Customers loyal to the Lotus marque will be at the front of the queue to receive the keys to the firm’s first new car in over a decade, with starting prices expected to dip below £60,000.
Labelled “the most accomplished Lotus” ever made, the Emira – pronounced eh-meer-ah – is a mid-engined two-seat sports coupe that has the Porsche 718 Cayman and Alpine’s A110 firmly in its sights.
Initially, the car will only be available in ‘First Edition’ guise, with these powered by the same Toyota-made 3.5-litre V6 engine found in the outgoing Exige and Evora. Available with manual or automatic transmissions, it will have a 0-62mph time in and around 4.5 seconds and boast a 180mph top speed.
A ‘Driver Pack’ comes as standard and gives owners the choice of a Tour chassis and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tyres or a Sport suspension that relies on Michelin’s super sticky Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. Red, yellow or silver brake calipers and privacy glass add extra desirability as part of the ‘Design Pack’.
Commanding a ticket price of £75,995, the cars can be had with either two-tone, silver or gloss black lightweight alloy wheels that measure 20-inches in diameter. Body colour paint choices total six in all and include the original launch car’s ‘Seneca Blue’. ‘Magma Red’, ‘Hethel Yellow’, ‘Shadow Grey’ and ‘Nimbus Grey’ make up the colour palette for now although more hues will be added throughout 2022.
The Emira is awash with supercar-styling cues, from the bumper’s air blades and splitter, to the deeply sculpted side sills and rear diffuser that are all in finished in gloss black. Practical aspects to the design include all-round LED lights, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, and rear parking sensors. Front parking sensors, reversing camera and rain-sensing wipers form part of the ‘Convenience’ Pack’.
Based on Lotus’s new cutting-edge Sports Car Architecture, the Emira is only a fraction bigger than the Evora at 4,412mm long, 1,985mm wide and 1,225mm high and so should carry two in comfort. Inside, there are seven no-cost interior choices for ‘First Edition’ models and consist of red, black, grey and tan Nappa leather, as well as black Alcantara finished with either red, yellow or grey contrast stitching.
Climate control, cruise control, keyless start/stop and selectable drive modes are all included, as are satin chrome trim finishers, white interior mood lighting, and sill kick plates bearing the Lotus name.
To emphasis Lotus’s “paradigm shift” on the technology front, the driver gets a 12.3-inch digital display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and satellite navigation – functions that are accessed via a 10.25-inch centrally-mounted touchscreen. A multifunction steering wheel is another convenience feature.
“The Emira is the most accomplished Lotus we’ve ever made, and to celebrate and reward our keenest early customers we want to make the first cars extra special to own,” said Lotus Car’s MD Matt Windle.
Production of the Lotus Emira V6 First Edition will start in spring next year, with the ‘i4’ four-cylinder First Edition arriving later in the autumn. An entry level Emira – priced from £59,995 – will be available during 2023 and deploy a 2-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol supplied by Mercedes-AMG.
