Monday 7th June 2021

Lotus previews new Emira interior

Latest teaser shots reveal new steering wheel and digital dash - and paddles too

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Is there a car we're more excited about seeing this summer than the Lotus Emira? Probably not. Not only is it the first all-new combustion-engined Lotus since the Evora and the last petrol-powered one ever, it has also been tasked with the job of effectively replacing the Elise. Which is like replacing Concorde or Kate Moss. Because it set the benchmark for a generation of lightweight, rear-drive sports cars - and while its faults became more obvious in recent years, its underlying raw talent is not in question.

Understandably then, Lotus is building up to its reveal next month at what seems like a glacial rate. In April we had the name confirmed (it basically means 'leader' if that fact passed you by) and just last week its maker announced that pre-production had commenced following a £100m investment in new facilities. The centrepiece is a 12,000m2 assembly hall which heralds part-robotised production at Hethel for the first time.

Now Lotus is back to previewing the car itself. Cue some social media teaser shots of the new steering wheel and digital dash - our first glimpse of the Emira's interior. What can we learn from them? Well, the modern-day cues are present and correct: a brace of multi-function menu buttons, drive modes and multiple screens signal Lotus's triumphant arrival in 2021 - as does the G-meter the car has clearly been equipped with.

Additionally, the presence of what looks like Alcantara and yellow stitching will get no complaints from us. What you think about the paddles peering over the top of the spokes is going to be more subjective. We know the Emira will be made available with both four- and six-cylinder engines; that it is also plainly getting an automatic gearbox is not surprising given market demand - whether or not it is exclusively a two-pedal car remains to be seen.

Whatever means we end up using to upshift, it seem like we'll be doing it at around 7,000rpm, if the new rev counter is to be believed. Again, whether that applies to the four or six, we don't know - although it's worth noting that the Toyota-sourced supercharged 3.5-litre V6 currently powering the Evora also peaks at 7,000rpm. The four-cylinder engine is believed to be a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit, but Lotus hasn't confirmed where it has sourced the smaller unit from yet.

It is remaining tight-lipped about many things. But - as the teaser pics signify - there are less than 30 days to wait to see if the car lives up to its managing director's original comments: "It's the most accomplished Lotus for generations - the perfectly packaged, powered and formed sports car. Beautifully proportioned, shrink-wrapped, but with comfort, technology and ergonomics built in. With a design inspired by the Evija all-electric hypercar, it's a game-changing Lotus sports car."

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• 2021 Lotus Elise 240 Final Edition | PH Review

[chelme]

You mean previews the steering wheel and instrument binnacle?! There is nothing of the interior and really, what is this meant to be, a tease? It looks old before its revealed...

[Om]

My take away from that is the instruments spell out O A P at start up. That's about it.

[Vee12V]

From the shape and thickness of steering wheel over the small and useless paddles, the lay-out of the dials to the actual buttons on the steering wheel, it's all wrong as far as I'm concerned.

Edited by Vee12V on Monday 7th June 14:07

[flukey5]

The fact they've chosen to show sacrilegious flappy paddles instead of highlight their absence makes me very worried

[anonymous-user]

Does anyone outside the room full of marketing tossers at the car companies and the room full of motoring "journalist" tossers desperate for any content actually give a crap about these tedious "reveals"?

Give us a shout when you have a car to show us and let us drive, until then do something useful with your time.

[flukey5]

stickleback123 said:

Does anyone outside the room full of marketing tossers at the car companies and the room full of motoring "journalist" tossers desperate for any content actually give a st about these tedious "reveals"?

Me - because the second they announce that this thing is cuckbox automatic only, I'm buying an Elise instead.

[Tuna]

Given the parts-bin nature of previous Lotus dashboards, I can understand them wanting to show that they have a modern display and buttons that have clean panel gaps.

We'll see if the rest of the car is 'a Lotus', or 'a corporate reinterpretation'.

[anonymous-user]

flukey5 said:

Me - because the second they announce that this thing is cuckbox automatic only, I'm buying an Elise instead.

cuckbox

[flukey5]

stickleback123 said:

flukey5 said:

Me - because the second they announce that this thing is cuckbox automatic only, I'm buying an Elise instead.

cuckbox

My logic - in a fun & light sports car at least, if you'd let something else smash the gears for you then you probably let someone else smash your wife for you too

Edited by flukey5 on Monday 7th June 14:39

[SWoll]

flukey5 said:

stickleback123 said:

flukey5 said:

Me - because the second they announce that this thing is cuckbox automatic only, I'm buying an Elise instead.

cuckbox

My logic - in a fun & light sports car at least, if you'd let something else smash the gears for you then you probably let someone else smash your wife for you too

Edited by flukey5 on Monday 7th June 14:39

Might want to hop over to the Alpine section and let them know your thoughts.

