Lotus introduced its first plug-in hybrid model, named “For Me,” to the Chinese market. The new Lotus PHEV is built on the Eletre SUV and has the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine as the Zeekr 9X. Lotus was planning to make only electric vehicles by 2028, but now they’re putting a gas-powered engine in the Eletre. Lotus is scaling back its plans to build more electric cars, just like many other car companies. The small British automaker had said it would go fully electric by 2028. Still, last year, Lotus CEO Qingfeng Feng said the company would instead add plug-in hybrid vehicles to its inventory. That day has come: Lotus introduced its first PHEV car earlier this week on the grounds of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The new plug-in hybrid electric car is called the “For Me.” If you think the For Me and the Eletre SUV, which is only electric, look a lot alike, you are right. The new PHEV is an updated version of the Eletre, with a different name. The plug-in version has new badges on the back and a slightly different front grille, but otherwise the two types are the same. The For Chinese Zeekr 9X SUVs and Me have the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine, but that’s where the similarities end. The four-cylinder engine makes about 280 horsepower on its own. It can be used as a generator to recharge the battery pack or to power the front wheels directly. The system’s total output is 952 horsepower when both electric motors are connected, making it the most powerful Eletre type. The engine needed a smaller battery (70 kWh instead of the EV’s 107 kWh pack), but the power went from 800 to 900 volts. According to reports, Zeekr’s same power pack can be charged from 30% to 80% in eight minutes. The Eletre is the first Lotus car to be made as a PHEV, but it won’t be the last. In 2027, a hybrid version of the Emeya electric automobile and a plug-in version of the Emira sports car may be made. Starting early next year, The Lotus For Me will be available in China. The product is likely to be released in Europe in the second half of 2026. Right now, because of the tariffs on cars imported from China, it doesn’t matter whether it comes into the US or not.
