All-new Lotus Emira priced at £75,995 in First Edition trim
Lotus’s first brand-new series-production model in more than a decade is a stunning mid-engined, two-seat sports coupé with supercar-aping looks, a high-quality interior and the option of four-cylinder turbo power supplied by Mercedes-AMG.
The Emira (pronounced ‘eh-meer-ah’) will eventually be priced from £59,995 and is pitched at what Lotus believes to be a gap in the market below higher-performance versions of the Porsche 718 Cayman.
It will go on sale in all key global markets next spring, initially powered by the Toyota-sourced supercharged 3.5-litre V6 from the outgoing Exige and Evora, before the 2.0-litre AMG unit follows in the autumn. The first version on sale will be the limited-run First Edition, which brings the V6 engine and a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes for £75,995.
Bespoke First Edition touches include a set of two-tone 20in alloy wheels, branded brake calipers, a tyre pressure monitoring system, black contrasting lower trim and 12-way adjustable heated seats. Buyers can choose from six exterior and seven interior colours, while the standard-fit Design Pack brings privacy glass, a black Alcantara headliner and sports pedals. The First Edition is also equipped with the Drivers Pack which offers the choice of ‘Tour’ or ‘Sport’ suspension, and can be specified with either Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport or Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.
The Emira will be Hethel’s final non-electrified car. It follows the limited-run Evija electric hypercar in this promising new era for Lotus under the majority ownership of Geely, which is funding not only new cars but also new facilities and manufacturing processes with the aim of products being built to a higher and more consistent quality.
Underpinning the Emira is Lotus’s new Sports Car Architecture, which was developed using the extruded and bonded aluminium chassis technology first used by Lotus on the Elise of 1996. The car is 4412mm long, 1985mm wide and 1225mm high, with a wheelbase of 2575mm, making it just a fraction larger than the Evora.