Want to know what the future of Lotus looks like? The Theory 1 is a 986bhp preview

Lotus, always seemingly in a little financial trouble, hasn’t flourished under recent Geely ownership as its Chinese owners might have hoped. Deliveries of the Emira sports car were delayed. The Evija hypercar is yet to hit production. The Eletre SUV and Emeya super-saloon have arrived... just as the world is cooling on the idea of EVs.

This then, the Theory 1, is concept car to grab your attention when times are tough. The company’s next production car will be a second, smaller electric SUV (think Porsche Macan-sized) so the Theory 1 is a kind of reminder that people at Lotus are still thinking about what it means to be a Lotus, past just wearing the badge.

Thus the Theory 1 does everything from ushering in a new design language for Lotus, to showcasing a radical approach to production with just a handful of materials used for the bodywork.

It also introduces us to ‘Lotuswear’, which is an attempt to ‘evoke a sense of raw emotion and pure excitement’ when you’re behind the wheel of this 986bhp electric supercar. How does it work? With seats that can inflate on one side or the other and a steering yoke that can suddenly be ribbed, thanks to textile-based wearable robotics tech being applied to the automotive sector for the first time.

Join Top Gear's Tom Ford, to find out more…