As rumors continue to swirl about Lotus's upcoming (and somewhat confusing) product line, the latest is that the next version of the flagship Lotus Esprit is being delayed, possibly due to work on a hybrid version of the car, AutoblogGreen reports. Since the Lotus Evora is already going to get a Toyota-sourced V6 engine, it "wouldn't be a stretch," as the article put it, for Toyota to send Lotus its Hybrid Synergy Drive technology as well.

Lotus has made news in recent days amid reports that the company is working on a hydrogen-powered taxi and a hybrid limousine, and earlier when the company's engineering arm teamed up with Continental to develop a "Low CO2 Car" in the UK. The most obvious indicator of Lotus's new green direction, however, is all the experience it gained when supplying the Elise platform for the electric Tesla Roadster.