Future of the Emira

[Speedy Emira]

I know this subject has been covered a lot and it is getting a bit boring but today I had an interesting conversation.
Let’s start by saying please don’t ask who said this because I don’t want to get the person in trouble. So a person who works on behalf of Lotus told me this morning that he was informed that the V6 will definitely stop production once the i4 is in full production and they have sorted any issues. At this point the production areas will be fully dedicated to i4s.
The second bit of information is the main reason for the i4 delay has been the many changes to deal with overheated which is now supposed to be sorted out. We knew this was an issue but maybe not to the extent that it is probably responsible for most of the delays. No doubt the rumour of lowering the Chinese models from 400hp to 360hp makes more sense.
So will this happens and if so will it be this year, maybe even by late Summer?
The other this I was told is they want to build 4500 Emiras a year but it will probably be less than half that amount.

Could all be working but that’s what I was told by a manager with a Lotus jacket.

 

[EZcheezy]

well thats disappointing to hear cuz I was hoping for an Emira GT / R with the V6. if it has the i4 im not interested at all

 

[Speedy Emira]

well thats disappointing to hear cuz I was hoping for an Emira GT / R with the V6. if it has the i4 im not interested at all

I’m sure even if they only continue with the i4 there will be a way to further improve cooling and get extra power to have an R or S model. I guess they need to comply with ever stricter emission regs and the i4 engine would benefit from any such changes made by Mercedes for as long as they use it without hefty R&D costs.

 

[EZcheezy]

I’m sure even if they only continue with the i4 there will be a way to further improve cooling and get extra power to have an R or S model. I guess they need to comply with ever stricter emission regs and the i4 engine would benefit from any such changes made by Mercedes for as long as they use it without hefty R&D costs.

oh yeah i have no doubt they can make it more powerful. i just have no interest in an auto turbo 4 cylinder

 

[Hethel Merman]

Perhaps they can source a different V6.

 

[ESPREE]

Lotus has made some questionable decisions in the past, but they are really fools if they haven’t noticed that a lot (or even most) of the attention that the Emira is getting is due to its being available with a manual gearbox and a supremely analog driving experience.

My daily driver is faster than the Emira, but what the Emira offers is driving feel. At least for me - a huge part of that is the manual gearbox.

If they want to bump it up to a V8 then I’m all in. But keep the clutch!

 

[Nova]

I copied this over from another similar thread. Here are the engines that an Emira engine mount bolt part number LFAAM08035CA is listed as being compatible with:

2GR-FE 411HP - 3.5L V6 SC/IC 411HP <-- Emira S?
2GR-FE 400HP - 3.5L V6 SC/IC 400HP <-- Emira FE V6
JLH-4G20TDF-MP - VEP4 MP GEN2 400HP <-- Chinese I4
JLH-4G20TDF - VEP4 HP GEN2 360HP <-- ROW I4
JLH-4G20TDF-HP- VEP4 HP GEN2 416HP <-- Emira R?

There may be hope for a hotter V6 in the works.

 

[Speedy Emira]

I copied this over from another similar thread. Here are the engines that an Emira engine mount bolt part number LFAAM08035CA is listed as being compatible with:

2GR-FE 411HP - 3.5L V6 SC/IC 411HP <-- Emira S?
2GR-FE 400HP - 3.5L V6 SC/IC 400HP <-- Emira FE V6
JLH-4G20TDF-MP - VEP4 MP GEN2 400HP <-- Chinese I4
JLH-4G20TDF - VEP4 HP GEN2 360HP <-- ROW I4
JLH-4G20TDF-HP- VEP4 HP GEN2 416HP <-- Emira R?

There may be hope for a hotter V6 in the works.

I hope there is but to be honest I doubt it. On one of the previous threads I questioned why they hadn’t used a more modern engine V6 by Toyota. Someone pointed out if Lotus had wanted to spend the money making a different V6 drivetrain they would have done it in the beginning. That made a lot of sense to me.

 

[Nova]

I hope there is but to be honest I doubt it. On one of the previous threads I questioned why they hadn’t used a more modern engine V6 by Toyota. Someone pointed out if Lotus had wanted to spend the money making a different V6 drivetrain they would have done it in the beginning. That made a lot of sense to me.

Well, nothing is stopping them from just getting more power out of the current engine. They have done it in the past.

 

[Deeznuss]

I know this subject has been covered a lot and it is getting a bit boring but today I had an interesting conversation.
Let’s start by saying please don’t ask who said this because I don’t want to get the person in trouble. So a person who works on behalf of Lotus told me this morning that he was informed that the V6 will definitely stop production once the i4 is in full production and they have sorted any issues. At this point the production areas will be fully dedicated to i4s.
The second bit of information is the main reason for the i4 delay has been the many changes to deal with overheated which is now supposed to be sorted out. We knew this was an issue but maybe not to the extent that it is probably responsible for most of the delays. No doubt the rumour of lowering the Chinese models from 400hp to 360hp makes more sense.
So will this happens and if so will it be this year, maybe even by late Summer?
The other this I was told is they want to build 4500 Emiras a year but it will probably be less than half that amount.

Could all be working but that’s what I was told by a manager with a Lotus jacket.

As a V6 manual deposit holder I hope the Toyota powered Emira sticks around (see what I did there) but suppose you’re right: Old tech as a placeholder while i4 heating issues are sorted, manual transmission for the enthusiasts and journalists to generate a buzz about the new model, soon replaced by a Daimler product which Geely has a 9% ownership making the car more accessible to a wider global audience due to its automatic transmission and lower emissions. Makes sense.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

The other this I was told is they want to build 4500 Emiras a year but it will probably be less than half that amount.

Do you mean because of capacity constraints or because of limited demand? AFAIK, they are already manufacturing ~4,500 a year.

