The CEO of Lotus has made a bold, and seemingly ironic, statement that has set Chinese social media alight.

Feng Qingfeng, the CEO of Lotus Group since 2018, made the divisive statement during a media event in China.

Translated reports from Chinese media vary, but essentially report Qingfeng as saying that any sports car with a weight over 1.8 tonnes is ‘mediocre’, ‘slow’, or, in one instance, ‘a grocery getter’. However, that last interpretation seems least likely.

Chinese social media swooped on the callout, highlighting the fact that of the three cars Lotus currently produces, only one meets Qingfeng’s standards.

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The current Lotus lineup includes the Emira sports car (main) and two ‘grand touring’ or luxury cars, the Emeya sedan and Eletre SUV (above). Of those, the Emira weighs between 1446kg and 1457kg according to the brand, while the lightest Emeya starts at 2505kg, and the Eletre starts at 2490kg, based on Australian specifications.

The statement appears to target the brand’s current lineup, which has faced criticism from enthusiasts for shunning the brand’s lightweight ethos in favour of a more luxury-oriented position for four-door models.

Qingfeng’s statement may have had a different intention entirely.

Lotus has recently announced that it was scrapping plans to become an all-electric brand by 2028, and revealed that a plug-in hybrid sports car, equipped with a V8 engine, would join the range by 2028 instead. The targeted callout on weight could be a sign that Lotus is aiming to keep its newest model under 1.8 tonnes.

The move would not be unprecedented, with Ferrari’s similar drivetrain layout – a V8 engine and plug-in hybrid system – tipping the scales at 1735kg in the SF90 Stradale.

A plug-in hybrid version of the Eletre SUV pairs a 2.0-litre four-cylinder with dual electric motors, and offers the ability for the petrol engine to run as a generator, or to connect directly to drive the front wheels.

A similar system is likely for the new model, albeit with rear-wheel drive for the petrol engine owing to its probable mid-engined placement.

It’s not yet known if the upcoming sports car, being developed under the codename Type 135, will use an AMG-supplied engine, as with the four-cylinder Emira, or rely on Horse, an engine supplier owned by Lotus’ parent company, Geely, for its V8 engine.