Lotus Emira V8 in Testing & Other News

Okay so today's Lotus Technology group investor call happened this morning.

Here are some updates:

- Hybrid Plugin Macan Competitor 2026Q1 China, Q3 ROW
- Facelift 2027 Lotus Emira I4 with power increase
- Lotus Emira V6 Discontinued
- Lotus Emira V8 Euro 7 Compliant powertrain in investigation/testing/development.

Thanks @Lotustoronto for being our live discord blogger


Disclaimer: I'm basing this off recollections from someone else from the call, I haven't had time to listen to the full call myself, but some things may be inaccurate, and a lot of info has been missed too, I recommend you listen to the call yourself, the QA starts at 21 minutes in.

 

[NJ-Emira]

Too much weight and power for that chassis. 400 hp is exactly correct with a manual transmission. It’s a momentum car. You don’t need it to be a dragster.

 

[OppositeLock]

3200 lb cars aren't really momentum cars, they can't keep their momentum very well through turns. I love my Emira, but it can't hang with a real momentum car in the corners. I've tracked my Elise for 16 years and now I've done a couple of track days in the Emira, and it's a fat piggy. I love it for what it is, but momentum car it's not. It could use some more power and be a powerful fat piggy like a Corvette.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

I do agree with above post that mentioned Theory 1 as the possible 2nd model to be released. I think they will be aiming this directly at super car territory.

Almost certainly, IMO. The CEO recently said that they were conscious that the Lifestyle cars were "off brand" for Lotus and that they needed a new car to reinforce the sports car and racing heritage.

 

[NJ-Emira]

100% Disagree. 3100lbs is light by today’s standards.

My GT3 Touring weighs the same. Drive a 3700lb pig and you’ll understand.

 

[Six Speed Stephen]

Maybe the New Model 2 could look like this. Would be dope! I’m also curious what the Emira facelift will look like. I hope it’s more than just different bumpers.

 

[Tomwa]

Eh render farm marketing slop.

That front windshield profile would only support a single driver or driver-passenger sitting tandem.

Any 'face lift' will really likely only be updated bumpers, taillights, headlights. You might get something like new side mirrors or a few interior touches, but I would not expect them to re-do lots because it's just too expensive to do so. The primary configuration and structure of the car will not be changed, nor any glass.

 

[Hethel Merman]

Perhaps the V8 could go in a cut-price version of the Evija.

 

[EspritGuy]

Eh render farm marketing slop.

That front windshield profile would only support a single driver or driver-passenger sitting tandem.

Any 'face lift' will really likely only be updated bumpers, taillights, headlights. You might get something like new side mirrors or a few interior touches, but I would not expect them to re-do lots because it's just too expensive to do so. The primary configuration and structure of the car will not be changed, nor any glass.

New color palette comes to mind.

 

[MickOpalak]

100% Disagree. 3100lbs is light by today’s standards.

My GT3 Touring weighs the same. Drive a 3700lb pig and you’ll understand.

It's all relative. Drive a 1200lb Seven and you'll understand.

 

[Vampyre]

That's nothing It's all relative indeed.
A professional go-kart chassis including every racing component, such as the engine, seat, etc., can weigh between 80 and 100 pounds.

 

[Tomwa]

Yes, but now we aren't talking about a momentum "car".

I'm certainly not running a go-kart on the same track as a 3800 lb Mustang to find out which of us carries faster cornering speeds.

 

[Carig5A]

I’ll work double time to get a V8 MT & still keep my V6 MT

 

[idleuser]

Interesting they they would put a V8 instead of sourcing a new transmission and going with forge internals. Seems like a low hanging fruit instead of going with the v8 route.

 

[Tomwa]

They said the issue is the EU7 Regulations. They said specifically they will NOT be doing any 'higher HP' forms of the V6 Emira (and mentioned a timeline where the engine is phased out) because it can't meet emissions requirements.

Any V8 They'd want to use has to be ready for those requirements, which likely means things like direct injection and other modern tech.

 

[Racer X]

Interesting they they would put a V8 instead of sourcing a new transmission and going with forge internals. Seems like a low hanging fruit instead of going with the v8 route.

The current V6 won’t pass the newer EU regs which require Lambda=1 across the entire rev range. An entirely new engine is required.

 

[idleuser]

The current V6 won’t pass the newer EU regs which require Lambda=1 across the entire rev range. An entirely new engine is required.

that make sense. let see if they can actually put a package together and put a v8 in it.

 

[allenyao09]

Most V8s on the market have gone turbo hybrid due to the latest emission standards or even downsized to V6 or i4. I don't think there is any chance that a NA V8 + manual can pass the tests these days.

 

[OppositeLock]

Most V8s on the market have gone turbo hybrid due to the latest emission standards or even downsized to V6 or i4. I don't think there is any chance that a NA V8 + manual can pass the tests these days.

It's possible, but very expensive, and what makes it almost impossible is manual transmissions. When the ECU controls both engine and transmission, it can synchronize the shift with engine fuel mix, so that the engine can predict the loss of load during a shift. With a manual transmission, when you disengage the clutch, the engine has to react and it's not perfectly at lambda 1 for a brief moment. This is actually a major reason it's difficult to certify a manual. GM even patented "clutch by wire" to give the ECU a heads up on any loss of load.

Lambda=1 is very hard if you want to avoid detonation. The fuel mixture has to be very precise, and the engine must know the properties of the air and fuel very accurately, and that's difficult. Porsche achieves lambda=1 in their recent GTS with an electrically assisted turbo which can react very quickly to load changes.

IMO, these rules have gone too far. Take any car from the early 2000's with a modern catalyzed engine, and run it on a smoggy day, and what's coming out of the tail pipe is cleaner than what's going into the intake. Modern gasoline engines have actually taken a step back in emissions because of direct injection, which helps fuel efficiency a little bit. Direct injected engines make soot, and pretty soon, we're going to need particulate traps and urea in the exhaust to burn up this soot. Going back to port injection which doesn't have this issue is a no-go due to fuel efficiency mandates.

 

[Jinba ittai]

Take any car from the early 2000's with a modern catalyzed engine, and run it on a smoggy day, and what's coming out of the tail pipe is cleaner than what's going into the intake

Sorry, but that is crazy talk.

 

[allenyao09]

It's possible, but very expensive, and what makes it almost impossible is manual transmissions. When the ECU controls both engine and transmission, it can synchronize the shift with engine fuel mix, so that the engine can predict the loss of load during a shift. With a manual transmission, when you disengage the clutch, the engine has to react and it's not perfectly at lambda 1 for a brief moment. This is actually a major reason it's difficult to certify a manual. GM even patented "clutch by wire" to give the ECU a heads up on any loss of load.

Lambda=1 is very hard if you want to avoid detonation. The fuel mixture has to be very precise, and the engine must know the properties of the air and fuel very accurately, and that's difficult. Porsche achieves lambda=1 in their recent GTS with an electrically assisted turbo which can react very quickly to load changes.

IMO, these rules have gone too far. Take any car from the early 2000's with a modern catalyzed engine, and run it on a smoggy day, and what's coming out of the tail pipe is cleaner than what's going into the intake. Modern gasoline engines have actually taken a step back in emissions because of direct injection, which helps fuel efficiency a little bit. Direct injected engines make soot, and pretty soon, we're going to need particulate traps and urea in the exhaust to burn up this soot. Going back to port injection which doesn't have this issue is a no-go due to fuel efficiency mandates.

NA V8 + DCT works fine for corvette. Just realized Mustang Dark Horse still has the NA V8 + Manual combo, but not sure if it can pass Euro 7?