Latest news with #MattWindle
Motor 1
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
The Lotus Emira Could Ditch Its V-6 for a V-8
The Emira might be the last great Lotus you can buy , but it might get even better before production is supposed to cease in 2027. In a recent earnings call, Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng said that the brand is "currently investigating the feasibility of the V-8." He didn't offer any specifics about the potential powertrain, according to Autocar . Lotus offers the Emira a Toyota-sourced, supercharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine or a turbocharged 2.0-liter Mercedes-AMG four-cylinder. The Emira V-6 makes 400 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, and any potential V-8 will likely deliver well above that. Photo by: Lotus Lotus Cars Europe CEO Matt Windle told the publication that the company likely hasn't "exploited" the Emira's full potential, so it's "looking at all the options," and it certainly has them. Mercedes already provides a four-cylinder engine to Lotus, and it could easily supply a few V-8 engines for an even meaner Emira. Lotus revealed the Emira in July 2021, but it didn't go on sale in the United States until 2024 . The company had to pause shipments here in early April due to tariffs, which forced it to announce that it would lay off up to 270 people due to the "volatile and evolving market conditions, including the US tariffs." According to the Autocar report, Windle said the company has yet to restart shipments to America, even though the US and UK recently agreed to lower tariffs. 21 Source: Lotus Check Out More Lotus News: Lotus Emira With Yellow Exhaust Tips Pays Tribute to an F1 GOAT Lotus Delays Electric Sports Car, Hybrid Emira Could Happen Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: Lotus Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
The Drive
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
The Lotus Emira's V6 Can't Pass Emissions So It May Get a V8 Instead
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Lotus is in a bit of a pickle with the Emira. As beloved as the supercharged V6 and manual transmission combination has been, Lotus needs an alternative, and fast. The 3.5-liter Toyota-sourced engine won't be emissions compliant when Euro 7 regulations take effect in 2026. To stay in compliance and also catch the eye of American buyers, it looks like Lotus is, shockingly, considering a V8. According to Autocar , during a recent earnings call, Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng told investors that 'We are currently investigating the feasibility of the V8.' In the immortal words of Keanu Reeves: Woah. OK, but why a V8? The Emira already has another engine option; why not just roll with that exclusively? Well, because it's a four-cylinder. Specifically, it's Mercedes-AMG's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, and it makes 400 brake horsepower, 354 lb-ft of torque, and it pairs exclusively to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. That sounds good, so what's wrong with that? Americans, apparently. The four-cylinder Emira just hasn't been popular enough in the U.S. market for Lotus to confidently sell the Emira here without a bigger engine option. Lotus Emira V6. Lotus 'The US is an incredibly important market for us for the car. It always has been. So we're looking at the market demand for the product going forward,' CEO of Lotus Cars in Europe Matt Windle told Autocar . If Lotus does want to stuff a V8 into the tiny, mid-engine Emira, it really only has one option at the ready: Mercedes-AMG's 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. 'There are some opportunities with the current supplier of engines, so we're looking at it,' Windle said. As thrilling as it would be to have an AMG sledgehammer powering a mid-engine Lotus, it doesn't actually make much sense. Not only would that torquey, twin-turbo engine not match the Emira's lightweight, sports car vibes, but it's currently only offered with an automatic gearbox. And part of the current V6's charm, and why it's so popular in the U.S., is that it can be shifted manually. Especially when you consider that, per Autocar , Qingfeng's announcement of a possible V8 was in response to a U.S. dealer asking Lotus for a more powerful, more hardcore Emira to take on the Porsche 911 GT3. A thunderous V8 with an automatic isn't the tool for that job. Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter supercharged V6. Lotus But now, there's also the consideration of tariffs. The U.S. and the UK have agreed to a lower tariff on imported UK-built cars, which is now down to 10%. And that lower tariff is something Lotus can work with, but it's yet to restart shipments to the United States. 'The headline numbers have gone out there, but actually the specifics behind it still haven't been clarified,' said Windle. 