The Emira uses double wishbone suspension all around and retains hydraulic (rather than electric) steering, which will delight Lotus purists.
Two chassis settings will be offered: the standard Tour, which allows for a smoother ride, and the stiffer Sport, which will be offered with an optional Lotus Driver’s Pack. This includes launch control and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires in place of the standard Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport rubber.
The Emira does not feature active aerodynamics, but instead produces a balanced front-to-rear downforce that provides more cornering grip while maintaining precise and predictable handling.
“The Emira has a wider track than any recent Lotus road car, improving stability, providing exceptional handling and giving the feeling of a very low center of gravity,” said Gavan Kershaw, director vehicle attributes at Lotus. “It’s a true Lotus sports car that builds on the heritage of the Elise, Exige and Evora.”
While the Emira weighs around 5kg more than the Evora, at 1405kg, it has still undergone a series of weight saving measures to compensate for the significant increase in technology and features that have been introduced, which would otherwise have made the car considerably heavier.
The vehicle architecture is built at a new factory in Norwich called Lotus Advanced Structures in a more automated process, before being transported the 10 miles to the company’s base in Hethel. Here, the car is built semi-automated in a new 12,000 m2 factory that was previously known locally as the “skeleton building”. It had lain incomplete for a decade following the failed attempt to revive Lotus’ reinvention under the Malaysian company Proton.
Total investment in UK production facilities by Lotus now stands at £100 million and includes a new automated paint shop in Hethel. “I really want to take us to the next level of quality,” Windle said, adding that there will be greater “constructive consistency” between the Emira examples, thanks to the modernized production processes, while maintaining a finish to the genuine hand at cars.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-16 12:40:00
