Lotus U-turns on its EV-only plan and replaces it with a 700kW hybrid
There is a particular courage required to admit that you got timing wrong. Lotus had committed to its new identity to move away from petrol and focus entirely on electric power. The Emira was planned to be the last internal combustion model, with the goal of having all Lotus vehicles powered by batteries by 2028. This timeline has since been reconsidered.
It appears that Lotus sports cars with internal combustion engines will continue, with hybrids becoming a primary focus in the near-future, while the Geely-owned brand’s hybrid will reportedly be called “For Me.”
The reason for this backpedal is pretty straightforward, considering the slowing global EV adoption. Infrastructure and regulation are also regularly cited as factors.
As for the For Me, it’s based on the Eletre platform and wears the same design language as its fully electric sibling. It pairs a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine with a synchronous electric motor on each axle for a combined output of 700kW, and can even go toe-to-toe with the pure-electric Eletre R, which delivers 675kW. The 0-100km/h sprint is posted in 3.3 seconds.
It has a 70kWh battery pack offering up to 420km of pure electric range and an ambitious 1,416km when both systems are working in tandem. Lotus is also introducing what it calls 6C Super Charge, which can charge the For Me from 30% to 80% in just 8 minutes. For South Africa, the hybrid option makes even more sense since charging infrastructure, especially on highways, isn’t quite there yet.
When it comes to Lotus’s philosophy, Colin Chapman’s famous doctrine of ‘simplify, then add lightness’ doesn’t really fit a twin-motor, turbocharged, 70kWh plug-in hybrid luxury SUV mainly made for the Chinese market.
There are no indications of whether the ‘For Me’ will make it to SA shores, but if it does, current levies will substantially inflate the price. Still, as a statement, it’s strong.
