The Lotus Emira sports car could be offered with a V8 engine option as the British brand looks to expand the appeal of its sole combustion-engined model. Speaking at the Geely-owned company’s recent earnings call, CEO Feng Qingfeng said, “We are currently investigating the feasibility of the V8.”
- Emira V6’s popularity in the US market has prompted the evaluation of the V8 engine
- AMG’s 4.0-litre V8 is under evaluation to replace the V6
- New Lotus V8 will be the brand’s first since the Esprit was discontinued in 2004
Lotus Emira V6 to be replaced
Emira V6 to be phased out due to Euro 7 emission norms
In most markets, Lotus offers supercharged V6 and four-cylinder turbo-petrol options for the Emira – India gets only the latter, priced from Rs 3.22 crore. Feng ruled out boosting the power of the current 400hp, 3.5-litre V6 engine because the Toyota-sourced unit will not comply with upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations. Lotus had intended to phase out the V6 in favour of the Mercedes-AMG-supplied four-cylinder unit, but the six-cylinder has been enduringly popular in the US – the world’s largest sports car market – prompting the investigation into fitting a bigger engine.
“The US is an incredibly important market for us for the Emira. It always has been. So we're looking at the market demand for the product going forward,” the new CEO of Lotus Cars in Europe, Matt Windle, told our sister publication Autocar UK. Windle didn’t confirm the V8 but did say the company is looking into other power options. “It’s a very, very competent product that we probably haven’t exploited to its full already, so we are looking at all the options,” he said.
Mercedes-AMG V8 under consideration for Emira
Emira’s compact frame may need modifications to fit the AMG-sourced V8
Supplier AMG could be tapped for the V8. “There are some opportunities with the current supplier of engines, so we’re looking at it,” Windle said, without naming the Mercedes division. AMG also supplies its 4.0 twin-turbo V8 to Aston Martin for fitment into cars, such as the Vantage sports car and DBX SUV. However, it remains to be seen how much adaptation the mid-engined Emira’s compact frame would require in order to accommodate a larger engine.
The potential launch of a new V8 Lotus would be the first for the company since it dropped the Esprit V8 from its line-up in 2004, after a run of eight years.
Lotus Emira tariff in the US and India
Lotus halted shipments to the US amid a tariff tiff with the UK, China
The Emira is built at Lotus’ plant in Hethel, UK, and last year, it hit a sales record of 5,272 deliveries. The company had halted deliveries of the British-built Emira to the US after a new 25 percent tariff was imposed in April. This means that the market, which accounted for a fifth of all Lotus sales (about 1,000 units), saw no new models arrive. The British brand also cancelled sales of the Eletre SUV and Emeya sedan EVs in the US following the imposition of a 145 percent tariff on Chinese-built goods. However, a recently agreed deal between the UK and the US to lower tariffs on UK-built goods to 10 percent has helped Lotus, but shipments to the US have yet to restart, as further details are required.
Lotus had intended to replace the combustion-engined Emira with an electric sports car, but it is currently assessing the market before giving it the green light. “Is the market ready for an electric sports car? I don't really know the answer to that yet,” said Windle.
Lotus Emira price in India could reduce with the UK FTA
Considering the recent India-UK free trade agreement, the Lotus Emira’s price in India (Rs 3.22 crore) could see a reduction. Mini India recently announced a price protection programme for the Cooper S, which is produced at the brand’s plant in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scheme is meant to pass on the benefits of any reduction in the Mini 3-Door’s price in the near future.
All prices, ex-showroom, India
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
