The unveiling of the Lotus Emira was met with great fanfare. It’s well proportioned, good looking, and has a properly modern cabin. But being a Lotus, you can expect it to drive really, really well.
That’s exactly what former Formula One world champion, Jenson Button thinks of it. He spent over 30 laps driving the Emira around the Hethel test track, to which he said “it’s exceptional and I’m a big fan.”
“You always expect a Lotus to have good mechanical grip through the low-speed corners but there was plenty of downforce in the high-speed corners too. That means the feeling of great balance is the same no matter how you’re driving it. It’s exceptional and I’m a big fan,” he enthused.
For a towering figure such as himself, he sure seemed comfortable sitting in the Emira. In fact, he said once he sat inside, the Emira “just felt right,” adding that “the overall position of the gearstick in relation to the wheel, the pedals, everything was where it should be and that gives you great confidence from the start. I love the infotainment system too, which has everything you need and is really simple so you can get back to the important part, which is the driving.”
Lotus will be building the Emira in an entirely new facility in Norwich, a move it promised will produce a marked improvement in vehicle build quality, overall fit and finish, and consistency. The Emira will be perfect for everyday use, too, offering unprecedented levels of creature comforts, technology and practicality.
“The Lotus purists will love it, and the thing that people new to Lotus will love is the premium quality of the interior. When you’re in there you’re immersed in the seat and cockpit, and there’s a lot of lower back support so it will be comfortable for long journeys. That’s going to surprise people,” Button said.
As for the price, Button said “I’m still in shock at the price. Starting at under £60,000 (circa RM350k), it’s fantastic and means so many people are going to have the opportunity to experience it first-hand. It’s being called a junior supercar but it would give a lot of supercars a run for their money… and it’s more comfortable than most of them!” Button is a long-time fan of the brand and one of 130 would-be owners of the pure electric Evija hypercar.
GALLERY: Lotus Emira
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The last Lotus Petrol Engine
With Toyota 3.5L V6 and Mbenz 2.0 A45 Engine
Ready to race for collection Value.
Ready to race for Nurburgring records, let’s grab pop corn watching some Track Racing.
It’s not expected to loose to AMG hatchback A45s Nurburgring record, which is still much behind Renault Megane. Supposedly legendary handling.
The original A45s at UK only 50k pounds.
But doesn’t have the supercar looks.
Adding 10k pounds, worth it, better value than Mercedes Benz AMG A45s
I bet this will be the best selling Lotus ever.
Yes, Lotus already gave Proton a run for their money for so long. And don’t forget Dany Bahar who run with the money also.
” I’m a big fan ”
– Jenson button
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Not pure coincidence both Lotus n MV Augusta luckily survived n enjoyed huge success after they left failed P1 local mgmt for good…. No prizes for guessing why we failed n other ppl can huge sukses. surely not due to maruah..
Of course not. It was due to Mahathir meddling. Anything that he meddles will fail. Look at Umno, look at PH. All failed. Look at Bersatu after he left, huge sukses.
Did i see someone mentioned MV Agusta???
MV Agusta enjoyed huge success after Proton sold it?
MV Agusta is held by big time scammers. Every time it is sold to a new owner, the same people (castiglioni family) managed to convince the new owner for them to manage the company.
Proton was badly burned by these crooks.
Next was Harley Davidson, thru the same modus operandi.
Then with still the same modus operandi, now it was Mercedes through its AMG division got burned.
Now it is sold to a russian, with the castiglioni family still runs it on the new owners behalf.
Then it was
Hey why do you pronounce Alpine as Al Pin…should be Al Pine.
Alpine is a French word. The British pronounces it Al-pine according to the English convention. But, technically the more correct pronunciation is Al-peen according to the French language.
i see manual i like
Not saying anything bad but a word from the brand’s fan is prone to be biased. Of course a fan will see everything that’s done right but i also hope to know the shortcoming. I’m also a HUGE fan of the brand btw. I sat in an elise once ago and it’s my dream car ever since.
Agreed with JB’
Final judgement reserved until there is a comprehensive driving review, but the styling, the hydraulic steering, the reasonable boot space, the solid looking build quality (whether they can keep that up for production is another matter), the engine/transmission options…a winner. But more than that, the pricing looks to be a killer.
This is one of those very rare cars where it seems both the accountants and engineers have done a fantastic job working together.
Lotus,
Do SKD/CKD in Malaysia like what was done for Elise for this Emira. Use it for export to other ASEAN countries like Thailand, Brunei, Singapore to take advantage of the free trade agreements.
If it is assembled in Malaysia, its price could be the same or even cheaper than the Ford Mustang officially sold in Malaysia.
This could be the next best selling sports car in Malaysia IMO.
So Lotus/Geely/Proton, what do you say?
Malaysian can hardly afford nasi lemak..only benefits goes to a handful of 4Rs. Just focus on Proton and forget about Mboleh.
Emira seems to have a lot of potential in weight reduction.
Finally Lotus have a more driver friendly interior compare to previous line up.
Looking at the dashboard and center display, seems like a lot of Geely influence.
Still prefer the old Exige design looks than this one