[Northernboy]

flukey5 said:

My logic - in a fun & light sports car at least, if you'd let something else smash the gears for you then you probably let someone else smash your wife for you too

Edited by flukey5 on Monday 7th June 14:39

I think if you try something fast you’ll see why automatics are popular, you just can’t keep up with the gear changes needed on a high-end car nowadays.

I’m looking forward to a manual in my GR Yaris, but in the faster cars they’d just not work as well.

[anonymous-user]

Seriously, what shape is that steering wheel? Hexagonal? Octagonal?

[NDNDNDND]

I reckon Lotus should just accept that most new buyers are simply going to want to buy automatics.

And then they should keep a healthy supply of manual gearboxes in stock and offer a 'conversion' service for when they get to the second hand market and people who actually want a manual start to own them.

[CraigyMc]

Northernboy said:

flukey5 said:

My logic - in a fun & light sports car at least, if you'd let something else smash the gears for you then you probably let someone else smash your wife for you too

Edited by flukey5 on Monday 7th June 14:39

I think if you try something fast you’ll see why automatics are popular, you just can’t keep up with the gear changes needed on a high-end car nowadays.

I’m looking forward to a manual in my GR Yaris, but in the faster cars they’d just not work as well.

The number of people buying a Lotus to go fast in a straight line isn't all that high. Maybe the emira will draw in a different crowd.

[anonymous-user]

This "article" is just stupid waste of time and space

[J4CKO]

rockin said:

Seriously, what shape is that steering wheel? Hexagonal? Octagonal?

Quartic ?

[flukey5]

SWoll said:

Might want to hop over to the Alpine section and let them know your thoughts.

Northernboy said:

I think if you try something fast you’ll see why automatics are popular, you just can’t keep up with the gear changes needed on a high-end car nowadays.

I’m looking forward to a manual in my GR Yaris, but in the faster cars they’d just not work as well.

Only fast auto I've driven was a 2.0 F-type and I was very disappointed. It just constantly frustrated me that it was desperately trying to keep the turbo in it's power band and changing constantly. I also tried an auto TT before I bought my manual TT. Same reason. No heel-toe fun to be had.

The Alpine, just like the Supra aren't big sellers for a reason. I guarantee they would've sold at least a few more if they did a manual - like the GR Yaris (anyone asking for an auto GR Yaris? no?). As a brand that proclaims it's 'for the drivers' and barely sells any auto cars currently - I doubt their customers are looking for this, but more than likely they aren't interested in pleasing the few enthusiasts that have kept their brand afloat for the last few decades.

[PhantomPH]

Well just to go completely against the flow, I am really hoping that this car lives up to what I am expecting and is a genuine 718GTS alternative. If it is, I may own my first ever Lotus!

And yes - I am going to be specifying a PDK box, so the Lotus equivalent does me just fine.

If they can match the positive quality levels I've had from my Porsches (so far) I am a genuine potential customer. I may even check all the 'comfort' boxes as well, just to annoy the second hand market. Ha ha (jokes!!)

[Northernboy]

flukey5 said:

Only fast auto I've driven was a 2.0 F-type and I was very disappointed. It just constantly frustrated me that it was desperately trying to keep the turbo in it's power band and changing constantly. I also tried an auto TT before I bought my manual TT. Same reason. No heel-toe fun to be had.

They aren't particularly fast, though. Once you're dropping through 4 seconds 0-60, or about 8 0-100 that's when (in my opinion) it starts to be much better to have an automatic.

[PhantomPH]

flukey5 said:

As a brand that proclaims it's 'for the drivers' and barely sells any auto cars currently - I doubt their customers are looking for this, but more than likely they aren't interested in pleasing the few enthusiasts that have kept their brand afloat for the last few decades.

I think you have answered your own question there, bud - 'they hardly have any customers'. Perhaps if they were a little more focused on what the market wants, they might have had a few more...ergo, would not need to rely on a few enthusiasts to keep afloat.