Lotus has announced the pricing details of the Emira First Edition fitted with the AMG 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The new model is priced from US$ 85,900, a US$ 3,000 premium over the base-spec Lotus Emira V6. Styling differences between the four-cylinder and the six-cylinder Emiras are limited to the engine bay cover making them unidentifiable from a distance.

The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is a version of the M139 that is also used in the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S. In the Emira it’s, of course, mid-mounted, but still combined with a bespoke version of AMG’s eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and a Lotus-designed exhaust system. In the Emira, the AMG engine produces 360 hp, down from the 400 hp of the Toyota-sourced supercharged 3.5-liter V6 engine. Torque however is higher in the four-cylinder with 430 Nm over the 420 Nm of the V6.

 

According to Lotus’ official configurator, the four-cylinder Emira accelerates from 0-97 km/h in 4.3 seconds which is only 0.1 seconds slower than the 4.2 seconds of the Emira V6. Top speed is similarly a tad lower with 283 km/h for the four-cylinder versus the V6’s 290 km/h. The lower weight of the smaller engine and the quicker eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox – which is a first for Lotus – definitely played a role in those numbers.

Both variants of the Emira are live on the configurator, where we specced the red example with black wheels, yellow brake calipers, and red leather for the interior. There are no differences between the specification of the First Edition models, with both engine variants benefiting from special badging, 20-inch wheels, full-LED lights, titanium-finished exhaust, and the glossy black accents of the Lower Black pack fitted as standard (a black roof is optional).

The Drivers Pack (Touring or Sport chassis), the Design Pack (privacy glass, Alcantara headliner, etc), and the Convenience Pack (parking sensors, reversing camera, auto wipers, etc) are also fitted as standard adding pretty much everything you need from a sportscar. Likewise, inside you’ll find plenty of standard features including a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen, heated seats with 12-way adjustments, climate control, and a premium audio system by KEF.

 

The already announced Emira prices in the UK (£), Germany (€), and the United States ($) are listed below:

  • Lotus Emira: £ 59,995
  • Lotus Emira First Edition: £ 71,995 / € 87,995 / US$ 85,900
  • Lotus Emira V6: £64,995 / € 81,995 / US$ 82,900
  • Lotus Emira V6 First Edition:  £75,995 / € 95,995 / US$ 93,900

UK customers can reserve their Lotus Emira First Edition online from April 8, with the first deliveries towards the end of 2022. Lotus will also announce a full-spec model later this year that will be available in spring 2023. As for the base spec of the Emira V6, it will be available from January 2023, with online reservations starting this summer.