Lotus Will Use V6 And V8 Engines Developed By Renault And Geely

The Breakdown

• The Emira is about to lose its AMG and Toyota engines.
• Lotus will switch to a new V6 hybrid powertrain supplied by Horse.
• The Renault-Geely joint venture will also build a V8 for a new supercar.

It’s been nine years since Chinese automotive giant Geely bought a controlling stake in Lotus. However, it wasn’t until recently that one of the models received a combustion engine developed by the sports car brand’s parent company. The awkwardly named For Me is essentially an Eletre SUV with a plug-in hybrid powertrain featuring a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder gas engine developed under Geely’s umbrella.

Predictably, there’s more to come. Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng has revealed the updated Emira, arriving in just a few weeks, will also use an engine of partial Chinese origins. Specifically, an all-new turbocharged V6 developed by Horse Powertrain, a 50:50 joint venture between Geely and Renault.

Codenamed W30, it weighs only 353 pounds (160 kilograms), which Horse says makes it 22 pounds (10 kilograms) lighter than any other V6 currently in production. Introduced last month at the Beijing Auto Show, the gas engine is also claimed to be the smallest V6 on the market. It has a 3.0-liter displacement and has been developed for mild-hybrid, full-hybrid, and plug-in hybrid applications.

Horse Powertrain W30

Photo by: Horse Powertrain

V6 Engine Specifications

Additionally, the six-cylinder unit can also serve as a generator to top off the battery in range-extending EVs. It’s compatible with both longitudinal and transverse layouts, delivering up to 536 horsepower and 516 pound-feet (700 Newton-meters). Horse has engineered the V6 to work with a four-speed hybrid transmission, codenamed 4LDHT. The new gearbox features dual motors in a package weighing 439 pounds (199 kilograms).

According to Autocar magazine, the new V6 also serves as the foundation for Horse’s upcoming V8. The larger engine will power what Lotus refers to as its first supercar, due in 2028. Teased earlier this week, the flagship model is expected to revive the Esprit moniker last used in 2004, when Lotus stopped building V8-powered cars.

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The turbocharged engine will also form the centerpiece of a hybrid powertrain for a supercar expected to take inspiration from the 2024 Theory 1, although the concept itself was purely electric. The production-ready vehicle is claimed to have over 1,000 horsepower from a V8 working in conjuction with at least one electric motor.

Contrary to reports about a potential closure of the Hethel plant, the Emira will continue to be built there. Lotus claims the new V8 supercar is "expected to be manufactured in Europe," and it would make sense to build the car at home in the UK. The British site has a maximum annual capacity of 10,000 units, yet it's currently making about five times fewer vehicles.

2028 Lotus Esprit teaser

Photo by: Lotus

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Motor1's Take: It's hardly a surprise that Geely is cutting ties with Mercedes-AMG and Toyota by developing and building engines in-house through the joint venture with Renault. The upcoming Emira will rely exclusively on the Horse V6, dropping both the German-sourced turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and the Japanese-sourced supercharged 3.5-liter V6.

Doing so gives Geely and Lotus greater control over development by allowing them to fine-tune the engine for specific applications. At the same time, costs are expected to decrease over the long term, especially since the V6’s modular design paves the way for a larger V8. There’s a better chance of achieving economies of scale compared to sourcing two engines from different companies.

With the V6 engineered for virtually every type of hybrid application, it’s bound to appear in a wide variety of models, not just niche products like the Emira.

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