2022 Lotus Emira debuts as brand’s last hurrah for gas-powered cars

The 2022 Lotus Emira made its global debut featuring an assertive exterior design that’s highlighted by crisp character lines. The Emira also comes with a modern cockpit, and two gasoline engine options. Speaking of the latter, the 2022 Emira is the British car brand’s last vehicle to use an internal combustion engine as Lotus is setting its sights for an all-electric future.    

Lotus Emira

The Emira is the last non-electric Lotus to be produced since the car brand is shifting its gears towards electrification. As such, the 2022 Emira is Lotus’ last hurrah for a gasoline-powered sports car. The automaker said that it builds on the legacy of other Lotus’ vehicles such as the Elise, Exige, and Evora. More importantly, Lotus said that the Emira represents the car brand’s leap to the future.          

“The Emira is a game-changer for Lotus. It stands as a beacon of everything we have achieved to date in the transformation of the business, the embodiment of our progress. It is a highly significant milestone on our path to becoming a truly global performance car brand,” said Lotus Cars Managing Director Matt Windle. 

Exterior

The Emira took design inspiration from the Lotus Evija electric hypercar. It comes with an assertive exterior design that’s highlighted by crisp character lines and sculpted surfaces. The Emira is fitted with vertical LED headlights that give the vehicle a sharp look when viewed from the front. It also has a sculpted hood that features the current iteration of the iconic Lotus roundel.  

Crisp character lines dominate the Emira's side profile

Turning at the side, the Emira has distinctive character lines from front to rear. You can also see a vent towards the rear, which provides fresh air to the engine. Of note, the vehicle has two-tone paint, which adds style points to the Emira’s overall look. The set of 20-inch wheels complement the whole side profile of Lotus’ last non-electric car. 

The Lotus Emira comes with a wide rear

The rear has a wide finish that comes with a large bumper that’s integrated with exit vents. The C-shaped LED taillights are slim, giving the Emira a subtle finish on the rear. Lastly, placed below is a black section housing twin exhaust pipes as well as an air diffuser.   

Interior

Dark and modern interior theme

The Lotus Emira is a two-seater car that comes with a dark interior theme featuring a modern dashboard layout. It has a digital instrument cluster, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, and two cup holders on the center console. Lotus said that the Emira’s seats have been designed to combine exceptional lateral support for high-speed cornering with total comfort for long-distance journeys. Four-way electric seat adjustment comes as standard with the option to upgrade to a premium sports seat with a 12-way electric adjustment for both the driver and passenger.    

Tech & Safety

In terms of tech, the 2022 Lotus Emira is equipped with a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, and a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen is placed right at the center of the dashboard. The said infotainment comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The Emira also has USB and 12V ports. 

Lotus added that the Emira has two chassis and suspension settings: Tour and Sports. Tour is tuned for everyday road use while Sports is available with the optional Lotus Drivers Pack and provides a slightly stiffer suspension set-up.   

The Emira comes with a boatload of tech and safety features

Other features included in the 2022 Emira are the following: cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, electric folding door mirrors, rear parking sensors (with front sensors as an option), auto-dimming rearview mirror, curtain airbags, launch control (as part of optional Lotus Drivers Pack), and a stolen vehicle tracker.

An Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is also available on the Emira. It includes features such as adaptive cruise control, anti-collision system, fatigue alert, road sign information, vehicle speed limiter, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane change assist. 

Engine

The Emira can be powered by either a 2.0-liter gasoline engine or a 3.5-liter V6 power unit. The 2.0-liter engine is developed by Lotus’ technical partner AMG while the V6 unit is the same engine found from the Exige and the Evora. Lotus shared that each engine is calibrated to provide maximum driver engagement. 

The Emira has an angry-looking fascia

In terms of power output, the British automaker said the Emira can put out 360 to 400 hp along with 430 Nm of torque. The engine can be connected to a manual, automatic, and dual-clutch transmission. Lotus added that the Emira can go from zero to 100 km/h in less than 4.5 seconds, and it has a top speed of 290 km/h. 

Pricing

Pricing for the 2022 Lotus Emira starts below £60,000 (around Php 4.1 million not including shipping fees and taxes). Manufacturing the Emira will take place at Lotus’ facility in Hethel, Norfolk.  

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