The brand new Lotus Emira is almost ready to hit the road – at least in its home market, the United Kingdom – with the British brand announcing pricing for the high-specification Launch Edition.
Equipped with a supercharged 3.5-litre petrol V6 engine sourced from Toyota, the highly-equipped Emira First Edition will be priced from GBP 75,995 (AUD$143,000 in September 2021).
That’s roughly GBP 10,000 ($19,000) more than what you would pay for a Porsche Cayman 718 GTS 4.0 in the UK.
The Emira made its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Lotus and the Porsche have similar power outputs, weigh the same amount (1405kg) and both can do 0-100km/h in the mid four second range.
The supercharged six in the Emira will produce 298kW of power and 420Nm of torque (430Nm for the auto) in the First Edition tune; however more power is not off the cards with future iterations.
Unlike the Cayman, the Emira will eventually offer more than one powertrain for its mid-engined layout.
The 12.3-inch digital cluster is just one of many tech upgrades of the new Emira.
Later models are set to feature the 2.0-litre turbocharged four pot from Mercedes-AMG, most notably used in the 2021 A45 S super-hatch.
For diehard enthusiasts, the Emira will also be available with three pedals (available on the V6 only), however a six speed automatic gearbox will come as an option at an GBP 1800 ($3300) premium.
Emira First Edition includes desirable options
The ‘First Edition’ V6 will usher in the Emira era with an array of new technologies and creature comforts not seen before in a Lotus car.
“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. The features have been carefully selected by our design team to make for a truly special and distinct First Edition,” said Matt Windle, managing director of Lotus Cars.
12-way adjustable heated seats, climate control, keyless start, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, cruise control and adjustable driving modes are all standard fitment.
The Emira will be the last internal combustion Lotus.
A 10.25-inch infotainment screen sits front and centre in the cabin while a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster provides important information to the driver.
Three packages that will become cost options on later cars are standard on the Emira First Edition. The Driver’s Pack gives owners the option of tour or sport suspension setups and Goodyear F1 Supersport tyres or sport suspension with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.
The Design Pack includes privacy glass, sports pedals, a black Alcantara headliner, and the choice of black, red, yellow or silver painted brake callipers.
Two engines will be available for the Emira: a Toyota-sourced V6 with a supercharger, and an AMG-sourced turbo four.
The Convenience Pack adds front parking sensors, rear reversing camera, rain-sensing wipers with aero blades, auto-dimming mirrors and a rear luggage storage net.
Is this the most practical Lotus ever? Lotus owners are likely to use the Emira as a daily driver more than any of the brand’s previous offerings.
How does the Emira compare to other Lotus models?
The outgoing Lotus Evora shares a lot of qualities with the new Emira, though the new coupe moves on from the Evora’s now dated platform.
Price wise, the Emira enters at a more affordable price point than the Evora. The 2021 GT410 Evora, which has similar power outputs to the Emira was available for GBP 91,820 ($171,000) – or £15,000 ($28,000) more than the new car.
The Lotus Elise – the car that kicked off the modern era for the British marque – has limited time left on the new car market. An Elise Sport 240 edition currently sets Brits back GBP 41,270 ($77,000).
The Emira went up the hill at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
While Lotus have today confirmed the lushly-specified Emira First Edition, Lotus have also announced that a cheaper entry-level Emira will be available in 2023 at a GBP 59,995 ($112,000) price point.
The Emira will be the last Lotus to be powered by an internal combustion engine. The new Evija hypercar will help pave the way for a new generation of Lotus sports cars that are pure electric.
Emira release date in Australia
The new Emira is expected to arrive on Australian shores sometime in 2022, though the brand is yet to confirm an exact month or quarter.
Lee Knappett, chief executive officer of Lotus Cars Australia, told Chasing Cars that the “specification and pricing discussions for the Australian market are almost concluded and we expect to release information to market in early October.”
Mr Knappett noted that Lotus Australia is holding a number of local deposits for the Emira First Edition.
The Emira sits on a brand new platform and will offer two powertrains.
What might the Emira cost in Australia?
How much the new Emira costs down under is still up for speculation as Lotus Cars Australia is yet to announce this info to the public, but we can provide an estimate.
A brand new Evora GT410 will cost GBP 91,820 in the UK which equates to $171,000 here in Australia (as of September 2021).
As mentioned above, the Emira will cost GBP 75,995 in the UK, which when converted to Australian dollars, works out to be $143,000.
The Emira will sport a driver-focussed cabin with a number of digital screens.
In the UK, the Evora is 17.3 percent more expensive than the Emira, meaning that if you reduce 17.3 percent from the Australian Evora price, it is likely that the new Emira First Edition could cost $140,000 (before on-road costs).
With luxury car tax ($21,000), registration duties and other costs, the drive-away price for the Emira would likely get you pretty close to $170,000.
That’s getting pretty close to Porsche Cayman GTS money, but if you want something unique, the Emira will be the pick.
