Lotus is poised to offer a V8 option for its Emira sports car as the company looks to expand the appeal of its sole combustion-engined model.
The Geely-owned company is committed to offering a higher-powered version of the Emira, CEO Feng Qingfeng told investors on the company’s recent earnings call. “We are currently investigating the feasibility of the V8,” he said.
Currently, Lotus offers V6 and four-cylinder turbo options for the Emira.
Both offer 400bhp but Feng ruled out boosting the power of the V6 because the Toyota-sourced unit won’t 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 Emira is built in Lotus’s plant in Hethel, UK, and last year hit a sales record of 5272 deliveries.
“The US is an incredibly important market for us for the car. It always has been. So we're looking at the market demand for the product going forward,” Hethel boss and new CEO of Lotus Cars in Europe Matt Windle told Autocar.
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.
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.
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I have two lotus, an elise and exige v6 cup car for track. Untill now the emira has been too heavy, too relatively underporwered and to full of frippery to take seriously. Like the evora before it, the car would have beenm great a decade earlier.
Add the amg v8 loose some weight(atleast dont gain more) and add soem serious bits lkike ap brakes, ohlins and some poroper seats for track work and Ima buyer today.
If however the v8 car gains weight abd pointless luxury, then its just anoter pointless Gt car, and frankly an aston is a betetr option.
What Lotus needs is a GT4rs/Gt3 beater. Witht he 4Rs going out of production lotus can slot right into that 160k price range. But the porduct has to be real in the way the Gt prches are, not pretend track like so many oters.
The last time Lotus had V8 was in their 2nd model Esprit . It will be great to V8 to compete with lexus, Ferrari, Merc & BMWs
Emira is tranverse - basically, it uses FWD powertrains adapted for a rear-mount installation.
The Merc V8 is a longitudinal lump, so would take masses of work to fit. Doubt they'll do it.
The 4 cyl is as long as a v8 and the v6 as wide, the motor with a hot v will fits, the question is the transaxle.