Lotus Cancels All-Electric Goal With 952-Horsepower Hybrid Eletre SUV

Lotus is reversing its commitment to an all-electric future. The British automaker, now majority-owned by China’s Geely Holding Group, will add a 2.0-liter turbocharged combustion engine to its previously electric-only Eletre sport utility vehicle. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle appeared in December 2025 regulatory filings published by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. According to the government documents, the vehicle generates a combined 952 horsepower. This engineering change cancels the brand’s stated goal of achieving full electrification by 2028.

The strategic pivot follows a severe drop in consumer demand for high-priced electric vehicles. According to the company’s unaudited third-quarter 2025 earnings report, Lotus delivered 4,612 vehicles globally in the first nine months of the year. That figure represents a 40 percent decline compared to the same period in 2024. During a November 2025 earnings call, Lotus Chief Executive Officer Feng Qingfeng told investors that the ultra-luxury market has not embraced electric vehicles at the anticipated rate. He stated that buyers spending over $80,000 on a vehicle prefer the familiar performance characteristics of internal combustion engines and often lack reliable access to public charging infrastructure. The shift reflects a broader reality in the luxury vehicle segment. Automotive publication Autoblog notes that competitors have similarly delayed their electrification deadlines due to persistent consumer hesitation. Lotus originally planned to phase out combustion engines entirely by the end of the decade. Buyers in the six-figure price bracket demand seamless travel experiences, and Feng noted that finding and waiting at charging stations frequently disrupts that expectation.

The hybrid Eletre relies on a 900-volt electrical architecture. That is a voltage increase from the 800-volt system used in the purely electric model. Documents from the Chinese regulatory ministry indicate the vehicle pairs a 279-horsepower gas engine with two electric motors. CarNewsChina, a publication tracking the regional automotive industry, reports that the powertrain will likely source its combustion components from Horse Powertrain. That company operates as a joint venture between Geely, Renault, and Aramco. The structural changes require specific packaging compromises. The internal combustion engine and the dual electric motors occupy significant space on the chassis. Cooling systems for both the gasoline engine and the high-voltage battery add further complexity to the vehicle architecture. The hybrid system replaces the standard Eletre’s 112-kilowatt-hour battery with a smaller 70-kilowatt-hour pack. Lotus claims this combination delivers a pure electric driving range of 261 miles and a total range exceeding 620 miles under the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle. CarBuzz points out that the 952-horsepower output actually surpasses the fully electric Eletre R model, which produces 905 horsepower. Lotus claims the hybrid Eletre can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in approximately three seconds.

Adding an engine and retaining a large battery pack increases the physical footprint of the vehicle. Automotive review site CarBuzz reports that the plug-in hybrid Eletre has a curb weight of up to 6,700 pounds. That mass makes it the heaviest vehicle Lotus has ever produced, according to Hagerty Media. To offset the weight penalty, the 900-volt system enables extremely fast charging. According to technical specifications published by Top Speed, an automotive news outlet, the battery can accept direct current fast charging at speeds up to 400 kilowatts. That thermal capacity allows the pack to replenish from 30 percent to 80 percent in eight minutes at a compatible high-speed station.

Buyers might wonder how this mechanical change impacts vehicle pricing and regional availability. Lotus plans to launch the hybrid Eletre in China during the first quarter of 2026. A European release will follow in the second half of the year. The company has not confirmed a timeline or pricing structure for the United States market. The current United States tariff structure heavily penalizes vehicles assembled in China. The federal government implemented a 100 percent duty on Chinese electric vehicles to protect domestic manufacturing. Because Lotus manufactures the Eletre in Wuhan, China, the vehicle is subject to these aggressive import taxes. That import penalty pushes the base price of the electric Eletre Carbon trim to $229,900. A plug-in hybrid technically contains an internal combustion engine, which may subject it to a different tariff classification depending on how customs authorities interpret the powertrain. Even if the hybrid avoids the electric vehicle tariff, the automaker still faces standard import duties and the logistical costs of trans-Pacific shipping. What remains unknown is whether the 2.0-liter engine meets current emissions regulations established by the Environmental Protection Agency. Modifying the engine for compliance would require additional engineering expenditures.

The plug-in hybrid strategy will soon expand across the Lotus product line. Feng told investors that the Emira sports car will receive a plug-in hybrid powertrain in 2027. Automotive publication Car and Driver reports that the Emeya electric sedan is also slated for hybrid integration. Lotus will continue selling the fully electric Eletre alongside the new hybrid variant. The automaker presents the combustion addition as a necessary product adaptation to maintain sales volume while global charging networks expand.