Last combustion-powered Lotus to get paddleshift and full digital dash, says new teaser
The second tease of the all-new Lotus Emira has been released online ahead of the Elise, Exige and Evora-replacing sports car’s official debut on July 6.
Posting a single image of the Emira’s steering wheel and dash on its social media, the new video clip, reveals the small Lotus will come with an unusual hexagonal steering wheel that’s wrapped in Alcantara and features a yellow 12 o’clock band that was once the preserve of rally drivers.
Look closer and you might be able to spot the steering wheel also sports a pair of paddles, confirming the Lotus, that’s being developed under the Type 131 codename, will come with a two-pedal option.
It’s not known if the Emira, that’s based on the car-maker’s all-new extruded aluminium Elemental platform, will feature a dual-clutch transmission or come with the six-speed torque-converter automatic that’s available in Lotus models like the Evora GT410.
Despite the tease, it’s thought a traditional six-speed manual will also be offered.
Ahead of the new wheel, Lotus has given us our first glimpse of its next-generation digital instrument cluster that features customisable screens that places a G-meter dead centre of the display.
The dash also reveals the Lotus will get a Tour and Sport setting, plus lane-keep assist, suggesting the Lotus will come equipped with advanced semi-autonomous driving aids for the first time.
Other takeaways include a red line that looks like it will begin at 7000rpm. No other details were released about the Emira, although Lotus did announce that its Elise, Exige and Evora replacement has now entered a pre-production stage, with early prototypes already in-build at the car-maker’s Hethel plant that has recently benefited from a £100 million ($A180m) upgrade.
From the earlier tease that also revealed the new nameplate, the Emira gets looks directly borrowed from the new Lotus Evija, with similar vertical-stacked headlights that albeit feature two LED running lights each, instead of the pure-electric hypercar’s three.
At the rear of the car, designers say they have incorporated a “shrink-wrapped” design for the Emira that tightly packages its powertrain to provide plenty of space for its advanced air-bending aids that draw on the knowledge accrued when developing the Evija.
Full details of the new engine have not been revealed, but the car-maker says the powertrain used for the Emira will be fresh for Lotus and the result of a “new partnership”, suggesting its deal with Toyota to supply its 3.5-litre V6 has ended.
Claimed to be highly efficient and use cutting-edge tech, it’s thought that it could switch to powertrains sourced from its Geely parent and use a development of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that powers T6 Volvo models that use both a turbocharger and supercharger to make up for the small displacement.
Earlier rumours suggested that Lotus engineers hoped to use a V6 to help it rival cars like the Porsche Cayman and even the Porsche 911.
If so, Lotus might be forced to forge a new alliance with another car-maker, such as Volkswagen, to gain access to its turbocharged 3.0-litre V6.
As part of the latest tease Lotus has confirmed it will reveal the Emira during an online event hosted at the car-maker’s Hethel HQ on July 6.
