Lotus has revealed a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Eletre SUV. The car would be a return to combustion engine power after the company, under the ownership of Chinese firm Geely, originally pledged for the brand to be fully electric in the future.
The PHEV has already launched in China and will come to Europe in the summer. Power comes from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a synchronous motor on each axle. This gives it a combined 939bhp, allowing the SUV to 100kmph (62mph) in just 3.3 seconds.
Lotus pitches the PHEV against the Ferrari Purosangue and Lamborghini Urus, with the latter getting a PHEV version with 789bhp. In China, the PHEV Eletre comes with a 70kWh battery, compared with the 108kWh unit in the pure-EV model. On electric only power, it can drive for a claimed 220 miles, while combined with the petrol engine, it can reach 880 miles. Thanks to 6C fast charging, the battery can be charged from 30% to 80% in only eight minutes.
A PHEV version of Lotus’ Emira sports car is also in the works as part of the car’s facelift. This is timed, according to Autocar, to comply with upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulation changes, coming in 2027 for existing models. The brand once said that it plans to sell only pure EVs by 2028 but Eletre and Emeya sales were slower than it expected, forcing it to U-turn on that plan.
Lotus hopes that PHEVs will boost its profitability, reporting a loss of £267 million for the first nine months of 2025.
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