i4 wih 400HP - post from another Lotus Forum

[Wiz33]

There's been no official communication from Lotus saying that V6 production is finishing this year. Nothing. So far it's all just gossip and rumours.

Toyota has only been manufacturing the 2GR-FE engine for use by Lotus for several years, so eliminating the V6 (mostly the 2GR-FKS and 7GR-FKS) from Toyota's model lineup doesn't necessarily change anything.

Wrong. Toyota was still using the 2GR-FE in a couple of their models in 2023 but only in a few countries. 2024 is the first year where no 2GR-FE is used in any Toyota vehicles and that's why the production line is shutting down. Multiple sources that visited Hethel have also ask if V6 production will end in 2026 and was basically given answer that hinted at it happening much sooner than that. Expect 2025 to be last year for Emira V6.

 

[Ethnic6]

Hey all,
new here, I heard the same thing from my dealership. They said the i4 would be pushed to 400 in the US. I spoke with the lotus general manager and he said he just got off the phone with lotus. And that if I opted for the i4 instead of the v6 I can get my Emira this December instead of next December. Would the i4 be more attractive than the v6 it was pushed to 400bhp?

Some advise would be appreciated

 

[MajHall04]

My dealer also confirmed the US I4 are now 400 hp.

 

[Emira Fan]

My dealer also confirmed the US I4 are now 400 hp.

Did you speak with Loc ? He seems pretty plugged in. Glad Lotus decided to do the right thing and deliver the higher output version to the US as in China. Takes the sting off the long wait- for me.
Perhaps we'll receive a note soon stating that they apologize for the long wait and Lotus has decided to up the HP at no additional cost ...
Hopefully it's now the full 30.5 psi as offered in the CLA45.

 

[MajHall04]

Did you speak with Loc ? He seems pretty plugged in. Glad Lotus decided to do the right thing and deliver the higher output version to the US as in China. Takes the sting off the long wait- for me.
Perhaps we'll receive a note soon stating that they apologize for the long wait and Lotus has decided to up the HP at no additional cost ...
Hopefully it's now the full 30.5 psi as offered in the CLA45.

Yes. I sent him an email yesterday and he responded today that it is 400hp.

 

[MajHall04]

What will be the new torque output?

 

[Wiz33]

What will be the new torque output?

480nm, same as the ones in China.

 

[Ethnic6]

Awesome, good to know the i4 will now be at 400. I’ve heard my dealer say the i4 is much easier to tune than the v6, is that correct?

 

[VL3X]

Awesome, good to know the i4 will now be at 400. I’ve heard my dealer say the i4 is much easier to tune than the v6, is that correct?

Yes. Turbo cars typically benefit greatly from a simple reflash. The M139 engine has been tuned with amazing power gains in other platforms so I expect there to be quite a few options for the i4 Emira.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

Expect 2025 to be last year for Emira V6.

The end of 2025 is still 18 months from now and we always expected V6 production to finish by then. That's completely different from people claiming that the V6 is finishing now and being replaced by the 400HP i4.

 

[Wiz33]

The end of 2025 is still 18 months from now and we always expected V6 production to finish by then. That's completely different from people claiming that the V6 is finishing now and being replaced by the 400HP i4.

Don't know who said that. Lotus would have told their dealers to stop taking deposit for the Base edition if they know they will not have enough allocation to cover the ones on the book.

 

[Wiz33]

Hey all,
new here, I heard the same thing from my dealership. They said the i4 would be pushed to 400 in the US. I spoke with the lotus general manager and he said he just got off the phone with lotus. And that if I opted for the i4 instead of the v6 I can get my Emira this December instead of next December. Would the i4 be more attractive than the v6 it was pushed to 400bhp?

Some advise would be appreciated

ALl depends on what you want out of your Emira? Is it a recreation vehicle for just driving enjoyment or do you plan to daily it. If it's the first, the V6 manual will probably offer you more enjoyment. If it's the later, the i4 maybe more bearable in traffic and on longer trips.

 

[themeatbaron]

I have had a deposit for 3 years on a V6 auto. Now the i4 is going to be 400hp… interesting

 

[Wiz33]

I have had a deposit for 3 years on a V6 auto. Now the i4 is going to be 400hp… interesting

That's probably why I was told to keep it private till the news breaks elsewhere as they really don't want to mess with customer waiting for the V6 auto. but someone else let the cat out of the bag.

 

[themeatbaron]

That's probably why I was told to keep it private till the news breaks elsewhere as they really don't want to mess with customer waiting for the V6 auto. but someone else let the cat out of the bag.

Sums up the 3 year experience. Oh well, what you going to do.

 

[sharpie349]

I have had a deposit for 3 years on a V6 auto. Now the i4 is going to be 400hp… interesting

I’m in a similar boat as you and I no longer know what to do

 

[themeatbaron]

I’m in a similar boat as you and I no longer know what to do

Don’t know if I could do anything even if I wanted to. Just would have preferred to have made a decision with correct information.

 

[Wiz33]

Can't really blame Lotus 100% on this one. If Covid did not happen and FE cars being delivered as MY 2022 (before the key emission certification expert at Lotus left) and Base edition arriving late 2022/23 (while the 2GR-FE was still being used in Toyota vehicles) . You would probably see the i4 introduced with the 268kW version with a final edition using the 298kW M139 in 2027/28. I think this is what they originally intended before the world went to sh*t.

 

[CarrHarris]

Can't really blame Lotus 100% on this one. If Covid did not happen and FE cars being delivered as MY 2022 and Base edition arriving late 2022/23 (while the 2GR-FE was still being used in Toyota vehicles) . You would probably see the i4 introduced with the 268kW version with a final edition using the 298kW M139 in 2027/28. I think this is what they originally intended before the world went to sh*t.

This!

 

[Julian73]

Absolutely no need for Lotus to push anything. They simply apply the same ECU software as in China market cars. The “push” is to get it past EPA and CARB approval. But since the USA is still in many respects relatively lenient (as compared to the strictest markets), this should not be a problem. We also know that the fully legal and approved Mercedes A45S (not sure about the US market) is at least 415 ps.

I personally think that the most important reason to keep the Emira 2.0 (AMG) to 360/365 ps was to market the 3.5 version more effectively. This older engine actually had more problems with emissions, so it was neccessary to reduce the 430 ps when it was in the Evora to 400 ps in the Emira, and the 2.0 (AMG) had to be reduced further for marketing reasons.

However now, with the 3.5 possibly getting “outlawed” time is right to pull the 2.0 (AMG) back up to 400 ps.

No “push” needed. It’s only a matter of numbers magic.

Until Euro 7 is enforced, maybe mid 2025, the US is still the toughest emission standards of the world. 1) CARB, 2) EPA. It takes a bit more than pushing the Chinese market software onto the U.S. model to meet the power and emissions levels and a reason that we never got the M139 in an A45S power level.