2022 Lotus Emira to be launched in Malaysia soon, priced from RM 1.1 mil

Bookings for the 2022 Lotus Emira were opened in Malaysia back in July 2021, a few weeks after its international debut and although it was initially scheduled for launch in February 2022, Lotus’ newest sports will be arriving here soon.

Prices of the Lotus Emira have been revealed on Lotus’ Malaysian website and it starts from RM 1,131,800. The prices given are for the First Edition models which are the initial units that will be available from summer 2022.

Malaysia doesn’t have seasonal weather but in other words, the first units could be arriving around the second half of the year.

Lotus is officially distributed by Lotus Karz in Malaysia but fans of the storied British sports carmaker have fond memories of the brand when it was bought over by Proton. The Emira is Lotus’ first model to benefit from Geely’s investment and takeover of the Hethel carmaker after the Malaysian tiger sold its majority stake in the company.

Also read: Made-in-China Lotus models coming soon, new HQ in Wuhan underway

The Emira replaces the long-running Elise, the Exige, and the Evora. It sits on the all-new Lotus Sports Car Architecture but uses the same bonded extruded aluminium chassis technology that is found on the Elise. Still, this isn’t the old-school Lotus that you’re accustomed to as it’s every bit a modern sports car underneath.

Also read: Pour one out for the Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora as they go six-feet under and lay the foundation for an electrifying future

A livable one even as it comes with a hydraulic power steering (Yes! In 2022 on a Lotus!), a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 10-speaker sound system by British Hi-Fi manufacturer KEF, and powered front seats.

The Emira weighs 1,405 kg ‘in its lightest form’ according to Lotus which sounds like it is keeping Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s “Simplify, then add lightness” philosophy though it’s unclear whether those figures are DIN or EU weight that adds the driver’s weight as well.

Also read: Neither simple nor light, here's why Lotus made the all-electric Eletre SUV

Being a Lotus sports car also meant that it uses some borrowed powertrains and in this case, it’s either a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine supplied by Mercedes-AMG (364 PS/430 Nm) or a Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre supercharged V6 (400 PS/420 Nm).

The supercharged V6 comes with either a 6-speed manual transmission with Torsen type limited-slip differential or a 6-speed automatic while the turbocharged unit is only paired to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission.

As a modern sports car, the Emira comes with ADAS which includes adaptive cruise control, anti-collision system (AEB), lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), and lane change assist.

At a million ringgit, the Lotus Emira is treading into the exclusive sports car market, far more than its simple, past offerings. We’ll have to take a closer look at it to see how well the Geely cash injection have really transformed Lotus’ position.

Also read: Lotus to start making electric SUVs in 2022, to be joined by 3 new EV models by 2026