Last combustion-powered Lotus Emira previewed

Lotus has announced that its all-new replacement for the ageing Elise, Exige and Evora will be named the Lotus Emira, which is set to make its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 6.

Taking its name from the Arabic for 'commander' or 'leader', until now the all-new 2021 Lotus Emira has been developed under the Lotus Type 131 codename.

From teaser images of the new model released overnight, we can see the Lotus Emira gets looks directly borrowed from the new Lotus Evija, with similar vertical-stacked headlights that albeit feature two LED running lights each, instead of the pure-electric hypercar's three.

At the rear of the car, designers say they have incorporated a "shrink-wrapped" design for the Emira that tightly packages its powertrain to provide plenty of space for its advanced air-bending aids that draw on the knowledge accrued when developing the Evija.

Instead of borrowing from within the Geely group, Lotus will shun a Volvo platform for an all-new bespoke lightweight architecture created in-house by the British sports car marque.

Dubbed the Elemental platform, the new architecture is claimed to be flexible, lightweight and employ extruded aluminium in its construction.

Lotus has confirmed it will be the brand's last-ever model with an internal combustion engine, but, contrary to speculation, it will not be a hybrid.

Full details of the new engine have not been revealed, but the car-maker says the powertrain used for the Emira will be fresh for Lotus and the result of a "new partnership", suggesting its deal with Toyota to supply its 3.5-litre V6 has ended.

Claimed to be highly efficient and use cutting-edge tech, it's thought that it could switch to powertrains sourced from its Geely parent and use a development of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that powers T6 Volvo models that use both a turbocharger and supercharger to make up for the small displacement.

Earlier rumours suggested that Lotus engineers hoped to use a V6 to help it rival cars like the Porsche Cayman and even the Porsche 911.

If so, Lotus might be forced to forge a new alliance with another car-maker, such as Volkswagen, to gain access to its turbocharged 3.0-litre V6.

Like the current range of Evoras, from launch expect a six-speed manual and a two-pedal automatic version to be offered.

Commenting on the Emira, whose job it is to replace the ancient 25-year-old Elise, the elderly 21-year-old Exige and long-past-its-prime Evora, Lotus boss Matt Windle said: "It’s the most accomplished Lotus for generations – the perfectly packaged, powered and formed sports car

"[It is] beautifully proportioned, shrink-wrapped, but with comfort, technology and ergonomics built in. With a design inspired by the Evija all-electric hypercar, it’s a game-changing Lotus sports car," he said.