All posts by Francis Mitterrand

NEW CARS

Lotus Eletre “For Me” PHEV

There are U-turns, and then there’s this.

After pledging to go fully electric by 2028, Lotus Cars has just pulled the silk cover off a plug-in hybrid version of its Lotus Eletre SUV—signaling a return to combustion power it once insisted it had outgrown. The new model, launched in China under the curious name “For Me” (don’t expect that badge to survive the flight to Europe), arrives this summer as a standalone variant and a strategic reset wrapped in 939 horsepower.

Yes, 939.

More Power, Fewer Absolutes

Under the skin sits a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder paired with a synchronous electric motor on each axle. The result is a combined 939 horsepower and a claimed 0–62 mph time of 3.3 seconds—quicker than the 892-hp peak of the all-electric Eletre R. In the horsepower arms race currently consuming the luxury SUV world, that matters.

Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng didn’t shy away from the target board at the launch event, name-checking both the Lamborghini Urus and the Ferrari Purosangue. That’s ambitious company. The Urus, now PHEV-only, tops out at 789 horsepower. The Purosangue counters with a naturally aspirated V-12 and a badge that practically prints money. Lotus, meanwhile, is offering more power than either—and a plug.

The battery is a 70-kWh pack (down from the EV’s 108 kWh), good for a claimed 220 miles of electric-only range on China’s optimistic CLTC cycle. Lotus says total range stretches to 880 miles, which, if even remotely accurate in real-world driving, would make this one of the longest-legged performance SUVs on sale.

More impressive is the charging tech. The battery features “6C” fast charging capability, allowing a 30-to-80-percent top-up in just eight minutes. If that holds true outside a laboratory, it’s a serious flex.

The Anti–Yacht Club

Lotus insists this isn’t just about numbers. The company’s new “6D Digital Dynamic Chassis” headlines the tech sheet, complete with an adaptive 48-volt anti-roll system designed to eliminate the nautical sway that plagues many high-riding luxury bruisers. In a segment where two-and-a-half-ton curb weights are shrugged off as table stakes, keeping things from feeling like a superyacht matters.

And yes, it’s heavy. The PHEV tips the scales between 2575 and 2625 kilograms—roughly in line with the pure EV Eletre. So while this hybrid reintroduces a combustion engine, it doesn’t meaningfully reduce mass. It simply redistributes the mission.

A Family Trait with Headroom

The hybrid system—dubbed “X-hybrid”—shares DNA with technology used by Lotus sibling brand Zeekr, whose 9X SUV pushes output as high as 1381 horsepower with three electric motors. Translation: 939 horsepower may not be the ceiling. In this ecosystem, it might be the opening offer.

The Real Reason for the Pivot

This isn’t just engineering bravado. It’s economics.

Despite bold promises of an all-electric future, sales of the Eletre and the Lotus Emeya have fallen short of expectations. Lotus reported an operating loss of $357 million in the first nine months of 2025. In markets like Italy and Saudi Arabia—where EV adoption lags—ultra-wealthy buyers still prefer the security blanket of a fuel tank.

By launching a PHEV, Lotus can court customers cross-shopping the 717-hp Aston Martin DBX and 748-hp BMW XM without asking them to fully commit to electrons. It also keeps the brand compliant with tightening regulations ahead of Euro 7 in 2027, when even the Lotus Emira is slated to receive a plug-in hybrid makeover.

From Purist to Pragmatist

For a company that built its legend on lightness and minimalism, a 2.6-ton hybrid SUV with nearly 1000 horsepower might seem like apostasy. But Lotus today is less about Colin Chapman aphorisms and more about global volume, margin recovery, and strategic flexibility under Geely ownership.

The Eletre “For Me” PHEV isn’t a retreat from electrification so much as a recalibration. It acknowledges that the road to an all-electric future has more switchbacks than originally plotted—and that in the high-end SUV arena, power and range still rule.

In other words, this isn’t Lotus abandoning its vision.

It’s Lotus making sure it survives long enough to achieve it.

Source: Lotus

News

Ford Turns the F-150 into a Street Brawler

Ford knows its audience. Build a V8 with 480 horsepower and someone will ask for 580. Build 580 and someone will ask what it would take to see eight hundred. The answer, apparently, is a factory-backed supercharger kit with a warranty and a Blue Oval stamp on the box.

Through Ford Performance, the company has rolled out a dealer-installed, Whipple-developed 3.0-liter twin-screw supercharger package for any modern machine packing the 5.0-liter Coyote V8—namely the Ford Mustang GT, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse, and the V8-powered Ford F-150. It’s less a tune and more a sanctioned escalation.

Mustang: 810 Horsepower, With a Small Catch

Let’s start with the headline number: 810 horsepower and 615 lb-ft of torque from a showroom-stock 5.0-liter Mustang. That’s Mustang GTD-adjacent territory—at least in raw output—and it comes courtesy of a 3.0-liter Whipple twin-screw blower pressurizing Dearborn’s favorite V8.

There is, however, an asterisk. To see the full 810 hp, your Mustang needs the optional active exhaust. Without it, output “falls” to 800 horsepower. If you’re upset about losing 10 hp in an 800-hp Mustang, you may need a hobby.

This isn’t a backyard pulley-and-prayer setup. The kit includes a 92mm throttle body, colder spark plugs, Shelby GT500–sourced port fuel injectors, a dual-pass intercooler, and a Tomahawk flash tool to recalibrate the ECU. In other words, it’s engineered, not improvised.

