Lotus unveiled a new mid-engined sports car called Emira on Tuesday as the “last hurray” with internal combustion engines before the famous luxury automaker switched to electric vehicles.
According to Lotus, the Emira will go on sale next spring from 85,141 US dollars (72,000 euros). It will have a top speed of 180 mph and reach 100 mph in less than 4.5 seconds, the company said.
“The Emira is a game changer for Lotus. It stands as a beacon of everything we have achieved so far in transforming the business and embodies our progress,” said Matt Windle, Lotus Managing Director, in a statement. “It’s a very important milestone on our way to becoming a truly global performance car brand.”
The Emira is the first new Lotus as part of the company’s “Vision80” transformation plan up to its 80th anniversary in 2028. This includes plans to only sell electric cars until then.
The car’s sleek but aggressive design was inspired by the more than $ 2 million Lotus Evija EV, according to the company, which is owned by Chinese company Geely.
The car is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 engine from Toyota Motor or a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine from Mercedes-Benz Performance AMG. It will deliver up to 400 horsepower with a maximum torque of around 317 foot-pounds, according to Lotus.
