New Lotus Emira With AMG A35 And Toyota V6 Engines Is Brand’s Farewell To Combustion Cars
Earlier this year Lotus announced it was dropping the Elise, Exige and Evora in preparation for the arrival of a range of hybrid and fully electric sports car and crossovers. But there’s just time for one last Lotus ICE adventure before the EVs arrive. Called the Emira, and projected to cost less than £60,000 ($84,500), it’s the natural replacement for the Evora, and will battle cars like the Porsche 718 Cayman when it goes on sale in Europe in spring 2022, and the U.S. at the end of that year. Closely following the Lotus sports car recipe familiar since the introduction of the Elise in 1996, the Emira rides on a new version of the company’s bonded and riveted aluminium chassis. And it’s almost exactly the same size as the Evora, riding on the same 101.4-inch (2575mm) wheelbase, and measuring an additional 0.8-inches (20mm) between front and rear bumpers. Lotus claims the new car represents “a paradigm shift in levels of practicality, comfort, functionality and technology”. And one of ...