The future of Lotus has arrived. A new mid-engined sports car, called the Lotus Emira, debuted today signaling a business and performance shift away from the Elise, Exige and Evora.
"The Emira is a game-changer for Lotus," said Matt Windle, managing director of Lotus Cars. "It stands as a beacon of everything we have achieved to date in the transformation of the business, the embodiment of our progress. It is a highly significant milestone on our path to becoming a truly global performance car brand."
Emira rides on the new Lotus Sports Car Architecture. Its bonded aluminum chassis is wrapped in body panels inspired by the Evija, an all-electric hypercar that the company plans to bring to market in the future.
The car is about six inches longer than a Jeep Wrangler but nearly the same width. It will be just two feet high. In its lightest form, the Emira weighs just over 3,000 pounds.
"The Emira captures the visual drama of an exotic supercar, with great proportions, wide footprint and a cabin that sits low down between muscular haunches," said Russell Carr, design director at Lotus.
Its tapered rear, ample posterior and sculpted doors and vents exude supercar style. Vertical full-LED headlights are standard. The car wears an Emira badging on its side, integrated into the C-pillar. On the rear corners are C-shaped LED light clusters that are linked together by a slimline brake light. Twin exhaust pipes housed in black sit below the light.
Lotus has equipped the model with standard 20-inch wheels (five options are available) wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tires. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are available with the Lotus Drivers Pack.
Lotus will carry over some of the old engineering into the new model. The Emira First Edition will get its power from the company's existing Toyota-derived 3.5-liter V6. Cars produced after the summer of 2022 will have a Mercedes-AMG 2.-liter turbo-four to propel it. Both engines will be available paired with a manual, automatic, or dual-clutch transmission.
Lotus says that the Emira First Edition will be capable of achieving 360 to 400 brake horsepower and have a zero to 62 mph time of 4.5 seconds. It will top out at 180 mph.
Tour and Sport modes are available allowing drivers to customize the Emira's drive, ride and handling.
The automaker introduces a higher level of quality and technology to its interiors with the Emira. Designers set out to minimize distractions for drivers and provide a true cockpit experience. A wraparound dashboard and soft-touch surfaces play off each other to make the interior of the car a welcoming environment. There is a flat-bottom steering wheel.
Lotus has created the cabin to include best-in-class ingress/egress and headroom.
Four-way power-adjustable seats that are designed to be comfortable on long trips are standard. Buyers can upgrade to the available premium sports seat with 12-way power adjustment.
At the center of the dashboard sits a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, complementing the functionality of the car's 12.3-inch driver information screen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. A KEF premium sound system is available.
Additional standard and available features and technology include keyless entry, cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, electric folding side mirrors, rear parking sensors, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, curtain airbags, launch control, a stolen vehicle tracker, adaptive cruise control, an anti-collision system, driver fatigue alert, road sign information, a speed limiter, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert, and lane change assist. USB ports, 12-volt outlets, and space to fit water bottles add to the features list.
Pricing for the Lotus Emira is slated to start at less than £60,000. Reservations for the car are now being accepted at dealerships worldwide.
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Eileen Falkenberg-Hull leads the Autos team at Newsweek. She has written extensively about the auto industry for U.S. News & ... Read more
