Return to the ICE age: Lotus launches the petrol-powered Emira
By James McLachlan2021-07-13T12:45:00
Though it speaks a design language set out by EV hypercar the Evija, Lotus’ newest effort, the Emira is a potent petrol-powered junior supercar. And the Geely-owned OEM wants to sell lots of them
At a ritzy event at its Hethel headquarters in rural Norfolk, Lotus unveiled the Emira – a combustion engine sports car. Yes, you heard that right, in a moment where all the talk is of EVs, the Geely-owned Marque has run counter to the established narrative with a mid-engine looker it claims is the ‘most accomplished Lotus ever made.’
Built on the OEM’s new sports car architecture – a lightweight bonded aluminium chassis – the Emira derives its fluid surfaces and sharp feature lines from the Evija hypercar. Whereas the Evija was a halo project intended to re-establish Lotus as a premium player, the Emira, which borrows an 2.0-litre engine from AMG, is aimed at a wider audience. Lotus says it will make 4800 Emiras a year at its Hethel premises, which has received a £100 million revamp.