Lotus will unveil an electric sports car next year, with production scheduled to start in 2027, according to a recent Top Gear report.
Codenamed Type 135, the sports car will aim for a starting price of around 75,000 British pounds (about $95,000 at current exchanges). That's a bit pricier than entry-level versions of the current gasoline-powered Lotus Emira, but the automaker anticipates higher production volumes of 10,000-15,000 cars a year for global sale, compared to the 5,000-6,000-unit target for the Emira.
Lotus Eletre
"The project is running at full pace right now," Lotus vice president of design Ben Payne said in an interview with Top Gear. But the design may not be fully locked in, as Payne also said his team is "honing in on the final answer of what it's going to be."
The sports car—which may not use a legacy Lotus name, the report indicates—will follow the Evija hypercar and the Eletre SUV. While the Eletre certainly impresses, with up to 905 hp and 0-62 mph acceleration of 2.9 seconds, the sports car will likely be closer to Lotus' roots than this heavy SUV.
Lotus Emeya
An electric SUV smaller than the Eletre will also be unveiled later this year, with deliveries starting in 2026, according to Top Gear. Codenamed Type 134, it will reportedly have a base price of around $70,000 and will target production volumes of 80,000-90,000 vehicles per year. Those are huge numbers for Lotus, which, as Top Gear pointed out, delivered just 567 cars in 2022.
The Emeya electric super sedan is also scheduled start production this year. The Emeya has the same 905 hp as the sportiest Eletre, but it's packaged in a sleeker, coupe-like shape.