Lotus revealed the 2024 Emeya electric hypercar, a four-door sedan with nearly 1,000 horsepower and a burning desire to reach 60mph in under three seconds.
Lotus claims that the Grand Tourer “is one of the fastest GTs in the world” — but we’ll need to see some unbiased testing first before we agree to that hyperbole. Still, the Emeya seems fast, with a top speed of 155mph and a zero to 60mph time in 2.8 seconds. When it goes into production in early 2024, the Emeya is expected to compete with other luxury sports cars, like the Audi E-tron GT and Porsche Taycan.
Lotus didn’t reveal a lot of the most relevant specs, like battery capacity or range. The company did say that the Emeya is expected to be “broadly similar” to Lotus’ first EV, the Eletre SUV, which got around 310 miles of EPA-estimated range. Further information is expected to be released in the fourth quarter of this year.
It likely has a battery pack that exceeds 100kWh of useable power, given its dual-motor setup. And Lotus says it can accept up to 350kW of DC fast charging, which should add around 93 miles of range with approximately five minutes of charging.
The powertrain is expected to produce up to 905 horsepower with 985Nm of torque. And the aerodynamic design is meant to boost range and improve efficiency and handling. An active rear diffuser was inspired by the company’s long motorsports history and will help smooth airflow under the car.
Speaking of airflow, a 296mm-wide real spoiler — more than 100mm wider than it was on the Eletre — offers a net downforce of more than 215kg, Lotus says. This combined with the active rear diffuser creates very stable handling at higher speeds, in which Lotus clearly is encouraging its customers to participate.
Lotus, which is owned by China’s Geely, is in the process of reinventing itself for the electric age. The Emeya will be the second of three new EVs that Lotus plans to roll out over the next four years, including a sports car (natch), a coupe-sedan, and another SUV. The Eletre crossover SUV got its official reveal last year, with a battery capacity that’s over 100kWh and 600 horsepower.
The shift to electric is designed to improve Lotus’ flagging sales numbers. The automaker only sold 576 cars in 2022, down 62 percent from the previous year, according to Motor1. The company also posted a loss of £145.1 million ($180.9 million) for the year and could be looking to shed over 200 jobs.