'There's product that's ready to ship, but what we don't want to do is jump the gun and end up getting clobbered.' So, jumpstarting production into a new V8 model specifically because it will sell well in the United States market is unwise until there's clarity on market viability. Developing a V8 model isn't as easy as just machining some new engine mounts and transmission adapters. Sure, getting a V8 to fit likely won't be an issue, especially if Lotus can make a deal for a smaller displacement V8 from, say, Cosworth, rather than the one AMG offers. However, that's only the beginning of the development process. Then there's emissions testing and making sure it's compliant with Euro 7 regulations and beyond. Once that's done, there's crash testing that needs to be done and homologation for every market's own needs. The entire development process for offering an entirely new engine is long and expensive, so Lotus needs to determine whether it's worth it. Lotus It's for that same reason that we likely won't see a Hemi V8 in the new Charger. While we learned that it's technically possible for the Charger to house a V8, the development cost for an engine that won't be emissions-compliant soon is likely too high. And the same might end up happening for Lotus and the Emira. That doesn't mean Lotus can't offer a more powerful engine, though. There are plenty of powerful six-cylinder engines that it can borrow and will continue to be emissions-compliant past 2026. Lotus certainly has options. However, it's nice to know that the brand is even considering a V8, however unlikely that may be, in this current era of downsizing and hybridization. So while it's doubtful, Lotus deserves kudos for even publicly considering a V8 Emira. Let's just hope that whatever engine replaces the current V6 will continue to have a manual option. Got tips? Send 'em to tips@ Nico DeMattia is a staff writer at The Drive. He started writing about cars on his own blog to express his opinions when no one else would publish them back in 2015, and eventually turned it into a full-time career.
The Drive
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
Cash-Strapped Lotus Raises Its Hand to Build Polestar 6 Roadster
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Lotus Europe has a new boss, and he has some thoughts as to how the brand can make more money: build electric roadsters for Polestar. In an interview with Autocar , new Lotus chief Matt Windle says he plans to build non-Lotus vehicles at the company's Hethel, U.K. plant, which has the capacity to crank out 10,000 cars annually. And with both Lotus and Polestar being part of the Geely conglomerate of automakers, the latter's upcoming 6 convertible would be quite a good fit given Lotus' pedigree. 'I think we could build it,' Windle told Autocar , and if you ask us, a Lotus-assembled Polestar 6 would spiritually be more of a Lotus than Lotus' most recent models in the Eletre SUV and Emeya sedan. The Hethel factory. Lotus Andrew Shaylor To be fair, it's hard to make money as a boutique British automaker even in the best of times. And in the era it now finds itself in, the company recently announced 270 job cuts, canceled the aforementioned EVs in the U.S., and stopped shipping Emiras here—Lotus is frankly just doing what a lot of people are too and looking into alternative revenue streams. (What do you mean I can't use press cars to do Uber Eats?) That said, working on non-Lotus vehicles is not a new Lotus development. The old Vauxhall VX220 and original Tesla Roadster were both Elise-based and built (the latter's chassis, at least) at Hethel. Throughout the years, many other cars were also engineered with chassis and suspension input from Lotus, including the R35 Nissan GT-R, Aston Martin DB9, and, believe it or not, the 2009 Kia Soul that was sold in the U.K. If the Polestar 6 does become the next car to join Lotus' long resume of side projects, it'll likely be a while until any actual cars roll off the line. Polestar delayed the 6 back in January in favor of the 7 SUV. It was originally slated for 2026. Polestar 6 LA Concept edition. Polestar When or if it does arrive, it'll be a two-door, four-seat electric convertible. Said to use an 800-volt architecture, it'll apparently make 884 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. So far, it's only existed in concept form, and Polestar unveiled a track-focused version called the Concept BST at last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. No, BST does not stand for British Standard Time but is a shortening of the word 'beast.' Not sure why Polestar's performance suffix isn't simply Beast because that sounds way cooler than BST, but there you go. Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach him here: Chris Tsui is The Drive's Reviews Editor. He oversees the site's car reviews operation in addition to pitching in on industry news and writing his own evaluations of the latest rides. He lives in Toronto.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lotus Emira Turbo SE
