Photo: Lotus
Saved by Romano Artioli of Bugatti fame in the 1990s, Lotus reinvented itself with the first-generation Elise and subsequent corner-carving sports cars, including the Exige and Evora. All three of them will be discontinued in favor of the all-new Emira, which is the second Lotus developed under the ownership of Geely after the Evija e-hypercar.
“Striking” would be the proper word to describe the design, which blends aggressive details with smooth panels and a dash of Evija traits. As far as the cabin is concerned, Lotus pulled every trick in the book to make the Emira feel thoroughly modern. Thanks to a simple console, a touchscreen infotainment system, a digital instrument cluster, two cupholders, and high-quality surfaces, the wraparound cockpit is both minimalist and premium.
The protective cover of the engine start/stop button adds a sense of theatre to the interior, which features an Esprit-inspired positioning of the gearstick lever and semi-exposed gear linkage. The latter only applies to the Toyota V6-powered Emira, which features the same transverse-mounted GR as ever before. Augmented by a Harrop supercharger, the 3.5-liter engine will be joined in 2022 by a Mercedes-AMG motor, the M139 from the 45 series.
In the British car, the 2.0-liter turbo will be offered solely with the AMG Speedshift DCT 8G transmission. The partnership doesn’t include fully variable AMG Performance 4Matic+ all-wheel drive because that would spoil the corner-carving capabilities of the rear-driven Lotus Emira.
Across the range, prospective customers will have to settle for anything between 360 to 400 brake horsepower for the Toyota and AMG-sourced mills. The most capable transmission-engine combination will rock the Emira to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in less than 4.5 seconds, and the Emira will top 290 kilometers per hour (180 miles per hour).
To be produced at the British automaker’s Hethel factory in Norfolk, the fixed-head coupe promises up to 430 Nm (317 pound-feet) of torque and CO2 emissions of below 180 grams per kilometer. Tipping the scales at 1,405 kilograms (3,097 pounds) in its lightest form, the Emira is priced from just under 60,000 pounds sterling (less than €72,000 in European markets).
More information about the Emira is available in the release below.
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