Lotus Emira V6 First Edition priced

The 2022 Lotus Emira, the last-ever internal combustion engine model from the legendary British sports car company, will launch in the UK in V6 supercharged First Edition form for the equivalent of about $140,000 plus on-road costs.

The £75,995 price tag for the mid-engined Porsche Cayman rival was announced at the same time as a €95,995 price (or more than $A150,000) was released for Germany.

Australian pricing will be announced soon, well ahead of the first Emira V6 First Edition arrivals around July 2022. But expect it to line up somewhere in the vicinity of the $139,500 Porsche Cayman S and $175,100 Cayman GTS.

“Specification and pricing discussions for the Australian market are almost concluded and we expect to release information to market in early October,” confirmed Lee Knappett, CEO of Lotus Cars Australia. 

“It is not uncommon for manufacturers to release pricing first in their home and close markets before releasing in other regions. 

“We are excited that we will soon be able to progress to the next step of the journey with the many customers who have already placed their deposits on First Edition cars.”

Lotus Cars Australia is yet to reveal how many Emiras will make it here, but admits deposit numbers have exceeded any previous local demand.

The V6 First Edition, which is powered by a Toyota 2GR-FE 3.5-litre engine (just like the Camry used to have) boosted by an Edelbrock 1740 supercharger to make 298kW and 420Nm (manual) or 430Nm (auto), starts production in the European Spring 2022 (Autumn here).

The ‘i4’ First Edition, which will be powered by a 268kW version of the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine from the Mercedes-AMG A45 S mated exclusively with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, will go into production in the European Autumn (Spring 2022 for us).

The standard Emira will be priced from £59,995 ($A113,600) in the UK but won’t go into production until 2023.

The V6 First Edition drives its rear wheels via a six-speed manual with visible gearchange mechanism or £1800 ($A3400) optional six-speed auto, accelerates from 0-100km/h in 4.2sec (auto) or 4.3sec (manual) and manages an autobahn-friendly 290km/h top speed. 

Lotus, now owned by Chinese automotive octopus Geely, has already revealed its post-Emira feature, with the 2022 Lotus Evija battery-electric hypercar due for release next year.

It will then be followed by an SUV codenamed Type 132, the Type 133 four-door coupe and the mid-size Type 134 SUV. All of them are electric and all will be built at a new plant in Wuhan, China.

An electric sports car co-developed with Renault performance division Alpine will launch in 2026. Like all Lotus sports cars, it will continue to be built at the company’s Norfolk base in the UK.

Like the Elise, Exige and Evora sports cars that are headed out of production, the Emira has been developed on a Lotus-developed lightweight bonded aluminium chassis.

The Lotus Emira V6 First Edition retains hydraulic power-assist steering, rides on 20-inch diamond-cut forged alloy wheels, stops via two-piece brake discs with branded callipers and has tyre pressure monitoring.

Exterior details include LED lights all round, a titanium exhaust finisher, heated power-fold door mirrors, rear parking sensors and six exterior paint colours all paired with gloss black for items such as the splitter, diffuser and side sills..

Inside there are seven colour choices, 12-way adjustable heated seats with two memory settings for the driver, climate control, cruise control, keyless start and selectable drive modes.

A 10.25-inch touch-screen operates Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and satellite navigation (in selected markets) supported by Bluetooth and USB/12V sockets. A KEF 10-channel/340W premium audio system includes DAB digital radio.

A 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster sits behind a multifunction steering wheel.

There are four option packs, three of which are fitted to the V6 First Edition as standard.

They include a Drivers Pack which gives customers the choice of Tour or Sport suspension with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tyres, or Sport suspension with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.

The Design Pack adds privacy glass, sports pedals, a black Alcantara headliner and the choice of black, red, yellow or silver brake callipers. Lotus-branded footwell mats are also included. The Convenience Pack adds front parking sensors, rear reversing camera, rain-sensing wipers with aero blades, auto-dimming mirrors and a rear luggage storage net.