And because this is Ford, not your cousin’s tuning shop, the whole thing is designed to meet 100,000-mile durability standards. Have it installed by a dealer or certified tech and you get a 3-year/36,000-mile Ford Performance warranty. That’s the kind of coverage that makes forced induction feel almost responsible.

F-150: Street Truck Energy, Raptor R Attitude

If 810 hp feels excessive in a pony car, 700 hp in a pickup might sound unhinged. The F-150 version of the kit fits 2021–2026 model-year trucks equipped with the 5.0-liter V8, bumping output to 700 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque.

No, that doesn’t quite eclipse the 720 hp of the Ford F-150 Raptor R, but it gets close enough to change the personality of the truck entirely. Ford points to the F-150 Lobo as the ideal canvas—essentially handing street-truck fans the power to match the attitude.

The kit works on both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive models, provided they use the single-alternator configuration. Trucks equipped with Pro Power Onboard will need an additional component to keep the electrons cooperative.

Like the Mustang setup, this one is calibrated for 91-octane fuel or better. Premium in, tire smoke out.

The Fine Print (There’s Always Some)

The F-150 kit lists at $10,250, while the Mustang package edges up to $10,500. That’s before installation, of course, but in the world of 700- to 800-hp builds, those numbers feel almost reasonable—especially with factory backing.

There is one California-shaped wrinkle. The kit is marketed as 50-state legal for earlier model years, but CARB certification for 2026 vehicles is still pending. Until that paperwork clears, 2026 buyers in California and other CARB-aligned states will have to admire from a distance.

Factory Muscle, No Apologies

The bigger story here isn’t just the horsepower figure—it’s the legitimacy. Aftermarket forced induction has always carried a whiff of risk: questionable tunes, voided warranties, fingers crossed at every cold start. Ford’s approach flips that script. This is boost with a blessing.

And it reinforces a simple truth: the Coyote V8 remains one of the most tunable, resilient engines in modern performance. Ford isn’t just acknowledging that fact. It’s monetizing it—with a warranty card tucked neatly inside.

For loyalists who believe there’s no such thing as too much power, Ford has provided an official answer. It just happens to come with a Whipple whine and a $10,500 receipt.

Source: Ford

SOCIAL MEDIA

When a Lift Kit Meets Physics: A Tacoma’s Violent Lesson at a Red Light

There are car crashes, and then there are the kind that burrow into your subconscious. The sort that make you glance in the rearview mirror at the next stoplight and wonder whether the two tons behind you are being piloted by someone paying attention—or someone auditioning for a viral infamy reel.

This one involves a lifted Toyota Tacoma, a red light, and a chain reaction that looks less like a traffic mishap and more like a physics demonstration gone wrong.

The Setup: A Bad Feeling at 40 MPH

According to the TikTok user who captured the footage, the Tacoma was approaching quickly from behind, its movements jittery enough to trigger that sixth sense most drivers develop over time. You know the one: the internal alarm that says, this driver isn’t locked in.

Rather than stick around as a potential crash-test dummy, she slipped into the adjacent lane and started recording. What follows is a reminder that sometimes your instincts are better calibrated than your traction control.

Impact: When Brake Lights Aren’t Enough

As the lifted Tacoma barrels toward an intersection, its brake lights flare—too late. Ahead sits a stationary Hyundai Santa Fe, waiting dutifully for the light to change. The pickup plows into the Hyundai’s rear with enough force to turn both vehicles briefly airborne.

Yes, airborne.

The Tacoma, riding high on its suspension and center of gravity, completes a full rollover before landing on its side. It’s a violent ballet of mass and momentum, and it unfolds in seconds. The Santa Fe, meanwhile, is shoved forward and battered again as the Toyota continues its chaotic tumble, even clipping a small black sedan caught in the periphery.

Modern Metal vs. Old-School Steel

If there’s a silver lining—and it’s a thin one—it’s this: the occupants of the Santa Fe reportedly survived, albeit shaken and in rough condition. That’s no small miracle given the scale of the impact.

Modern SUVs like the Santa Fe are engineered with crumple zones designed to absorb energy before it reaches the cabin. High-strength steel, reinforced passenger cells, and a small army of airbags exist for precisely this scenario. It’s uncomfortable to say, but had the victims been in a smaller, older vehicle without contemporary crash structures, the outcome could have been far worse.

The Hyundai appears to have suffered extensive rear-end destruction, along with front-end damage from the secondary impact. In other words, it did its job—sacrificing itself to protect the people inside.

The Elephant in the Lift Kit

Lifted trucks aren’t inherently villains. But raising a vehicle alters its center of gravity and, by extension, its stability. Add speed, delayed braking, or distracted driving to the equation, and you’ve got a recipe that can escalate quickly.

The footage doesn’t provide definitive answers about what caused the Tacoma driver to misjudge the stop. Distraction? Impairment? Mechanical failure? At the time of writing, there’s no official word on injuries to the pickup’s driver or whether charges will follow.

What is clear is this: two vehicles were transformed into scrap metal in the time it takes to send a text.

The Takeaway

We talk a lot about horsepower, lift kits, tire sizes, and aesthetic presence. But moments like this remind us that mass is a responsibility. A lifted midsize truck weighs north of two tons and carries its weight higher than engineers originally intended. Physics doesn’t negotiate.

The next time you’re sitting at a red light, take that extra glance in the mirror. Not because you’re paranoid—but because sometimes, survival is as simple as seeing trouble coming a split second earlier.

Source: jjdiablo via Reddit