 

[John777]

There are numerous posts on Facebook groups that the 2GR-FE 400HP - 3.5L V6 SC/IC 400HP <-- Emira FE V6 is done and Toyota isn't building anymore or supplying Lotus anymore. Instead deposit holders will be offered the I4?

Anyone here anything? I hope not. Been waiting almost 2 years for the manual V6. I'd have to be out if the V6 is no longer an option. Also has to do with new Emission standards. I don't think North American auto manufacturers in the past had to deal with new yearly emission standards.

Many of these people say its a done deal.. and the dealer wasn't accepting anymore deposits on V6 manual.
I would think Lotus would lose hundreds if not thousands of orders if this is true. Why would they throw away the business.

You would think Lotus would tell the dealers to stop taking deposits on the manual v6 if it was true? Nothing was said here in Canada to them.

 

[Cwolf]

I have the V6. Why would I want to spend a $100k on a turbo 4 to start with, then without a manual. No thanks.

 

[Foxy87]

There are numerous posts on Facebook groups that the 2GR-FE 400HP - 3.5L V6 SC/IC 400HP <-- Emira FE V6 is done and Toyota isn't building anymore or supplying Lotus anymore. Instead deposit holders will be offered the I4?

Anyone here anything? I hope not. Been waiting almost 2 years for the manual V6. I'd have to be out if the V6 is no longer an option. Also has to do with new Emission standards. I don't think North American auto manufacturers in the past had to deal with new yearly emission standards.

Many of these people say its a done deal.. and the dealer wasn't accepting anymore deposits on V6 manual.
I would think Lotus would lose hundreds if not thousands of orders if this is true. Why would they throw away the business.

You would think Lotus would tell the dealers to stop taking deposits on the manual v6 if it was true? Nothing was said here in Canada to them.

Lat week my dealer (switzerland) told me emira base version can be ordered within Q4 2024. The reason there is no ordering possible now is the new 6e emissions that is due 1th sept 2024.

Lot of conflicting information. We will know more by the end of the year.

 

[MickOpalak]

I have the V6. Why would I want to spend a $100k on a turbo 4 to start with, then without a manual. No thanks.

1. The I4 is cheaper
2. The I4 is lighter
3. The I4 has virtually the same performance
4. The I4 has the capability of much higher HP than the V6 in the aftermarket
5. Not everyone wants a manual transmission

 

[Nellie]

1. The I4 is cheaper
2. The I4 is lighter
3. The I4 has virtually the same performance
4. The I4 has the capability of much higher HP than the V6 in the aftermarket
5. Not everyone wants a manual transmission

So as a V8 Esprit and V6 Emira owner, my take:

1. because its a 4 cylinder, the V6 is the premium in the range according to Lotus pricing
2. because its a 4 cylinder
3. True but the on road performance of the i4 comes from its gearbox shift speed benefit rather than BHP, however I personally feel the 400bhp V6 is enough for the road and the Emira - however it could be tuned by Lotus for more as per Evora/Exige model range i.e. 410GT etc if they want to add more to the range in the future
4. Wrong there is a strong aftermarket based around the V6 as well, there are already 460 and 500bhp aftermarket solutions for this engine (plus a 550bhp build in an Exige). I have found that the 4 cylinder has been tuned to 550bhp but being a 4 Cylinder Turbo its far more strained at these increased powers = more failures and also a more expensive build to prevent those failures
5. But as a drivers car the option needs to be there for those of us who can use a clutch and manual gearbox , its more involving and one less ECU controlled item/thing to go wrong!! because its a LOTUS!

Nellie

 

[JimH]

There are numerous posts on Facebook groups that the 2GR-FE 400HP - 3.5L V6 SC/IC 400HP <-- Emira FE V6 is done and Toyota isn't building anymore or supplying Lotus anymore. Instead deposit holders will be offered the I4?

Anyone here anything? I hope not. Been waiting almost 2 years for the manual V6. I'd have to be out if the V6 is no longer an option. Also has to do with new Emission standards. I don't think North American auto manufacturers in the past had to deal with new yearly emission standards.

Many of these people say its a done deal.. and the dealer wasn't accepting anymore deposits on V6 manual.
I would think Lotus would lose hundreds if not thousands of orders if this is true. Why would they throw away the business.

You would think Lotus would tell the dealers to stop taking deposits on the manual v6 if it was true? Nothing was said here in Canada to them.

Pure speculation/bull as far as I'm aware..... You can still order a V6 manual or auto in the UK but the configurator states "delivery in 2025" - until recently this said 2026. Most likely down to implementation of new Euro 6e emissions requirements and the requirement for mandatory speed limiters in Europe and the UK, although the UK website says "due to demand".....

 

[Porter]

There are numerous posts on Facebook groups that the 2GR-FE 400HP - 3.5L V6 SC/IC 400HP <-- Emira FE V6 is done and Toyota isn't building anymore or supplying Lotus anymore.

This is Facebook echo chamber stuff, and not true. Toyota will build engines for anyone who wants to buy them, it's a completely separate business operation from their passenger car business and has nothing to do with their own car models. It's also entirely unrelated to emissions, there aren't any regulations on engine manufacturing, only on completed passenger cars.

 

[John777]

1. The I4 is cheaper
2. The I4 is lighter
3. The I4 has virtually the same performance
4. The I4 has the capability of much higher HP than the V6 in the aftermarket
5. Not everyone wants a manual transmission

If your a teenage girl or a woman then yes.
Also not everyone is capable of operating a manual.
Revoke your man card. lol.

 

[seriously]

I4 is more attractive to some of these Asian markets which have some kind of massive cylinder tax. Also better for the guys who care about numbers as it will probably be much easier to develop a fast straight line car with future models.

Me? V6 manual baby.