Lotus has confirmed that its next major performance car, the Type 135, is planned for 2028, and it would not be the pure-electric sports car once expected.
Instead, the Type 135 would be an all-new hybrid V8 supercar with more than 1,000 PS. Lotus said it is expected to be built in Europe, with more details due later this year.
The car is also known internally as Vision X, and it gives Lotus a more old-school headline act after years of heavy EV messaging.
The announcement forms part of Lotus’ new Focus 2030 business strategy, which is a fairly major reset for the British performance brand under Geely ownership.
The plan is built around four broad areas: strengthening the Lotus brand, offering several types of powertrain, working more closely with partners, and keeping tighter control of costs.
The biggest change is the move away from a straight EV-only story. Lotus now says it would pursue an “agile” mix of internal combustion, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric models, depending on what buyers and regulations require in different markets. In the interim, Lotus is targeting a 60:40 split between PHEV and BEV volume across its electrified range.
Hybrid power now takes a central role. Lotus’ X-Hybrid system has already appeared in the Eletre X, known as “For Me” in China. Deliveries have started there, and Lotus said the model received more than 1,000 orders in its first month. European deliveries are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026.
That same hybrid direction would feed into the Type 135, although with a V8 instead of the Eletre X’s set-up. For a brand built on lightness and driver feel, this is a notable turn. It is not a retreat to the past, exactly, but it is Lotus admitting that one powertrain route would not fit every market or every buyer.
The Emira also stays alive. Lotus confirmed continued production of the combustion-engine sports car and said an update would be revealed in the coming weeks, billed as the most powerful and lightest Emira yet.
Battery-electric models still remain part of the business, including the Eletre SUV, Emeya GT and Evija hypercar. Lotus also said its UK design and engineering base would remain central, while China-based R&D would help it move faster.
Financially, the target is now more grounded: a steady ramp-up to 30,000 sales a year once the full model range settles. That sounds more believable than the big-volume luxury EV dream Lotus had been chasing.
