Fresh from the opening of order books in Malaysia, the Lotus Emeya has landed in Malaysia, in top-dog Emeya R form no less. The electric performance sedan is being shown at a closed preview event in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur ahead of its launch, which should be happening very soon.
The Emeya has an estimated starting price of RM575,000, the same as its chief rival, the Porsche Taycan. This R version will doubtless be quite a bit more expensive, however – judging by how the base Emeya is expected to be RM23,000 cheaper than the related Eletre, the R should retail around the RM815,000 mark (the Eletre R costs RM838,000).
For that kind of money, you’ll be getting a large five-door sedan that produces a staggering 905 hp (675 kW) and 985 Nm of torque from its dual motors – quite a bit higher than the base Emeya and Emeya S’ 603 hp (450 kW) and 710 Nm. All this is sent to all four wheels, enabling the R to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in just 2.78 seconds and to 200 km/h in nine seconds on its way to a top speed of 256 km/h.
All Emeyas come with a 102 kWh battery, slightly smaller than the heavier Eletre’s 112 kWh pack. But whereas the Emeya and Emeya S have a WLTP-rated range of 610 km and 540 km respectively, the more powerful and less efficient R is only capable of travelling up to 435 km on a single charge.
It’s a good job, then, that the Emeya’s 800-volt electrical charger allows up to 400 kW of DC fast charging, taking just 14 minutes to bring the battery up from 10 to 80% charge. It can also support up to 22 kW of AC charging, so a full charge takes 5.5 hours.
Under the skin, the Emeya comes as standard with triple-chamber air suspension and adaptive dampers that can respond to changes in road conditions. Many parameters, such as the car’s ride height, suspension stiffness and throttle response, can be adjusted through the five drive modes – Range, Tour, Sport, Individual and Track. The Emeya R adds a handling pack that includes active roll stabilisation and rear-wheel steering.
Built in Wuhan, China and developed at the Lotus Tech Innovation Centre in Raunheim, Germany, the Emeya is Hethel’s second “hyper EV” after the Eletre. Long (5,139 mm), wide (2,123 mm) and low (1,459 mm) and sporting the brand’s “porous” design language that suggests aerodynamic efficiency – first seen on the Evija hypercar – the car boasts plenty of road presence, even compared to the massive Eletre.
Aside from the body shape and lower ride height, the Emeya is distinguishable from the front through the distinctive double-L LED daytime running lights (the main headlights are mounted lower down in the bumper, near the corner air ducts). You still get the “petal” active lower grille, black roof, body-coloured C-pillar “fin”, active rear spoiler (here with two selectable levels) and full-width taillight strip from the Eletre.
Wheel options range from 20 to 22 inches in diameter, but the Emeya S and R ride on 21-inch rollers as standard; the car you see here gets the largest 22s with carbon fibre aero inserts. These hide larger brakes with six-piston front callipers, an upgrade over the standard four-piston items. Carbon ceramic brakes with ten-piston front callipers are optional and are also fitted here.
Further differentiating the R is the standard carbon pack consisting of a front splitter, roof, side mirror caps, rear Gurney flap (on the active rear spoiler) and rear diffuser, all made from the lightweight material. This particular unit gets the expanded pack that adds carbon front and rear bumper trim, bonnet panels and side skirts; however, it does lose out on the optional side-view cameras.
The Emeya’s sumptuous interior is a far cry from the stripped-out cabins of the brand’s trademark lightweight sports cars – as it should be, given that the R tips the scales on the wrong side of two and a half tonnes. The dual-cockpit dashboard design and wide centre console are similar to what you’ll find in the Eletre.
Also shared with the SUV are the brace of screens – twin slimline 12.6-inch driver and passenger displays and a massive 15.1-inch infotainment touchscreen, plus a 55-inch head-up display. These run on a pair of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chips and the Lotus HyperOS, which utilises the gaming-derived Unreal Engine for the 3D representation of the Emeya on the central screen.
Elsewhere, you’ll find plush power-adjustable seats with a massage function for those at the front and, with the comfort seat pack, at the rear as well. This show car is fitted with the four-seater executive pack, which adds, among other things, a nine-inch control touchscreen which can be folded flat when not in use. This does have the unfortunate side effect of slashing boot space from 509 litres to just 426.
Other optional features include a panoramic glass roof (which can be had with an electrochromic “frosting” function) and a 23-speaker, 2,160-watt KEF Reference Audio system (a 15-speaker, 1,380-watt setup comes as standard) tied to the four-seater layout.
All Emeyas are fitted with a brace of driver assists which include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, front and rear cross traffic alert, rear collision warning and a 360-degree camera; park assist is offered as an option.
As with the Eletre, the car also comes with retractable lidar sensors on the roof, front fenders and tailgate. These support highly-autonomous driving capabilities, which Lotus promises will be added on via over-the-air updates as local regulations permit.
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