Lotus Esprit to be resurrected, offer V6 and V8 power
A new Lotus supercar is already confirmed, and now more details are coming to light.
Lotus announced in May it is developing a V8-powered supercar, channelling the spirit of the Esprit into its new era under Geely ownership.
Known by its working title of Type 135, the supercar is due to launch in 2028, and though a handful of details have already been announced, more information has now been reported.
According to Autocar, the production version of the Type 135 will revive the Lotus Esprit name, having last been made in 2004, dating back to the first examples of the late 1970s.
On top of this, Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng reportedly told investors the new Esprit will not only be powered by a V8 engine as already confirmed, but a more affordable V6 will also be available.
In May, it was reported the Emira – the current Lotus flagship sports car – would lose its Toyota-sourced V6 in favour of a hybrid V6 developed by Horse Powertrain, which is jointly owned by Lotus parent Geely (45 per cent), as well as Renault (45 per cent) and Saudi oil giant Aramco (10 per cent).
The hybrid V6 powertrain in question was previewed at April’s Beijing motor show, using the codename ‘W30’, where Horse said it is “intended to be deployed in mild- and full-hybrid vehicles” and will make its debut in 2028.
This suggests the Emira’s V6 will be shared with the Esprit, connecting the two models through their powertrains, if nothing else.
At the time, Horse claimed the hybrid 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine had projected outputs of between 350kW and 400kW, and up to 600Nm to 700Nm of torque, while being able to rev up to 8000rpm.
Jordan Mulach
The engine was previewed in Beijing with a four-speed automatic transmission and integrated electric motor, the latter of which can add between 250kW to 450kW where needed.
It’s not yet known whether the Esprit V6 will lean on the expected eight-speed dual-clutch automatic which is planned for the V8 version, as the latter is being engineered to cope with almost 750kW.
So far, all we know about the Esprit V8 is that it too will have its engine developed by Horse, though it won’t remain just with the supercar.
Jordan Mulach
‘And since we will be starting from scratch, we will make a lot of effort to improve the volume and weight of the engine,” Qingfeng told Automotive News Europe earlier this year.
“The plan is to build this [engine] globally, both in China and the EU and maybe other locations.”
“[The V8 engine] will be used among Geely’s product portfolio including some off-road SUVs. We haven’t decided yet which brand. We want to leverage economies of scale.”
“In terms of sports cars, only Lotus will use it.”
