Lotus is not ditching gasoline-burning engines after all and intends to make them an important part of future vehicles.

The automaker announced its Focus 2030 business strategy that intends to keep Lotus flexible, sustainable and able to stay resilient.

This strategy will involve a variety of powertrain varieties, shying away from previous plans to go fully electric.

The company said it plans to utilize internal combustion engine (ICE), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and battery-electric vehicle (BEV) powertrains. Between the electrified models, Lotus is targetting a 60 per cent PHEV/40 per cent BEV sales volume split.

Supercar coming

Among the various mentions of what to expect from the brand, Lotus said it is developing its first ever supercar with a planned launch in 2028.

The car, called Type 135, will utilize the company’s proprietary hybrid technology that will debut in the car.

The powertrain will pair a V8 engine with a hybrid system and produce more than 1,000 PS (986 hp).

Lotus expects the car to be manufactured in Europe.

Emira to continue

The company’s current lightweight sports car, the Emira, will remain in the lineup.

Lotus plans to unveil an updated Emira in the coming weeks.

Lotus said the updated model is designed to be the most powerful and lightest Emira yet.

Electric cars staying

The company’s BEV lineup, including the Eletre SUV, the Emeya grand tourer and Evija hypercar remain core pillars of the business, Lotus said.

Eletre X

Additionally, the Eletre X (called Eletre For Me in China) will deliver a hybrid powertrain that uses the automaker’s X-Hybrid technology.

Customer deliveries have begun in China, while Europe is expected to get it near the end of 2026. Lotus didn’t mention North America.

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