Lotus Emira

The Lotus Emira (codenamed "Type 131")^[7] is a sports car manufactured by the British company Lotus Cars. It is intended to be the firm's final vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine.^[4][5][8]

Lotus Emira
2022 Lotus Emira
Overview
Manufacturer	Lotus Cars
Also called	Lotus NYO Emira (China, 2022–2025)[1]
Production	2022–present
Assembly	United Kingdom: Hethel, Norfolk, England
Designer	Daniel Durrant under Russell Carr (exterior)[2] Jon Statham (interior)
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car (S)
Body style	2-door coupé
Layout	Transverse mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Platform	Elemental[3]
Powertrain
Engine	2.0 L AMG M139 turbocharged I4[4] 3.5 L Toyota 2GR-FE supercharged V6
Transmission	6-speed Aisin AI manual (3.5 L) 6-speed Aisin AI IPS automatic (3.5 L) 8-speed AMG Speedshift 8G DCT (2.0 L)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	101.3 in (2,573 mm)[5]
Length	173.7 in (4,412 mm)
Width	74.6 in (1,895 mm)
Height	48.2 in (1,224 mm)
Kerb weight	3,279 lb (1,487 kg)[6]
Chronology
Predecessor	Lotus Elise Lotus Exige Lotus Evora

History

Lotus Emira rear view

The Emira was launched at Hethel, England on 6 July 2021 and then presented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 8 July 2021.^[9] It replaces the Evora, Exige and Elise.^[4][5][10] The Emira's design bears several similarities to that of Lotus' high-performance car Evija, which was presented in 2019.^[11]

The new Emira went on sale in March 2022^[where?] and came with a 3.5 litre supercharged V6 sourced by Toyota. Power figures are 406 PS (299 kW; 400 hp) and 430 N⋅m (320 lb⋅ft) of torque. Available in either 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. Later on, a smaller 2.0 litre turbocharged engine sourced from Mercedes-AMG with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) will be made available for the new Emira, with 365 PS (268 kW; 360 hp).^[12]

Pricing was announced on 20 September 2021 for the UK, starting at £59,995 for the base i4 and £75,995 including 20% VAT tax for the V6 First Edition. US pricing was announced on 1 October 2021 starting at $74,900 for the base i4 and $93,900 for the V6 First Edition. The V6 First Edition was expected to have been available by Spring 2022 with the i4 following in Autumn 2022.

In 2022, the Emira made its debut in Malaysia with the First Edition being the variant on offer.^[13] It was powered by the 3.5 litre supercharged V6.^{[citation needed]}

Global post-pandemic supply chain issues meant that the factory was unable to get to full production capacity during 2022. The first EU and UK V6 manual variants (including some UK dealer demonstrator V6 cars) were delivered to customers in Q4 2022. Plans for 2023 included the first V6 automatic deliveries for the EU and UK in Q1, and US V6 deliveries starting in Q4. i4 variant production for the UK started in Q3.^{[citation needed]}

GT4

Lotus Emira GT4

In 2022, Lotus revealed that they would be making the Lotus Emira GT4, for GT4 competition^[14] Following a few updates, the car was first released to customers in autumn 2023.^[15] The car made its racing debut in the 2023 GT Cup Championship,^[16] followed by its global racing debut at the Great Bay GT Cup in November 2023, where it managed to score a 1-2 finish.^[17]