NEWS: Lotus Emira sports car to go on sale in Australia

The Lotus Emira has been confirmed as the last vehicle to be made with an internal combustion engine. The last of its generation.

Emira is coming to Australia

The Lotus Emira sports car will be the last vehicle manufactured by Lotus that will feature an internal combustion engine. Pronounced ‘E-meer-a’, the word features in numerous ancient languages and often translates as ‘commander’ or ‘leader’. It’s an appropriate name considering the step change it represents for the brand & clearly signals the intent for the future of Lotus. The official unveiling of the Emira will be conducted in July at Hethel, Norfolk – where the Emira will be built – and will make its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2021.

Will the Emira be a hybrid or electric vehicle?

Lotus Emira Type Sports Car For Sale in Australia
Contrary to all the speculation that was on the internet and from various media sources, the Lotus Emira will not be a hybrid or an all electric car. In fact the Emira will be powered by a choice of internal combustion engines. This will be the last time Lotus launches a vehicle with an internal combustion engine. Although this new powertrain option will be new to Lotus, highly efficient, use cutting edge technology and be tuned to help deliver a distinctive Lotus sports car driving experience.

Is Lotus Emira a smaller version of the Evija

Lotus Emira Sports Car Rear View Teaser Photo

"It’s the most accomplished Lotus for generations – the perfectly packaged, powered and formed sports car. Beautifully proportioned, shrink-wrapped, but with comfort, technology and ergonomics built in. With a design inspired by the Evija all-electric hypercar, it’s a game-changing Lotus sports car."

Matt Windle
Lotus Emira Sports Car Rear Brand Badge
Lotus have not revealed images of the Emira as yet, but they have teased a few styling photos. The new sports car design for Emira will be influenced by the Lotus Evija hypercar. This new design language is all part of the brand’s product-led offensive into a new era of contemporary design, highly efficient powertrains, and everyday usability coupled with amazing vehicle performance.

When will the Emira be on sale in Australia?

Lotus Emira Sports Car Front View Teaser Photo

"Before any volume EVs comes Type 131. ‘It’s the bridge to the next era,’ says Windle. ‘It is our last internal combustion engine car. There have been a lot of rumours that this car is hybrid and it’s an Esprit replacement, but it’s neither of those.’

Emira, Type 131 is a mid-engined sports car, running the Toyota V6 updated from the Evora and a ‘high-output, lower-capacity engine, where we’re partnering with a very famous engine manufacturer’.

It’ll be priced between the Porsche 911 and Porsche Cayman – but ‘much closer to Cayman’."

Matt Windle
A confirmed availability date for Lotus Emira in Australia has not been confirmed as yet. Simply Sports Cars in Sydney & Melbourne will sell Lotus Emira in Australia and we are taking expressions of interest now for people who want to be first to receive updates. The Lotus Emira will be officially unveiled to the world in July by Lotus.

How much will a Lotus Emira be?

Lotus Emira Sports Car For Sale in Australia From Dealerships

Pricing has not been confirmed for Lotus Emira at this stage but based on Matt Windle, Managing Director of Lotus Cars, the Emira pricing will be positioned between a Porsche 911 and Porsche Cayman which is between AUD$130,000 and $260,000 using base models as a reference.

Where will the Lotus Emira be made?

Lotus Emira Sports Car New Production Facility in the UK

Lotus has announced there will be four new vehicle architectures, a technology roadmap and a fresh global retail identity which forms part of their ongoing transformation of the business and brand. This follows the major investments that have been made in new manufacturing facilities at Hethel where the Lotus Emira will be built.

 

Referred to internally as the Elemental architecture, this is the platform on which the all-new Lotus Emira will be built on. Flexible, lightweight and featuring the signature Lotus extruded aluminium technology, this new sports car platform is a massive step-change technically. Every dimension is different to previous generations of Lotus sports cars.

 

This project is one of many that the Lotus brand is working on with recent announcements including;

 

– JBXE: Lotus Engineering is technical partner to JBXE, the Extreme E race team launched by former F1 world champion Jenson Button. The team will benefit from Lotus Engineering’s expertise and motorsport experience.

 

– British Cycling: An innovative aerodynamic profile for the new track bike to be ridden by Team GB athletes at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics. The work has been led by Lotus Engineering.

 

– Project LEVA: Short for Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture, Project LEVA is a collaboration led by Lotus Engineering that is targeting the acceleration of and innovation behind new lightweight structures for next-generation battery electric vehicles.

 

– Project BattCon: Lotus Engineering has launched a pilot containerised battery testing facility to assess energy storage solutions for the booming EV sector. It means the consultancy can carry out various battery cell, module and pack characterisation tests, performance evaluations, and component and lifetime testing under controlled conditions for its clients.