New Lotus Emira arrives with AMG power and sub-£60k price tag

Lotus has unveiled the Emira, a two-seater sports coupe designed to take on the likes of the Porsche Cayman and Alpine A110.

Developed on a completely new lightweight bonded aluminium chassis, the Emira won’t be available with any form of electrified powertrain, but will instead use either a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit sourced from AMG or a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 previously used in the Exige and Evora. The larger engine will be offered from spring 2022, with the 2.0-litre variant following on in the summer.

Prices are set to start from ‘under £60,000’, but further details are expected to be released closer to the car’s full release.

Lotus says that the Emira’s power will range from 355bhp to 395bhp, but hasn’t yet confirmed the details of each powertrain. It has said, however, that it’ll be capable of going from 0-60mph in less than 4.3 seconds and hit a top speed of 180mph.

The 2.0-litre powertrain is completely new to Lotus, with AMG joining the firm as a ‘technical partner’ on the Emira programme. Linked to a DCT automatic gearbox with paddle shifters, the engine delivers ‘low emissions and linear performance’, according to Gavan Kershaw, director of vehicle attributes at Lotus.

“On top of all that, it’s been tuned in-house by the hugely experienced Hethel engineers to deliver that distinctive Lotus experience,” he added.

The Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 is a more familiar unit, having been used in previous Lotus vehicles. It’ll be linked to a manual gearbox, too.

Inside, the cabin features a ‘wraparound’ design that encapsulates both driver and passenger in a variety of high-end materials, while standard seats boast four-way electric adjustment. These can be upgraded to premium sport seats with 12-way adjustment if desired. A central 10.25-inch touchscreen offers up media and navigation functions – as well as both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – and is bolstered by a 12.3-inch TFT driver’s display.

There are 208 litres of luggage space available behind the two seats, while additional space comes from a boot to the rear of the engine. At 151 litres, Lotus says this is capable of holding a standard-size flight case or a set of golf clubs.

The Emira will be built at the Lotus headquarters in Hethel, following £100 million of investment by the firm. The launch of the new vehicle has created more than 200 new roles at Lotus.