Lotus Emira May Drop V6 in Favor of Powerful V8 Engine
A V8 engine is under consideration as the current supercharged V6 is unlikely to meet upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations.
Lotus is preparing to introduce a V8-powered variant of the Emira sports car, aiming to broaden the appeal of its only gasoline-powered model.
Geely-owned Lotus is committed to delivering a more powerful version of the Emira, CEO Feng Qingfeng confirmed during the company’s recent earnings call. “We are currently exploring the feasibility of a V8 engine,” he told investors.
At present, the Emira is available with either a turbocharged four-cylinder or a supercharged V6 engine.
Both engines deliver around 400bhp, but CEO Feng ruled out increasing the V6’s output, citing that the Toyota-sourced unit won’t meet the forthcoming Euro 7 emissions standards.
While Lotus originally planned to replace the V6 with the Mercedes-AMG-sourced four-cylinder engine, strong demand for the six-cylinder—particularly in the U.S., the world’s largest market for sports cars—has led the company to explore the possibility of installing a larger engine.
The Emira is manufactured at Lotus’s Hethel facility in the UK and achieved a record 5,272 deliveries last year.
The US has always been a crucial market for this car,” said Matt Windle, head of the Hethel plant and newly appointed CEO of Lotus Cars Europe. “We’re carefully assessing future market demand to guide our product decisions.
While Windle stopped short of confirming a V8, he acknowledged that the company is exploring various powertrain options. “The Emira is already a highly capable car, but we believe there’s more potential to unlock, so we’re considering all possibilities,” he said.
Supplier AMG may be a potential source for the V8 engine. “We’re exploring opportunities with our current engine supplier,” Windle said, though he did not explicitly mention the Mercedes division.
AMG also provides its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 to Aston Martin, powering models like the Vantage sports car and DBX SUV. However, it is yet unclear how much modification the Emira’s mid-engine, compact chassis would need to fit a larger engine.
If launched, the new V8 Lotus would mark the brand’s return to V8 power for the first time since the Esprit V8 was discontinued in 2004, following an eight-year production run.
Feng’s confirmation that Lotus is exploring a V8 option came after a US dealer proposed offering a stripped-down, high-performance V6 model capable of competing with the Porsche 911 GT3.
With a starting price of £158,200 in the UK, the 510bhp Porsche 911 GT3 costs significantly more than the £92,500 Emira V6, presenting Lotus an opportunity to increase its average selling price and potentially improve its financial performance.
Since the introduction of a new 25% tariff in April, Lotus has suspended shipments of the British-built Emira to the US—a market that represented one-fifth of Lotus’s total sales last year. Additionally, Lotus cancelled plans to sell its Chinese-built Eletre SUV and Emeya electric sedan in the US following the imposition of a 145% tariff on Chinese-made vehicles.
The recent UK-US agreement to reduce tariffs on UK-built goods to 10% has been a positive development for Lotus, but Windle is still awaiting the specifics before resuming shipments to the US.
“The headline figures have been announced, but the detailed terms remain unclear,” he said. “We have product ready to ship, but we don’t want to rush and risk facing unexpected setbacks.”
Lotus had planned to succeed the combustion-powered Emira with an electric sports car but is currently evaluating the market before moving forward. “I’m not sure if the market is ready for an electric sports car just yet,” said Windle.
