The Emira might be the last great Lotus you can buy, but it might get even better before production is supposed to cease in 2027. In a recent earnings call, Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng said that the brand is "currently investigating the feasibility of the V-8."
He didn't offer any specifics about the potential powertrain, according to Autocar. Lotus offers the Emira a Toyota-sourced, supercharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine or a turbocharged 2.0-liter Mercedes-AMG four-cylinder. The Emira V-6 makes 400 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, and any potential V-8 will likely deliver well above that.
Photo by: Lotus
Lotus Cars Europe CEO Matt Windle told the publication that the company likely hasn't "exploited" the Emira's full potential, so it's "looking at all the options," and it certainly has them. Mercedes already provides a four-cylinder engine to Lotus, and it could easily supply a few V-8 engines for an even meaner Emira.
Lotus revealed the Emira in July 2021, but it didn't go on sale in the United States until 2024. The company had to pause shipments here in early April due to tariffs, which forced it to announce that it would lay off up to 270 people due to the "volatile and evolving market conditions, including the US tariffs."
According to the Autocar report, Windle said the company has yet to restart shipments to America, even though the US and UK recently agreed to lower tariffs.
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