This is the new Lotus Emeya, the second model in the company’s much-vaunted electrification product strategy after the well-received Eletre SUV. While there will be shared on-board tech and drivetrain components, the Emeya is a different kind of car, a ‘Hyper-GT’, in Lotus’s own coinage, designed to go up against the current market leaders like the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT.
Just like with the Eletre, this is unknown territory for Lotus, which had thus far spent its history focused almost exclusively on two-seater sports cars (with the occasional compact rear seats tucked in behind). There’s a clear familial resemblance to the faceted, duct-straked visual language of the Eletre, but the Emeya is (obviously) lower and sleeker, with the passenger compartment offering a more intimate, bespoke experience. In an increasingly commonplace move in the premium sector, the Emeya includes a new ‘luxury thread’ made from repurposed fibre as well as other recycled materials.
Perhaps that’ll also translate into a more dynamic experience, but the Eletre has already set benchmarks as one of the best handling large-scale SUVs on the market. Still, performance is absolutely central to the Lotus ethos, so we can expect the Emeya to live up to its ‘hyper’ billing.
The numbers released ahead of the launch suggest that it’ll be no slouch off the line, with the top specification model capable of a 2.8 second sprint to 62mph, and presumably plenty of shove in the mid-range as well. EV buyers also care passionately about the available range, and although deploying that acceleration won’t help you get anywhere quicker, we’d expect it to best the Eletre’s top-line range of 370 miles.
The Emeya also shares the Eletre’s ability to top that range up in record time, adding 93 miles in just five minutes on a (rare) 350kW fast charger, and reaching 80 per cent in 18 minutes. Other key technologies include the active aerodynamics, which improve stability and driving efficiency, as well as electronically controlled air suspension. It’ll also share the Eletre’s monumental-sounding Dolby Atmos-enabled audio system, developed in collaboration with KEF.
The new Emeya will start production in 2024 in the same Chinese facility as the Eletre. Pricing will also be announced at a later date.
Lotus Emeya, available in 2024, pricing tbc, LotusCars.com
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