Lotus to enter India with Emira and Eletre: All you need to know
The iconic British sportscar manufacturer, as part of its starting lineup, is driving in two cars — the Emira 2-door coupe and the Eletre electric SUV, which will be sold through Exclusive Motors located in New Delhi. Read on to find more
Starting with the Lotus Emira, the 2-door coupe was first introduced in 2021, and now as part of Lotus’ entry into India will be the first of two cars to launch. Design-wise, the Emira takes its inspiration from the all-electric Evija hypercar. It’s a typical Lotus with a curvy design on a compact body. The Emira is a small, lightweight car that is supposed to be very agile. (Image: Lotus)
2/10
What is different when it comes to the Emira versus other Lotus cars is that the fit and finish levels are superior. Then, you have the interiors which offer a more practical design with features such as cup-holders and door pockets that are almost non-existent in the other cars in the company’s lineup. The dash, too, gets a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display as well as a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment centre complete with smartphone connectivity and connected car tech. (Image: Lotus)
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The Emira is a 2-seater and there is space behind the seats for luggage storage. Combined with the boot, Lotus says there is a total of 359 litres of space. The storage area under the armrest, too, gets USB-A, USB-C and 12v ports. (Image: Lotus)
4/10
Powering the Emira is a choice between two petrol engines. The first is an AMG-sourced, Lotus-tuned 2-litre inline four-cylinder engine capable of producing 360 hp of maximum power and 430 Nm of peak torque. This engine is mated to a dual-clutch automatic transmission and Lotus claims a top speed of 171m/h (275 km/h) and a 0-60 mph sprint of 4.3 seconds. (Image: Lotus)
The second engine is a more powerful Toyota-sourced supercharged V6. This 3.5-litre heart produces 400 hp of maximum power and 420 Nm of peak torque and can be mated to either a manual or an automatic gearbox. Lotus claims a top speed of 180 mph (289 mph) for the manual variant and 169 mph for the automatic variant. 0-60 mph sprint time has been recorded at 4.2 seconds and 4.6 seconds, respectively. (Image: Lotus)
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The next car on the list is the Eletre SUV. Of course, the Eletre is an all-electric vehicle as the name suggests, and in terms of design is less Lotus-like than you would expect. While still present, the essential Lotus curves are more subtle here and overall styling is fairly modern looking. The SUV character of the Eletre is only enhanced thanks to the aggressive grille area and the large 22-inch rims. The highlight of the Eletre’s exteriors, however, has to be the grille area that opens and shuts when required. The SUV also gets an active spoiler at the rear. (Image: Lotus)
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The interior of the Eletre is equally elegant with re-fibre textiles and Nappa leather used for the upholstery. The dash features a total of three screens, including a driver’s display and a 15.1-inch HD OLED infotainment centre. Working in tandem with the infotainment screen is a small passenger’s display. Now, of course, the Eletre is an EV and has to be future-proofed. This includes LiDAR sensors that allow for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) as well as autonomous driving. (Image: Lotus)
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Internationally, the Eletre is available in three variants. The standard Eletre and Electre S are powered by a 450 kW (611 hp) dual motor setup that allows for a top speed of 160 mph (257 km/h) and a 0-62 mph time of 4.5 seconds. The Eletre R, on the other hand, is powered by a larger 675 kW (918 hp) dual-motor setup mated to a 2-speed transmission. (Image: Lotus)
Lotus claims a top speed of 165 mph (265 km/h) for the Eletre R and a 0-62 mph sprint time of just 2.95 seconds. All versions are powered by a 109-kWh battery pack. This allows the standard Eletre and S variants a total range of 373 miles (600 km) and the S variant 304 miles (489 km) on a single charge. Charging comes from an 800V system allowing the Eletre to charge at 350 kW from a DC fast-charging station. (Image: Lotus)
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As for prices we would like to wait and see when the cars launch in India later this year. However, for context, the Emira starts at 81,495 pounds in the UK whereas the Eletre gets a starting price of 89,500 pounds. At today's exchange conversion rate, it converts to approximately Rs 89.93 lakh and Rs 92.18 lakh, respectively. Remember that these are UK prices and the cars will be brought to India as completely built-up (CBU) units, which means the prices will skyrocket. (Image: Lotus)
Stanford Masters Journalist who writes on automobiles
