New Esprit - Available in V6 as Well as V8 - Built in Hethel - Cost Possibly Around £400K

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-2028-lotus-esprit-offer-v6-addition-hybrid-v8

"Lotus has set a target weight of 1.5 tonnes for the V8 version of the car, which is codenamed Type 135 and planned for launch in 2028, Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng told investors on the company’s second-quarter earnings call on 27 August."

"Both the V6 and V8 engines are being developed by Horse, which is jointly owned by Lotus parent Geely and Renault." ... "V6 also to be shared with Emira"

"According to Lotus, the total peak power output will exceed 1000bhp."

"The new supercar will be built alongside the Lotus Emira sports car at Hethel, in a boost for Lotus’s historical base in Norfolk."

"No price has been revealed, but Feng singled out the 849 Testarossa as its main rival, suggesting a figure close to the Ferrari’s entry price of £407,617."

 

[Luminated67]

4 spd Hybrid slushbox with small battery to keep it at their weight goal. No thanks, but I'm sure it will be quite fast.

You do realise that it won’t have 4 gears but 8 like the current 4cyl version. As for the weight, well this is anyone’s guess what it will end up at, I seriously doubt it would be as low as claimed.

 

[kitkat]

The “Esprit” will have the v8 twin turbo automatic 4 speed hybrid system and the Emira will get the V6 twin turbo 8 speed dct. No manual yet, still in the works.

 

[allenyao09]

@allenyao09 i hope your xhs research has gotten better

Based on what I can find, Emira will only get the M139 in the future. They do already have a new V6 engine in testing but that's not for Emira. Rumor says it will be used for the new Lynk&Co GT.
The new "Esprit" is Type 135 that was announced earlier, using a V8 hybrid powertrain and targeting 1000 hp and 1.5 tons of weight.

 

[F1 SML8R]

From the Autocar article...

"The engine will also be used by another, as-yet-unknown Geely brand for a V8-powered off-roader, improving the economies of scale, according to Feng."

That's code for, "now that I own a 100% of Lotus, I can make a Chinese knock-off for a lot less and not worry about getting sued by Lotus..."

 

[marc1adrien]

I’m pleased they still exist, and are still investing in the brand and in new cars. Beyond that, I’m open to considering a new Esprit if manual, though it would need to be that much better than the Emira, which already feels more than quick enough for me.

 

[geoffbland]

Based on what I can find, Emira will only get the M139 in the future. They do already have a new V6 engine in testing but that's not for Emira. Rumor says it will be used for the new Lynk&Co GT.

Geely have announced several times that the Emira will be getting the Horse V6 at some point.

Indeed it states exactly that in this article "The ICE Emira will now continue, first with a chunky update next year that is promised to produce “the most powerful and lightest Emira built” and then, Lotus confirmed, it will be overhauled further and adopt the Horse V6 engine; this model is likely to arrive before the end of the decade."

It'll be interesting to see what next years "chunky update" is - the "Super Sport 430" maybe, with 10kg less weight and carbon fibre seat panels for only £180,000.

 

[F1 SML8R]

It'll be interesting to see what next years "chunky update" is - the "Super Sport 430" maybe, with 10kg less weight and carbon fibre seat panels for only £180,000.

Almost certainly...

 

[F1 SML8R]

And BTW, we will almost certainly see it about a year before in the update to their parts catalogue via Deroure/Bell&Colvill or whoever maintains it now.

 

[Andrew25]

I mean...500k?

 

[Luminated67]

I will watch the release of the next Emira with interest to see what the spec ends up and importantly the RRP. The 911 is arguably the most complete Sports car on sale today and this is the car the future Emira will be competing against, so its price can’t balloon too much higher than it currently is otherwise it will be dead in the water IMO.

My gut says the max Lotus can push its price up is about 10-15%.

The new Espirt is a completely different product and unlike the Emira it will be a Super/Hyper car so the price is open to a lot of possibilities but I still think Lotus can’t really push it beyond the £250k mark but we will see.

 

[Foxy87]

You say that, but the Merc engine is already at max power isnt it? Quick Google says the M139 only went up to 416bhp (ignoring the M139I). Lotus already did a 430ish variant of the 2GR-FE. My money would be on the V6 getting the "final edition" treatment.

Yes but word on the street is that 2GR-FE can‘t get more power due to emissions regulations

 

[Gears]

Yes but word on the street is that 2GR-FE can‘t get more power due to emissions regulations

Evora was Euro6 compliant and made more than 400. Euro7 doesn't kick in till 2030 for small volume cars.

What emissions regs?

 

[F1 SML8R]

You say that, but the Merc engine is already at max power isnt it? Quick Google says the M139 only went up to 416bhp (ignoring the M139I). Lotus already did a 430ish variant of the 2GR-FE. My money would be on the V6 getting the "final edition" treatment.

It is in fact NOT up to max power. Word also on the street is that there are AMG MB factory applications running at 469HP.

 

[F1 SML8R]

BTW, why would you ignore the M139I? It's the ICE motor that cranks out the 469HP. The hybrid/Electric add-ons take it well over 500HP. Lotus can easily put out a 430+ HP AMG car.

 

[Luminated67]

I doubt Mercedes will allow Lotus the software package to run the engine to 469hp, it’s been a long struggle to get it up to 420hp and they are still holding back on the gearbox software.

Would be interesting to know just how much Mercedes charge Lotus for each engine/gearbox, that figure might explain why Geely have partnered with Renault to develop their own engines.

 

[F1 SML8R]

I doubt Mercedes will allow Lotus the software package to run the engine to 469hp, it’s been a long struggle to get it up to 420hp and they are still holding back on the gearbox software.

Would be interesting to know just how much Mercedes charge Lotus for each engine/gearbox, that figure might explain why Geely have partnered with Renault to develop their own engines.

Well, this has kind of already been done. See bathurst edition in Australia. That is the same engine we are running, no (engine/Trans.) hardware changes. It's all ECU programming.

 

[virtualmacho]

re: emissions --- who said it will be a street legal car?

 

[kitkat]

re: emissions --- who said it will be a street legal car?

The horse v6 and v8 engines are meant to be euro7 engines and world compliant. The v6 will only have mid 400 hp.

 

[allenyao09]

Geely have announced several times that the Emira will be getting the Horse V6 at some point.

Indeed it states exactly that in this article "The ICE Emira will now continue, first with a chunky update next year that is promised to produce “the most powerful and lightest Emira built” and then, Lotus confirmed, it will be overhauled further and adopt the Horse V6 engine; this model is likely to arrive before the end of the decade."

It'll be interesting to see what next years "chunky update" is - the "Super Sport 430" maybe, with 10kg less weight and carbon fibre seat panels for only £180,000.

I found Geely and Horse Powertrain employee on Chinese SNS and they clarified the Horse V6 for Emira is not true.

 

[Luminated67]

Well, this has kind of already been done. See bathurst edition in Australia. That is the same engine we are running, no (engine/Trans.) hardware changes. It's all ECU programming.

But that’s in Australia which isn’t EU emissions.