Lotus officially launches new 950hp plug-in hybrid

Is a new 2.0-litre Eletre PHEV for you? In China, Lotus is adamant it should be For Me...

By Matt Bird / Wednesday, 4 March 2026 / Loading comments

It seems like a very long time ago that Lotus proclaimed the Emira to be its last combustion-engined car, that the future was electric and the EV pairing of Emeya and Eletre were exactly the right cars at the right time. To be fair to them, lots of manufacturers made similarly misguided claims that they’re now furiously rowing back on; it’s just that Lotus began from a position of selling not many cars already. Adding new models that also didn’t prove popular was a real problem.

Now, having been hinted at a couple of years ago, we have the first details of the Hyper Hybrid powertrain that aims to rejuvenate the success of both the EVs. Information on European specs is scarce for the moment, though the new 950hp model will be sold under a distinct ‘For Me’ brand in China. Presumably that won’t happen here, but the combination of a 2.0-litre engine with a whopping great 80kWh battery will. This isn’t so much an engine lent a hand by electricity as a huge battery with an internal combustion sidekick. For reference, a Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid utilises a 25.9kWh battery; there are dedicated EVs that go a long way (think BMW i4, with 81.3kWh) that have similar-sized batteries to the hybrid Lotus Eletre.

So it’s a different take on the plug-in conundrum, that’s for sure. God knows what an SUV with both an engine and a battery sizeable enough for separate cars in their own right will weigh, but it does at least mean that the Lotus offers up range for days. Literal days, in fact, because there’s a maximum claim of 880 miles, which is enough to compete with your local cabbie’s Superb TDI. There’s no word yet on efficiency (don’t get your hopes up), though there will at least be no complaints about how far this electrified car can travel. You’d hope.

According Autocar's coverage, there are 220 EV miles available on the Chinese CLTC test, which is typically more generous than the WLTP score; expect something closer to 180 for the European homologation. Still another league from anything else comparable (the aforementioned Cayenne, for example, officially offers 42-45 miles WLTP Estimated All-Electric Range). Super duper charging ability should see 30 to 80 per cent replenished (the usual 10-80 figure hasn’t been published) in eight minutes.

The Lotus hybrid setup combines a pair of synchronous motors for each axle with a 2.0-litre turbo engine. While the latter sounds good for minimising weight, it’s hardly going to be a bastion of combustion-powered excitement against V8-powered rivals. Just look how performance-focused four-cylinder hybrids have fared already. Part of the reason some haven’t moved to EVs is the emotion of an engine, which doesn’t exactly seem guaranteed with a unit boasting half the capacity and cylinders of cars like the Urus and BMW XM. Both of which you can bet Lotus would like to steal some sales from.

So there are still some gaps to fill in as far as the Eletre PHEV goes, but both it and the Emeya equivalent surely can’t come soon enough for an ailing Lotus. For the moment, plug-in hybrids look to be the technology most suitable for both customer demand and regulatory conformity, and Lotus could really do with some of the former. What it means for the EV lineup over here is also another TBC; with the range said to be on offer by the hybrid, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they were replaced entirely. Let’s see. But you can certainly bet on plenty more Lotus PHEV news later in 2026 - there’s an Emira to make Euro compliant as well…