There’s a high degree of hype at Lotus right now. First came the Eletre, branded as a “Hyper SUV” and now it’s the turn of the Emeya to make its debut as the company’s first four-door “Hyper GT”. What’s more it is to be endowed with a low center of gravity that Lotus is calling “Hyperstance”.
“Bringing together our rich heritage with intelligent performance and the latest cutting-edge technologies, we’re pushing the boundaries for how a luxury electric vehicle should look and handle–making it truly for the drivers,” says Feng Qingfeng, CEO, Lotus Group.
Making its debut today in a pop-up Lotus Studio in Manhattan, New York, the Emeya is the company’s new flagship (if you exclude the near unicorn-status Evija) and it’s been designed to be more true to Lotus tradition than the Eletre, more of a driver’s car.
That starts with its lower profile and swooping fastback-like styling which might help it poach Porsche Taycan owners. It’s certainly more elegant than the imposing Eletre and the company’s signature porosity elements, which allow air to flow through the bodywork, seem to be more stylishly incorporated. In total there are eight of these vents to optimise aero efficiency and cool brakes, batteries and motors, while an active grille, air dam and rear diffuser and spoiler can all be deployed to enhance the driving experience. The Emeya’s air suspension reads the road 1,000 times a second and adapts to the conditions and driving style as well.
The Emeya’s underpinnings are essentially the same as the Eletre’s Electric Premium Architecture, with twin motors and a two-speed transmission working together to turn in a 0-62mph time of less than 2.8 seconds in the most extreme 900bhp version. Charging is speedy as well, with Lotus claiming that 93 miles can be added in just five minutes on a 350 kW DC rapid charger. The range is said to match the Eletre’s, which we experienced to be a real-world 300 miles. On top of electric regeneration Lotus says the Emeya comes with a “race-grade” braking system.
We found the Eletre’s cabin to be a rather pleasant place to be and the Emeya’s looks to be an evolution of the same, mixing sustainable materials with advanced technology. We were especially wowed with the Eletre’s KEF audio system, featuring Dolby Atmos surround sound and Emeya owners will also be offered this cinematic experience.
“This is a Lotus like you have never seen before. We’ve built on everything Lotus has achieved so far to create a luxury performance car for the drivers, designed to inspire confidence, exhilarate with raw emotion and pure joy–connecting them to the road,” says Ben Payne, Vice-President of Design, Lotus Group.
The Emeya is set to enter production in 2024 and will likely be priced higher than the £100,000 Eletre.