Lotus was founded by a man so preoccupied by lightness that even rivet spacing represented a battleground between him and his design engineers. AMG, on the other hand, is celebrated for contract-killer saloons with nicknames like 'Hammer'. These firms aren't kindred spirits, but thanks to Chinese car-making giant Geely their paths have crossed and an interesting, potentially excellent little sports car has sprung from the collision. Anybody coming around from a decade-long coma may wonder just how we got here. It warrants explanation. Having relieved Ford of Volvo in 2010, Geely seven years later took a major stake in Malaysia's Proton and, as part of that deal, control of Lotus. It's now turning Lotus into an EV-only brand, and the Wuhan-built Eletre SUV is its first tilt at success. Meanwhile, the Hethel-built Emira is seeing out Lotus's combustion-engine era and comes not only with the familiar Toyota V6 but also – buckle up – one of the most powerful four-cylinder units in production. Here we start to appreciate just how busy Geely has been behind the scenes. In 2018, it bought a stake of roughly 10% in Mercedes-Benz, mainly because it was interested in the Germans' electromobility vision. At around the same time, AMG was deep into the development of an engine known as M139. This was about as highly strung as mass-market 2.0-litre units get, so much so that it was always intended (and has in fact now begun) to supplant even the fabled V8s. So when Lotus needed an engine to create an entry point to the Emira range, the compact but exotic and reasonably future-proofed M139 was at the top of its shopping list. CEO Matt Windle headed to Stuttgart to do a deal and, following support from Geely, crates stamped 'AMG' now make their way to Norfolk. Not that there's much to give away the junior Emira's Swabian heart, at least superficially. In the V6 car, you can see the top of the supercharger through the glass, while this I4 has plastic cladding, like its chief rivals, the Alpine A110 and Porsche 718 Cayman S. Elsewhere, even the deliciously big-bore tailpipes are the same on both strains of Emira. But then if I had something so pretty on my hands, I wouldn't tinker either. In the flesh, this valedictory combustion-engine Lotus has the look of a Ferrari 488-Lancia Stratos cross. It's stunning. The scalloped sides are particularly breathtaking – pun fully intended. Once you're inside, I4 hallmarks show. There are two quite beautiful aluminium paddles mounted to the steering wheel. They control the Mercedes eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and while their action is a tad short and unsatisfying, they are in perceived-quality terms emblematic of the cabin as a whole. Airy but intimate, the cockpit has a maturity beyond that of the dark, plasticky A110 and a warmth that the Cayman has always struggled to muster. It's only let down by the seats, which are a bit unsupportive and short, with jutting headrests. Otherwise, it's lovely. Slick tech, too. Foot on the conspicuously centred brake pedal, drag the artful, leather-on-metal gear selector into drive, hit the start button and your first taste of Lotus-featuring-AMG is… docile and understated. Pull off the mark and the motor burbles and thrums gently, and you really have to sharpen your ears to appreciate the waspish tension that hints at its outrageous, more-than-200bhp-per-litre output potential. Admittedly, here the M139 isn't wound up as bombastically as in the Mercedes-AMG A45 S. In the super-hatch it makes 416bhp at 6750rpm, while in the Emira it's pegged to 360bhp, delivered at 6600rpm. Even better-endowed versions will surely follow, but for now the I4 Emira is deferential to the 400bhp V6 one that made its debut last year. The relationship between the two derivatives is murky, mind you. The fully loaded, £81,495 First Edition tested here costs only £4500 less than a V6 in equivalent spec, so choosing is a question not of affordability but of personality. Use case, too, if you're thinking of proper touring, where the I4's long eighth ratio comes in play. Performance is also a close match, with the I4 hitting 62mph in 4.4sec to the V6 manual's 4.3sec. The contact patch is the same, as are the AP Racing brakes. Even the I4's weight advantage is disappointingly slender, at just 11kg. Blame the DCT. This state of mutual effective seniority is underlined by the fact that the free-revving (and also the higher-revving) four is actually a more rarefied bit of kit than the V6, fabulous as Lotus has now got the bigger motor sounding once its exhaust valves open at 3000rpm, when it positively howls. For one thing, it's a pure high-performance engine. Its chill-cased block will never appear in something akin to a 15-year-old Toyota Camry, which lurks in the V6's sizeable