In 2020, legendary British sports car and motorsports powerhouse Lotus announced a controversial decision that broke the hearts of many loyal enthusiasts and fans worldwide. In an interview with British car magazine AutoExpress, the automaker's now-former CEO Phil Popham announced that its upcoming sports car (which would eventually be called the Emira) would be its last car powered by a gas-powered internal combustion engine. By 2028, it would offer a lineup of solely electric-powered vehicles.
💰💸 Don’t miss the move: SIGN UP for TheStreet’s FREE Daily newsletter 💰💸 “One thing we do believe in is the future of battery electric vehicles, and our intention is to offer BEV on our products in the future," Popham said. “BEV is really well suited to sports cars – the torque characteristics, the weight distribution, design and flexibility of dynamics. For me it all leads to BEV as the ultimate technology for sports cars.
” Although he promised that the future EV Lotus cars "will absolutely drive and handle like a Lotus," this announcement angered and confused enthusiasts. On one Reddit thread about the Auto Express article on the r/cars subreddit when the article was published, car enthusiasts lambasted their decision. "Ahh because lotus is known for great electrics," one Reddit user commented.
"RIP Lotus," another user said. Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images The gas-powered Lotus is back (sort of.) During Lotus's Q3 2024 earnings call, its present-day CEO, Fen.
