Lotus confirms its first ever supercar is coming in 2028 and it's a hybrid V8 with nearly 1000HP
Published on May 13, 2026 at 12:03 AM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on May 13, 2026 at 12:03 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
Lotus is doing a complete 180 and bringing back internal combustion sports cars, and even a V8 hybrid supercar.
That’s sort of out of character – Lotus has historically only focused on lightweight cars with small engines – but a V8 supercar will certainly make a lot of customers happy.
Speaking of which, there are rumors about the potential power output, which is going to be significant, and also about the supplier.
That’s because Lotus almost certainly won’t build its own V8.
Lotus wants to build internal combustion cars again
Most companies had to revise or change their EV plans, but Lotus had to do a complete 180.
The Emira was supposed to be the last internal combustion Lotus, but the situation quickly and clearly became unsustainable.
First, the company opened up to the return of internal combustion in the form of hybrid technology, and now there’s a V8.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but turning a company that specialized in hardcore and lightweight sports cars, into an EV-only, SUV-centric brand sounded a little far-fetched.
Still, they tried, but it didn’t go well, which is why now Lotus is promising a new supercar.
And this time, it’ll have a V8.
The new supercar is designed for the US
Codenamed Type 135, the new V8 hybrid supercar should arrive in 2028, and it’ll be designed mostly for the US market.
Also, along with the new supercar, the automaker also said that only sports cars or hybrid vehicles will be sold in North America.
The Eletre SUV and Emeya sedan, for example, won’t be available here as pure electric vehicles.
Also, the brand said – as part of its new ‘Focus 2030’ plan – around 60 percent of all new launches will hybrids, and only 40 percent will be electric.
As for the Type 135, it’ll likely be loosely based on the Theory 1 (above) concept, at least visually, and, according to Autocar, it’ll use an AMG-sourced V8.
This is to be confirmed, but it sounds likely.
AMG has a long history of supplying third-party brands, mostly because its 4.0-liter V8 is flexible, hybrid-ready, and potentially very powerful.
Speaking of which, the new powertrain should produce up to 1,000 PS – equivalent to 986 horsepower.
After beginning his automotive writing career at DriveTribe, Alessandro has been with Supercar Blondie since the launch of the website in 2022. In fact, he penned the very first article published on supercarblondie.com. He’s covered subjects from cars to aircraft, watches, and luxury yachts - and even crypto. He can largely be found heading up the site’s new-supercar and SBX coverage and being the first to bring our readers the news that they’re hungry for.
