Emeya is new Lotus flagship

LOTUS has unveiled yet another high performance fully electric ‘E’ car, called the Emeya, breaking cover this week at Lotus’ Studio Emeya, a three-day immersive experience in New York City to showcase the new flagship.

It joins a brace of other Lotus electric sports models: Eletre, Emira and Evija, with more in the pipeline given owner Geely’s stated intentions for the brand (to make it profitable).

The Emeya is a “hyper” grand tourer (GT) ostensibly designed for that fast blast down the autoroute from Paris to the French Riviera (or similar) something that is totally foreign here in 110km/h speed limited Australia.

The new BEV “brings together the company’s rich history, with sports car levels of performance and latest technologies,” says Lotus.

It is claimed to be one of the fastest electric GTs in the world, with acceleration from 0-100km/h in under 2.8 seconds.

Emeya arrives as a flagship model in the Lotus line-up of luxury performance electric vehicles.

At the New York event, Lotus’ CEO, Feng Qingfeng commented, “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”.

Lotus tells us the Emeya sets a new benchmark for how a Lotus drives and feels by combining the company’s 75-year expertise in engineering and design, with the latest advanced innovations – bringing drivers an electric car that is exciting to drive and performs exceptionally.

However, the original Lotus mantra, coined by founder Colin Chapman went… “adding power makes you faster on the straights, subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere”.

It now seems redundant given the weight of all BEVs including those from Lotus.

But the iconic sports car maker is adamant its advanced and active aerodynamic features such as the pioneering active front grille, rear diffuser and rear spoiler will carry the day. Particularly when combined with a low centre of gravity that Lotus calls ‘hyperstance’, that enhances stability when driving, and “sets a new standard in the GT segment for ride and handling excellence”.

Electronic controls abound on Emeya starting with the air suspension system with advanced, on-board sensors that “feel” the road 1000 times a second and automatically, electronically adjust the vehicle to ensure a smooth ride.

In top spec’ Emeya we find Lotus’ high-power dual motor set-up that delivers a top speed of more than 250km/h to go with its hair straightening 0-100km/h time.

On the battery charging side, travelling Emeya owners will be able to rest assured they have access to what Lotus calls “market-leading charging capabilities” that may add 150km of range in approximately five minutes of charge using a 350kW DC fast charger, as well as boost range up to 80 per cent within 18 minutes.

Adding to its enviro’ credentials, Emeya has been designed with sustainable materials that are also sustainably sourced to reduce its carbon footprint. It includes a new luxury thread made from repurposed fibres from the fashion industry as well as PVD aluminium, Alcantara, Nappa leather, and Ultrafabrics PU.

As befits a true GT car the Emeya boasts an occupant pleasing music experience through its immersive audio system developed with KEF with a speaker system that will “elevate music listening to new levels”.

It features KEF’s award-winning Uni-Q speaker design and Uni-Core space-saving subwoofer enclosure, as well as Dolby Atmos-enabled 3D surround sound – first seen in a Lotus on the Eletre hyper-SUV.

Vice-president of design, Lotus Group, Ben Payne said, “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”.

Lotus will commence Emeya production some time in 2024 with no specifics provided until Q4 this year suffice to say it is highly likely to be built in China as is the Lotus Eletre electric SUV with which it has derivative styling cues and shares other components.