Geely's investment resulted in the Lotus Emira, final non-electrified sports car from Lotus

This is the Lotus Emira, the final non-electrified sports car from the Hethel company and the first to benefit from the £100m investment by Geely to revitalise Lotus. It directly replaces the Lotus Evora and since the Elise and Exige will stop being produced by end of this year, it will take their places as well. Its rivals are the Porsche 718 Cayman and Alpine A110.

The Lotus Emira sits on an all-new chassis called the Lotus Sports Car Architecture. It uses the same bonded extruded aluminium chassis technology which debuted on the Elise. The suspension setup is double wishbone all-round and get this, it has hydraulic power steering.

It measures 4,412 mm long, 1,895 mm wide, 1,225 mm tall, with a wheelbase stretching at 2,575 mm, which is exactly the same as the Evora. Lotus quotes a weight of 1,405 kg that is ‘in its lightest form’ although unclear whether it’s DIN or EU weight (adds driver’s weight as well).

Two engines are available; a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine supplied by Mercedes-AMG that is paired to a dual-clutch transmission, and the Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre supercharged V6 engine mated to either a manual or automatic transmission.

Lotus has yet to release specifics on the powertrain, only that power output ranges from 360 PS to 400 PS, with a maximum torque of 430 Nm. Presumably, the 2.0-litre engine makes 360 PS while the 3.5-litre unit makes 400 PS. 0-100 km/h takes less than 4.5 seconds and top speed is 290 km/h.

Exterior wise, its design follows the same language set by the Lotus Evija. Russell Carr, Design Director of Lotus, commented: “The Emira captures the visual drama of an exotic supercar, with great proportions, wide footprint and a cabin that sits low down between muscular haunches.”

Wheels are 20-inches in diameter; as standard they will be fitted with a Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tyre, while a Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 is an option available in conjunction with the Lotus Drivers Pack.

Inside, it takes a huge departure from the previous Lotus models as it takes a step up in technology and selection of materials. There’s a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster behind the flat-bottomed steering wheel, and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity.

There’s also powered front seats, keyless entry, and a 10-speaker sound system from British Hi-Fi manufacturer KEF. It is the company’s first ever automotive partnership and features its Uni-Q technology.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) available on the Lotus Emira include adaptive cruise control, anti-collision system (AEB), fatigue alert, road sign information, vehicle speed limiter, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert, and lane change assist.

In the UK, prices start from £60,000 (around RM 345k). Comparatively, the Lotus Evora 400 had a starting price of £72,000 back when it was launched. In Malaysia, the Evora 400 had a starting price of around RM 600k back in 2016. This gives a rough idea of the price of the Lotus Emira should it arrive in Malaysia.