Lotus has confirmed pricing for the first batch of Emira sports cars touching down in Australia.
The 2022 Lotus Emira V6 First Edition will be priced at $184,990 before on-road costs Down Under, and will use a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 engine and a six-speed manual transmission.
Deliveries will kick off in July 2022, with Launch Edition models packing the Mercedes-AMG inline-four engine set to follow early in 2023.
Lotus has confirmed it’s targeting a starting price of around $150,000 before on-road costs for the base AMG-powered Emira.
The standard V6 engine makes 298kW of power and 420Nm with the six-speed manual, or 430Nm with the optional six-speed automatic and paddle shifters.
Four options packs will be standard, as is the case in the UK. They include:
- Lower Black Pack
- Front bumper air blades
- Front splitter
- Side sills
- Rear diffuser
- Driver’s Pack
- Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tyres with Sport or Tour Suspension
- Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres with Sport Suspension
- Design Pack
- Privacy glass
- Sports pedals
- Black Alcantara headliner
- Black, red, and silver painted brake calipers
- Lotus-branded footwell mats
- Convenience Pack
- Front parking sensors
- Reversing camera
- Rain-sensing wipers with aero blades
- Auto-dimming mirrors
- Rear luggage storage net
Lotus has confirmed the First Edition will ride on 20-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, behind which hide two-piece brake calipers and Lotus-branded calipers.
Heated seats with power adjustability, climate control, cruise control, keyless entry and start, and factory satellite navigation are all standard, along with a 340W sound system.
Seven interior combinations are available: four Nappa leather and three Alcantara finishes.
Five exterior finishes will be available on the First Edition, with more to follow when the non-Launch Edition range arrives.
The following options will be available:
- Six-speed automatic transmission with paddles: $4000
- Extended Black Pack: $2999
- Roof
- Cantrails
- Mirror casings
- Rear Lotus badge
- Exhaust finisher
- Full Alcantara steering wheel with coloured top centre marker: $999
- Full leather steering wheel with colour top centre marker: $999
- Vehicle tracker: $1199
What’s the Lotus Emira?
The new Emira is built on the Lotus Sports Car Architecture announced earlier in 2021.
It’s a lightweight bonded aluminium structure, wrapped in a body inspired by the all-electric Evija (with a hint of Maserati MC20 and McLaren Artura about it, too).
Measuring up at 4412mm long, 1895mm wide and 1225mm tall, with a 2575mm wheelbase, the Emira is 100mm shorter than a Porsche 911, but 43mm wider with a 35mm longer wheelbase.
Lotus is targeting a kerb weight of 1405kg in the car’s lightest form, around 30kg less than a Porsche 718 Cayman GTS with a dual-clutch transmission.
Rather than a more modern electric power steering system, the Emira uses a hydraulic steering system designed to deliver better feedback to the driver.
There are two suspension tunes on offer: Tour, designed for everyday road use, and Sports, which is fairly self-explanatory and is part of the Lotus Drivers Pack.
Not only is the Emira a sharp looker, the body is clever.
Lotus says it creates passive downforce that’s balanced over both axles, while that gaping air intake ahead of the rear wheel arch feeds cool air into the hungry mid-mounted engine.
There are no active aerodynamics, and no over-the-top spoilers here.
Behind the wheel
This is a strict two-seater, but Lotus has focused on making it a comfortable, practical space.
The driver’s seat is four-way power adjustable, and Lotus says the glasshouse has been designed to create good all-round visibility for daily driving.
The driver is faced with a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, and there’s a 10.25-inch touchscreen on the dashboard for infotainment.
Both are Lotus-exclusive systems, although the brand has confirmed Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will feature.
There’s 208L of space behind the seats, and a further 151L in a boot behind the engine.
Lotus says the doors will swallow 500ml bottles, and there’s USB and 12V connectivity. A 10-speaker sound system is available from British brand Uni-Q.
There are some classic Lotus touches – like the exposed linkage on manual-equipped cars, and the compact steering wheel.
Technology
Lotus will offer the Emira with a suite of adaptive driver aids.
Adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, driver fatigue monitoring, road sign information, lane-departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and lanechange assist will all be offered.
The car will also pack keyless entry and start, rain-sensing wipers, power folding mirrors, rear parking sensors (front are optional), auto-dimming rear-view mirror, curtain airbags, and launch control.