closet. For maximum bombproofing, it's also a closed-deck design. And although this hardly needs saying, mid-mounting it wasn't the work of a moment. As in the A45 S (but unlike in the new plug-in hybrid C63), it's oriented transversely rather than longitudinally, but Lotus has still had to develop new intake and exhaust systems (as well as getting the driveline calibrated). And there have been other modifications to get this engine to sit low in Lotus's not-entirely-new aluminium chassis, where it's cradled by an I4-specific aluminium subframe 12kg lighter than its steel counterpart in the V6. In the driver's seat, you have a constant accompaniment of valvetrain clatter in your right ear and turbo-based breathiness in your left. This injects life into proceedings, which is useful, as the M139 isn't an innately soulful thing and under medium loads can feel a touch baggy and indistinct. Broader concerns begin to mount about this particular Anglo-German relationship, and the complication isn't AMG's hardware per se but the setting in which it finds itself. The Emira may be heavier than we would like, but soft suspension springing marshalled by resolute damping still gives it a deliciously supple gait on the road (note our car is on the Touring suspension). Craters and crests are mollified as they disappear beneath the wheels, yet really fling this chassis down a B-road and it's amazing how little bump-stop action there is. Cornering photos show quite dramatic levels of roll and squat, but this doesn't tally with what you feel in the cockpit. The Emira moves in a bubble of composure, and while not quite Evora-graceful, it's a more versatile, lavish car, so it's understandable that it doesn't have the same reflexes. By the standards of genuinely usable sports cars in 2023, it also still feels deliciously compact on country roads. I would like a touch more spine in the steering (less assistance, perhaps a smaller front tyre), but the dynamic personality could only be Lotus. The driveline is also impressive. Not only is it amazingly linear for its type, but it also seems to think it's one of Honda's VTEC zingers for that final, fizzing stretch to the high-set, 7200rpm redline. The brake-based e-differential function for the rear is surprisingly effective, too. Despite 295-section rear tyres (yes, vast), the I4 is no slave to traction. Through corners, the front hooks up well, the notably rear-biased weight distribution then comes into play and neat little slides are there for the taking. This car inspires confidence as it treads the line between security and antics with genuine sensitivity. Straight-line speed? Strong, if a bit matter-of-fact. An Alpine A110 S might just escape you; a Porsche Cayman S absolutely wouldn't. So why the reservations? It stems from the fact that this powertrain isn't quite equal to the chassis in terms of precision and outright responsiveness. The best Lotuses are always at one with themselves, but in this instance we have an excellent chassis and a stonking powertrain that don't quite match. Even a twin-scroll turbo and trick plumbing don't give the M139 the desired throttle response. At the same time, while upshifts are rapid, a slight delay between paddle being pulled and the shift enacting undermines the fidelity of the car. A Cayman's PDK doesn't do this. I realise I'm holding Lotus to a high standard here, but these things grate in a small sports car of instinctive poise and response. You can cover ground at an obscene rate in the I4 Emira, but it's hard to get on the same wavelength as the powertrain as you can with the chassis. And as for laid-back touring, this engine is a stronger proposition but lacks romance. There are further frustrations. In Sport driving mode (between Tour and Track), automated upshifts are theatrically robust, an approach that I just don't think works for a graceful, tippy-toed operator. At least manual mode is legitimate, happily leaving you to headbutt the limiter if you're slow on the draw. The gearbox can also be reluctant to engage a lower cog, and this isn't about engine preservation, because the delay persists even when the powertrain is fully on song and you've then attempted to downshift manually. Odd. Then again, Mercedes has previous with this. Pricing? It has leapt since the I4 was announced and I can't see even even the base model costing much less than £70k when it arrives in 2024. That said, this car is essentially a baby Ferrari, and nicely wrought. Equally, a Cayman GTS mit 4.0-litre flat-six and PDK gearbox starts at less than £78k. Hmm. I want to love this Lotus, and in many ways do. The idea of dropping a state-of-the-art I4 engine into an attractive, compact, modern-feeling Lotus with proper GT credentials is an enchanting one. But if the I4 Emira can be scintillating company when you light it up, it's also true that this Lotus-AMG union doesn't fully convince. At least not yet. ]]>
