| Lotus Emira | |
| Manufacturer: | Lotus Cars |
| Production: | 2022–present |
| Assembly: | England: Hethel, Norfolk |
| Designer: | Daniel Durrant under Russell Carr (exterior)[1] Jon Statham (interior) |
| Class: | Sports car (S) |
| Body Style: | 2-door coupé |
| Platform: | Elemental[2] |
| Layout: | Transverse mid-engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Wheelbase: | 101.30NaN0[3] |
| Length: | 173.70NaN0 |
| Width: | 74.60NaN0 |
| Height: | 48.20NaN0 |
| Weight: | 30970NaN0 |
| Sp: | uk |
The Lotus Emira (codenamed "Type 131")[4] 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.[3] [5]
The Emira was launched at Hethel, England on 6 July 2021 and then presented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 8 July 2021.[6] It replaces the Evora, Exige and Elise.[3] [7] The Emira's design bears several similarities to that of Lotus' high-performance car Evija, which was presented in 2019.[8] The new Emira went on sale in March 2022 and came with a 3.5 litre supercharged V6 sourced by Toyota. Power figures are 4060NaN0 and 430Nm 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 3650NaN0.[9]
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.[10] It was powered by the 3.5 litre supercharged V6.
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 include 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 is now planned to start in Q3.
In 2022, Lotus revealed that they would be making the Lotus Emira GT4, for GT4 competition[11] Following a few updates, the car was first released to customers in the fall of 2023.[12] The car made its racing debut in the 2023 GT Cup Championship,[13] followed by its global racing debut at the Great Bay GT Cup in November 2023, where it managed to score a 1-2 finish.[14]