Lotus has confirmed it is planning a plug-in hybrid version of the Emira sports car as well as an ‘upgrade’ to the V6 model as part of a facelift timed to comply with the Euro 7 emissions regulation change in 2027.
Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng told analysts on the company’s second-quarter results call the model would gain the same ‘Hyper Hybrid’ technology scheduled to be introduced in an SUV later this year, expected to be the Eletre.
The current four-cylinder Emira Turbo, which uses a Mercedes-AMG petrol engine, appears to on the chopping block amid the EU7 makeover. The Emira V6 uses a Toyota engine, and Lotus has previously said that can’t be upgraded to meet the new regulations.
The inclusion of PHEV technology in the Emira as part of a closer cooperation between the China-based Lotus Technology division and Lotus Cars in the UK, which focuses on sports cars.
Feng made no reference to the 28 August announcement that Lotus would cut around 40% of its workforce in the UK – 550 jobs – but said the recent decision to combine Lotus Technology with Lotus Cars would bring efficiencies.
“We see big room for efficiency improvements while we consolidate a lot of the functions together, including the technology synergies,” Feng said.
He confirmed his commitment to the UK arm, which had been rocked by news – since denied – that Lotus wanted to move production out of the UK.
“We have ambitious goals for the Lotus Cars operation in the future,” Feng said. “We will focus on the very-high-performance attributes and also high-performance engineering services.”
Lotus’s commitment to the future of the Emira will bring a sigh of relief to those remaining workers at the company’s production plant in Hethel, Norfolk, who faced an uncertain future as the planned electric replacement was halted while sales in the US plummeted on the imposition of higher import tariffs in April.
Lotus deliveries in the first half slumped by almost half to 2813 as the company halted Emira exports to its key US market on the tariff increase. Emira deliveries fell 64% to just 891 in the first half.
Exports to the US resumed in July after the UK government negotiated a cut in the tariff from 27.5% to 15%.
Lotus posted a net loss of $313 million (£231.6m) for the first half of 2025, an improvement from the previous half-year performance, when it lost $424m.
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