Issuing three recalls in one day is both good news and bad news. Regarding the bad part, this shows that Lotus should have paid a bit more attention during the Emira's development and testing phases. On the other hand, the Emira is relatively new. With Lotus addressing three different problems simultaneously, the Emira's following model year should be better.
Published by the Department of Infrastructure in Australia, the first recall concerns 26 examples produced in 2022. In said vehicles, the seat belt locking mechanism is prone to engage at an incorrect point due to an assembly defect. What kind of assembly defect? Given that the Department of Infrastructure in Australia doesn't share as much information as the NHTSA in the United States, we simply do not know.
What we do know is that both the driver and passenger seat belts may engage tightly across the chest and waist, limiting movement and restricting visibility. Now, try to imagine this condition in the event of a crash in which the fuel tank is punctured.
Obviously enough, owners will be contacted by authorized dealers to replace the iffy seat belts at no cost to the owners. Next up, the second recall comprises 76 cars produced in 2022 and 2023. A software issue limits the windscreen wipers' speed to 50 percent of the correct speed, thus resulting in poor forward visibility for the driver in rainy conditions.
Despite being a software issue, Lotus Cars Limited will replace the windscreen wiper motor assembly rather than reflash the control module. Last but certainly not least, 101 examples of the Emira are believed to have been produced with ill-fitting trim.
Photo: Lotus
Both 2022 and 2023 models, to be more precise, and the ill-fitting trim is located on the driver- and passenger-side A pillars. In the event of a crash, the deployment force of the side curtain air bags may cause the A-pillar covers to detach, therefore propelling sharp plastic fragments towards the occupants. Once again, Lotus will replace rather than instruct dealers to refit the A-pillar covers properly.
For a boutique automaker that lost 145 million pounds sterling in 2022 alone and slashed 200 jobs due earlier this year due to poor results, these recalls will eat into Lotus' margins. If said recalls will extend to left-hand-drive cars for the likes of continental Europe and the American market, only time will tell.
Despite being based on the so-called Elemental platform, the Emira is extremely similar to the Evora under the skin. Powered by the Evora's supercharged V6, which is a Toyota engine that was once found under the hood of the Camry, the Emira is also available with a Mercedes-AMG four-cylinder turbo inline-four mill. The lesser engine comes with a dual-clutch transmission supplied by Merc, whereas the 2GR-FE is available with Aisin-developed boxes. For some reason or another, one of them is a torque-converter auto with six gears.
Adding insult to injury, the British sports car isn't exactly good value for money. $99,900 is the starting price of the AMG four-pot in the United States of America, whereas the supercharged sixer is $105,400 sans destination charge. Over at Porsche, the high-revving 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 starts at $95,200.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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