The new Lotus Esprit: what we know about the hybrid V8

Lotus has spent years telling the world it would be electric-only. Then it announced a mid-engine hybrid V8 and said it would carry the most loved name in its history: Esprit.

It is the most interesting thing to happen to the British supercar in a decade. It is also at least two years away. So what do we actually know, and what should a buyer do with it?

What Lotus has said

According to Motor1's reporting, the new Esprit is a combustion-powered supercar under Lotus's Focus 2030 plan. Chief executive Feng Qingfeng has confirmed a hybrid V8, mounted behind the driver.

The headline targets are more than 1,000 horsepower and a weight of under 3,307 lb (1,500 kg). Those are targets, not final specifications, and they will change before production.

The car is said to use an 800-volt electrical system with an F1-style 150 kW electric motor, and a dual-clutch gearbox is in current plans. It would sit between the Emira and the all-electric Evija, and Lotus says it arrives in 2028.

The engine

Carbuzz reported on 10 November that the V8 comes from Horse Powertrain, the engine company formed by Geely and Renault in 2024. Called the W40, it is a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with the turbochargers mounted between the cylinder banks, and it weighs about 440 lb.

Horse quotes more than 670 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque with no electrical help. It is paired with a new eight-speed wet dual-clutch gearbox that Horse says can handle up to 774 lb-ft. Horse hasn't detailed the hybrid motor, so the jump from 670 to 1,000 hp implies a lot of electric assistance on top. That is our inference, not a Lotus statement.

What is not confirmed

A great deal. Lotus hasn't announced a reveal date, though Motor1 expects 2027. It hasn't announced a price, and Motor1 expects several hundred thousand dollars, comparable to the Lamborghini Temerario. A manual gearbox looks unlikely, a cheaper V6 has been floated, and the platform and design have not been shown. Treat the renderings you see online as imagination.

When will the new Lotus Esprit arrive?

Lotus says 2028. Expect a reveal before that, and expect specifications, pricing and order terms to be announced closer to launch. Until then, anything that sounds certain is not.

How much will the new Lotus Esprit cost?

Lotus hasn't said. Motor1's expectation is several hundred thousand dollars, which puts it alongside cars such as the Temerario. That is an expectation, not a quote.

What a serious buyer should do now

Cars at this level are rarely bought on the day of the reveal. They are allocated, and the buyers who get them have usually made their interest known early, to the right people, with a clear idea of what they want.

Lotus allocation runs through Lotus and its retailers, and Tailyr can't promise you a build slot. What you can do now is work out what you want. Coupé or open? How much do you care about driving feel against outright power? What would the car replace, and what would you drive in the meantime?

That is the conversation Tailyr is built for. Tell it what you want from a car like this, and it can find who holds the cars you can buy today, and source cars that aren't listed. It can also keep your brief ready for when this one is real. Your details are shared only with your permission.

An honest note

Announced supercars slip, change and sometimes vanish. The Esprit is an exciting prospect, not a purchase. Read the specifications when they are real, check the paperwork, and take independent advice before committing money to a car that doesn't exist yet.

If you are looking at something you can drive this year, tell Tailyr what you want. Our guide to how high-value car sourcing works explains how we approach unlisted cars, and our page on buying a luxury or supercar shows how Tailyr searches. For what drives supercar values, see Daytona SP3 and F50 auction prices.

Figures are as reported and may change. This is not financial advice.

Sources: Motor1, The New Lotus Esprit Will Be A 1,000-HP Hybrid Supercar. Carbuzz, The Lotus Esprit's New V8 Is Officially Real. Autoblog, Lotus Teases 1,000-HP Hybrid V8 Supercar For 2028.