Horse Powertrain, the engine joint venture between Renault and Geely, has revealed its first V8, a 4.0-litre twin-turbo hybrid unit producing more than 500kW (671hp). It will make its debut in the Lotus Type 135 supercar.
The W40 was announced in London on 10 November. Horse describes it as production-ready and “hybrid-first”, designed from the start to work with electric motors. It produces maximum torque of 800Nm and weighs about 200kg.
It is designed for longitudinal installation and uses a hot-vee layout, with its two turbochargers mounted between the cylinder banks, plus direct fuel injection. Horse says it is suited to sports cars, pick-ups and off-road vehicles as well as supercars.
New gearbox
Horse also revealed the 8LDCT, an eight-speed wet dual-clutch hybrid transmission that can handle up to 1,050Nm of input torque. It has an integrated silicon carbide control system and power module, and Horse quotes a shift response of under 20 milliseconds.
Lotus Type 135
The engine and gearbox will make their world debut together in the Type 135, a new mid-engined hybrid V8 supercar that Lotus says will sit between the Emira sports car and the Evija electric hypercar. Lotus has not said when it will be revealed. Lotus is controlled by Geely.
Horse Powertrain chief executive Matias Giannini said the W40 “marks another landmark achievement for Horse Powertrain’s engineering teams”.
Lotus Technology chief executive Feng Qingfeng said: “We are excited to partner with Horse Powertrain to bring its advanced V8 engine and hybrid transmission technology” to the Type 135.
About Horse
Horse Powertrain was formed in May 2024 from the combustion engine and hybrid powertrain operations of Renault and Geely. Renault and Geely each own 45%, and Saudi Aramco took the remaining 10% in December 2024. Based in London, it has about 19,000 employees, 18 plants and five R&D centres, and supplies Renault, Geely, Volvo, Proton, Nissan and Mitsubishi.
