Since the beginning of the year, most manufacturers have realized that they were too quick to abandon combustion engines and focus on full electrification, and one of them is Lotus with its Vision 80 plan. According to this plan, Lotus’s intention was to become a fully electric brand by 2028, but the latest information suggests that the company has given up on that.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng said: “I believe that fuel-powered vehicles still have a long life cycle. The penetration of fully electric vehicles into the luxury car segment is slow because the engines of luxury cars are already powerful, and the driving experience is very similar. V8 and V12 engines have good performance.”

Qingfeng also added that Lotus drivers drive an average of 30,000 kilometers a year, so range is really important to customers.

The company plans to focus on super hybrids, a combination of high performance and long range. That means a 900V electrical architecture, a turbocharged engine, and a battery that would allow for a range of more than 1,000 km.

Source: Wall Street Journal