Lotus Emira

Emira at a glance

The Emira follows a long line of light mid-engined Lotus cars, from the Lotus Esprit to the Lotus Elise. The full range is in the Lotus catalogue.

Launch and position in the range

Lotus revealed the Emira at its Hethel headquarters on 6 July 2021 and gave it its first public outing at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 8 July. Sales began in March 2022. The launch version was the V6 First Edition; Motor1 reported in September 2021 that production would start in spring 2022, that the AMG four-cylinder would follow in autumn 2022 (also as a First Edition), and that cheaper entry versions of around €60,000 were planned for spring 2023.

The roll-out was slower than planned. According to Wikipedia, the V6 First Edition first appeared in Malaysia, European and British deliveries of the V6 manual began in the fourth quarter of 2022, and supply problems limited output. V6 automatic deliveries for Europe and the UK were planned for the first quarter of 2023, US deliveries for the end of 2023, and production of the four-cylinder for the UK began in the third quarter of 2023.

The Emira's role is bigger than that of a single model. It took over from the small Elise and Exige and from the larger Evora. Lotus itself describes the Emira as building on all three, with design influences from the electric Evija hypercar. Lotus also presents it as the last of its models powered by a combustion engine.

Design and platform

The exterior was designed by Daniel Durrant under Russell Carr, and the interior by Jon Statham. Lotus says the styling shows influences of the Evija hypercar, but the Emira is a conventional two-seat coupé with the engine mounted across the car behind the cabin, driving the rear wheels.

The Emira uses Lotus's Elemental platform. At 4,412 mm long, 1,895 mm wide and 1,224 mm high on a 2,573 mm wheelbase, it is larger than the Elise and Exige. The quoted kerb weight is 1,487 kg.

According to Lotus, a removable roof panel is available on the Turbo SE, the V6 SE and the 420 Sport.

Engines and performance

The Emira is offered with two very different engines.

V6. The 3.5-litre Toyota 2GR-FE V6 is supercharged by an Edelbrock 1740 compressor. In the First Edition it produces 298 kW (405 PS); Wikipedia lists 299 kW (406 PS). Torque is 420 Nm with the six-speed manual and 430 Nm with the six-speed automatic, which has paddle shifters. The current V6 SE comes with the manual gearbox.

Four-cylinder turbo. The 2.0-litre M139 engine is supplied by Mercedes-AMG. In the Emira it produces 268 kW (365 PS) and is paired with an eight-speed AMG Speedshift dual-clutch gearbox. Lotus calls the version with the single twin-scroll turbocharger the Emira Turbo; the Turbo SE adds new engine and gearbox calibration, sports suspension, launch control and two-piece brakes.

The V6 figures come from the Motor1 data published at the launch of the First Edition; the manual is one tenth of a second slower to 100 km/h than the automatic.

Versions and prices

The first cars were the V6 First Edition. In Germany Motor1 reported a base price of €95,995 in September 2021, with €1,370 extra for the automatic. The First Edition came with 20-inch wheels, special brake calipers with the Lotus logo and a "Lower Black Pack" of gloss black splitter, side skirts, diffuser and intakes. The launch colour was Seneca Blue, with Hethel Yellow, Magma Red, Shadow Grey, Nimbus Grey and Dark Verdant also offered. A Driver's Pack let buyers choose Sport or Tour suspension with Goodyear or Michelin tyres.

In 2026 the Lotus range lists four versions: the Emira Turbo, the Turbo SE, the V6 SE and the new Emira 420 Sport, announced for summer 2026 with an upgraded 2.0-litre engine, new aerodynamic parts and a Lotus handling pack. The Racing Line pack adds further options.

In China the car was sold as the Lotus NYO Emira from 2022 to 2025. Wikipedia lists sales there of 577 cars in 2023, 499 in 2024 and 199 in 2025.

Emira GT4

Lotus revealed a racing version, the Emira GT4, in 2022. Customer deliveries began in the autumn of 2023 and the car made its racing debut in the GT Cup Championship that year. Its first international outing, the Great Bay GT Cup in November 2023, ended with a one-two finish.

The future of the Emira

The combustion engine will not disappear immediately. According to Wikipedia, after 2030 the Emira is due to be offered only with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo hybrid V6 supplied by Horse (type W30), with automatic transmission and no manual. For the story of the company behind the Elan and the Esprit, read our history of Lotus.

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