1,000 bhp, built in Europe (cover image).

The first deliveries are scheduled for 2028. Little is yet known about this supercar, and it has not been confirmed whether it will revive the Esprit name. It will, however, be the first road-going Lotus with a V8 engine since the Esprit disappeared in 2004.

It will also be the first major test of the Focus 2030 plan. Lotus must combine more than 1,000 “electrified” bhp without repeating the issue it now recognises in its high-performance electric cars: excessive weight.