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The New Lotus Esprit Will Be A 1,000-HP Hybrid Supercar. Here's Everything We Know

Lotus is taking the legendary name in a new direction, with a hybrid V8 and more than 1,000 horsepower. Here's what we know.

2029 Lotus Esprit Supercar Rendering By Motor1

Photo by: Theophilus Chin | Motor1

Anthony Alaniz

By: Anthony Alaniz

Sep 9, at 12:00pm ET

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Earlier this year, Lotus announced its Focus 2030 roadmap, which, blissfully, turns the company away from an all-electric future. Instead, Lotus is embracing a multi-powertrain mix that will include a combustion-powered supercar wearing the Esprit name.

Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng has already confirmed several details, including the model’s performance targets. It will slot between the Emira sports car and the all-electric Evija in the automaker’s lineup, and it will likely compete against supercars like the Lamborghini Temerario.

Lotus has already said that the new Esprit will not arrive until 2028, so details can change before then. Lotus has ambitious targets for the car, which include a V8 hybrid version producing over 1,000 horsepower. There could even be a V6 version.

We expect more information about the new Esprit in the coming months, but until the official debut confirms everything, this is what we know about the next-generation Esprit.

What Will Lotus Call It?

2010 Lotus Esprit Concept

2010 Lotus Esprit Concept

Photo by: Lotus

Lotus is expected to revive the Esprit badge for its new supercar. The automaker used the name on a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car for nearly 30 years—from 1976 to 2004. Over that time, Lotus launched five generations of the Esprit.

For years, the Esprit used four-cylinder engines. Near the end of its Life, Lotus began to offer the mid-engine sports car with a V8 engine, pairing it with a manual transmission for maximum fun before production ended 22 years ago.

Fun fact: The Esprit was also one of the last production cars with pop-up headlights.

What Will The New Esprit Look Like?

2029 Lotus Esprit Supercar Rendering By Motor1

2029 Lotus Esprit Rendering By Motor1

Photo by: Theophilus Chin | Motor1

The Lotus Esprit will have a mid-engine layout, putting a lot of the car’s mass at the rear. Our rendering depicts a sleek supercar with slim front lighting elements and aggressive aerodynamics at the front and along the sills. Sorry, no pop-up headlights here.

At the rear, the sloping roof ends in taillights that protrude over the dual exhaust and a massive rear diffuser. The car looks sleek and slippery, and much closer to Lotus’ performance ethos.

Our renderings don’t reveal the car’s interior, but we expect Lotus to design one that's driver-focused. We hope there are a minimal number of screens and physical controls, too.

What Platform Will It Ride On?

Lotus has made no mention of what platform will underpin the new Esprit. The Extreme platform underpins the Evija, which Lotus designed for its battery-electric vehicles. It likely will not work for the Esprit.

The Emira uses Lotus’ Elemental architecture, which can accommodate four- and six-cylinder engines. However, Lotus did say last November that it is investigating the feasibility of a V8 engine in the sports car.

What Will Power It?

2029 Lotus Esprit Supercar Rendering By Motor1

2029 Lotus Esprit Rendering By Motor1

Photo by: Theophilus Chin | Motor1

Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng has already confirmed that the new Esprit will pack a hybrid V8 engine located mid-ship. He also mentioned the possibility of a V6 variant with hardware from Horse, the Geely-Renault joint venture that designs and develops new combustion engines.

Lotus wants its new supercar to produce more than 1,000 horsepower and weigh less than 3,307 pounds. The Esprit will have an 800-volt architecture, featuring an F1-style electric motor designed to reduce weight.

According to the company, its 150-kilowatt motor will shave about 44 pounds from a comparable unit. Current plans include a dual-clutch gearbox between the engine and wheels—and we doubt there will be a manual option, given the car's power.

When Will The New Lotus Esprit Debut?

Lotus has not said when it will reveal the new Esprit, but it confirmed the car will arrive sometime in 2028. That means we will likely see the car debut in 2027, likely sometime next summer.

How Much Will It Cost?

Lotus has said that the new Esprit will sit between the Emira and Evija in the lineup. That’s a massive gap, with the Emira starting in the low $100,000 range while the Evija starts at over $2.0 million.

What do you think?

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We expect the new Lotus to cost several hundred thousand dollars based on the automaker’s performance targets. A 1,000-hp hybrid supercar would put it in the same league as the Lamborghini Temerario, which starts at nearly $400,000.

A V6 variant could serve as the "value" option, but we still expect a six-figure price tag.

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