Lotus will produce hybrid versions of future models in response to the continued reluctance of luxury car buyers to move to EVs. Will they announce ICE only models next?
Posted by an_actual_lawyer@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 30 comments
mustangfan12@reddit
Hopefully they will, with EVs there's much less that can be done to make them unique to drive. Anyone can easily make a 500-600hp EV, and since there's no transmission or exhaust note, they will all drive mostly the same. I honestly don't see how the exotic car makers are going to survive the EV transition when new ICE vehicles actually get banned
V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit
The battery weight is still a big enemy for fun car. I just wonder how they able to make a fun hybrid sports cars in future.
mustangfan12@reddit
Yeah that's very true, EVs in general are too heavy
madwolfa@reddit
Some modern ICE cars are almost as heavy or heavier than the EVs...
Rattle_Can@reddit
this is about lotus here tho
Jermanthony@reddit
No they arent. Name one
strongmanass@reddit
The M3 and the Model 3 Performance are no more than about 100 pounds apart in weight.
Bradymyhero@reddit
The Model 3 performance is mostly just a more powerful Model 3; it hardly has the degree of reworked suspension, braking, chassis etc. engineering an M3 has
slide2k@reddit
I don’t fully agree. Sure it has some impact. the low center of gravity and mountains of torque offer positive effects. Not having a large ICE also offers aerodynamic room to play around or space to make it “practical”. It isn’t perfect, but neither is a Miata.
Jermanthony@reddit
Not much different than putting a 2.0T in everything
strongmanass@reddit
Does every car with a 2L I4 drive the same? Do the 330i, C300, A4, Accord, G70, and Golf GTI all drive the same?
strongmanass@reddit
That hasn't been my experience at all. I've driven several EVs, and no two of them drive the same. Powertrain is just one aspect of vehicle character. There's power delivery; with EVs that's software-controlled, but tbh that's already the case with ICE. There's also suspension which is the thing I notice most. Then you have number of motors, torque vectoring, traction control, braking power, brake feel (huge with EVs). There's so much more to vehicle character than just the engine.
mgobla@reddit
They could be different by using a carbon fibre chassis and a smaller battery to be much lighter. Instead they kill the brand by rebadging a cheap chinese platform.
mgobla@reddit
A heavy PHEV doesn't solve the weight issue. Lotus buyers care about WEIGHT, people who don't care about weight will buy literally any other brand, they have no reason to buy a Lotus.
Lotus needs to ditch the cheap chinese platform, they need to build something with a carbon chassis, people will pay more for it.
Bottlely@reddit
I heard a long time back that Polestar's UK team had a lot of former Lotus engineers. That division were the ones who built the Polestar 5's "ultralight and stiff" monocoque platform, which will help it weigh under 2 tonnes unlike its main rivals.
Meanwhile, the 2.3k tonne Lotus Emeya and Eletre are both built on a sportier version of the Zeekr platform. Some of that engineering innovation would be nice to see again.
CrocCapital@reddit
I don’t want a car that’s prone to cracking. steel is real.
^/r/xbiking
strongmanass@reddit
They plan to offer EREVs and PHEVs. I strongly doubt they'll offer ICE-only models in the future. It's easy enough to pivot to hybrids with the existing business plan. But volume ICEVs would pose a problem for their long-term planning. And this needs saying, Lotus got bought by Geely because their ICE-only enthusiast vehicles haven't been a sustainable business plan for a very long time.
Jermanthony@reddit
ICEV is a confusing acronym
strongmanass@reddit
If you see it without mention of an EV, then yeah. But it's easier than typing "ICE cars" or "ICE vehicles" and it gives a direct comparison to the "EV" acronym.
BeigeChocobo@reddit
They've got about 12-14 years of Emira production to think about it.
peopeopeopeo10@reddit
How many years can the Emira survive in the market tho. Not too much of a desirable car to begin with
kholin@reddit
Other than a gts 4.0 there's nothing else close to it in the market. It's very desirable as a drivers car, but not for people chasing magazine stats and 0-60. I'm very biased but I've had the luck of having some amazing cars, the emira just feels right to me and I'm loving every second/mile of it
03Void@reddit
The Emira and Cayman are kinda in the same category as the Miata for this (not the same price, but still). If you have to ask "yes but X model has more power for cheaper", then you're missing the whole point of the car: the driving experience.
skerpz@reddit
Exactly. EV’s have made straight line speed kind of moot. A Plaid would probably beat a La Ferrari from a stop. Who cares. Any modern sports car is fast enough to have fun. If anything, it’s very fast modern cars like the M3/M4 that are boring.
kholin@reddit
Agreed. I still want to go kinda fast with the rest of the experience! And the looks don't hurt
peopeopeopeo10@reddit
Lotus' position at the moment doesn't seem to be the very best... their main selling point relies in a brand image that is getting washed out by it's current products (excuding, to a level, the Emira).
Not being an EV hater here, but... the Eletre is already kind of outdated as a concept, big electric Suv just isn't appealing to customers. Have yet to know how the Emeya drives, but I highly doubt it'll be a better alternative to Porsche Taycan, Audi RS e-tron and Tesla Model S.
I'm curious to see what they can possibly do with plug-in hybrids... also, where the fuck are Evijas?
strongmanass@reddit
That's the segment of EVs that's most appealing to customers. The Eletre's problem is that it doesn't do anything to differentiate itself in a crowded marketplace. And in the US it's been slapped with a 100% tariff.
markeydarkey2@reddit
Not fond of calling EREVs "hybrids", they're talking about EVs with range extender generators here.
Like you won't be revving this engine out, it'll run in the background to generate power for the electric motors that power the wheels.
imightgetdownvoted@reddit
Im all in on EV’s, but I think the near future would be best if manufacturers offered full EV and plug-in hybrid versions of most of their models. Full EV isn’t right for everyone
V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit
Looks like Geely would still make Polester as EV brand in priority, they don’t consider use Lotus as their EV premium brand instead.