Lotus in July revealed its new Emira sports car, destined to be the company's last model to be powered by an internal-combustion engine.
The Emira replaces the Elise, Exige and Evora lines at Lotus and is due to start sales in the U.S. in spring 2022 as a 2023 model.
Lotus last week confirmed that the Emira will initially arrive in V6 First Edition guise only. Pricing will start at $93,900, making it a tad cheaper than the outgoing Evora GT which features the same engine and costs closer to $100,000.
The engine is a supercharged version of a Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter V-6, and in the Emira it generates a peak 400 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. That torque rating is with a 6-speed automatic which is a $2,150 option. Opt for the standard manual and the torque slips slightly to 310 lb-ft.
The auto is the quicker option here; it sees the Emira hit 60 mph from rest in 4.2 seconds. The manual will see it achieve the same feat in 4.3 seconds. Top speed is a claimed 180 mph with either transmission. A dual-clutch transmission is also in the pipeline, but timing is unclear.
An alternative to the V-6 will be a Mercedes-Benz AMG-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 (Lotus parent company Geely is a major shareholder in Daimler, AMG's parent). This engine is expected to deliver about 360 hp.
2023 Lotus Emira
2023 Lotus Emira
2023 Lotus Emira
Lotus said an Emira First Edition with the inline-4 will be available in 2022. A base Emira with the inline-4 won't be available until sometime in 2023. This entry-level model will be priced from $74,900.
Stated prices do not include destination charges.
The Emira uses a bonded-aluminum structure similar to its predecessors, but Lotus claims this is a new platform, with all dimensions different from any previous platform. The Emira measures 173.7 inches long, 74.6 inches wide (with mirrors folded), and 48.2 inches tall. It has a 101.3-inch wheelbase and a 3,097-pound curb weight in its lightest form, per Lotus.
2023 Lotus Emira
Adaptive dampers will be available with two settings: Tour for everyday road use and Sports for track use. The latter is part of an optional Lotus Drivers Pack that also adds stiffer suspension tuning, and the choice of Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport or Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Bucking the industry trend, Lotus also keeps hydraulic power steering to maximize feedback to the driver.
The interior is less spartan than previous Lotus sports cars, with optional 12-way power-adjustable seats, greater storage space, and a digital instrument cluster, as well as a flat-bottomed steering wheel. The Emira also gets an array of available driver-assist features, including adaptive cruise control, a driver-attention monitor, traffic-sign information, lane-departure warnings, lane-change assist, and rear cross-traffic alerts.
The Emira starts production this fall at Lotus' Hethel, U.K., factory, which was recently upgraded by Geely for production of the new sports car, as well as future electric sports cars like the Evija hypercar due out shortly and the Type 135 sports car due in 2026.
