The Emira, Lotus’s last internal combustion engine sports vehicle before switching to an all-electric lineup, was unveiled in July 2021. Our Zac Palmer stated,
“You can’t spend $105,900 on a single car that would be more fun than the V6 First Edition I drove,” by the time we got to drive it in December 2023. The Emira is in a class by itself for the enthusiast seeking the purest experience imaginable because there isn’t another vehicle that drives quite like it.”
The issue was that none of the Emira purchasers who were sitting on reservations older than two years had their automobiles when they read that.
Reservation holders received a letter from Gator Motorsports’ Indianapolis-based Indy Lotus franchise in March of last year, outlining the reason for the delay as U.S. certification more precisely, certification by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Concurrently, CarBuzz revealed that Emira V6 First Edition cars intended for the United States will arrive here this summer, but consumers wouldn’t be able to purchase them until mid-October to mid-December.
In January of this year, however, Lotus dealers were forced to inform customers that their cars would be receiving a software upgrade, probably for certification needs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had approved the Emira, but Lotus held all of them (and maybe stopped some vehicle flips) because it didn’t want to send units that couldn’t be registered in the 14 states that follow CARB rules. By the end of the previous month, Lotus’s modifications to the engine programming were authorized by the Californians, allowing the Emira to find excellent homes. Lotus had intended to have vehicles here by the 2022 model year, but that is currently scheduled for 2024.
Emira First Edition Pricing Changes and Implications
On March 2, page 461 of a topic on the Emira Forum about distribution to the USA and Canada, there was a post regarding the CARB clearance. The thread has extended to over 500 pages. A forum user in Stage 4 of the Five Stages of Grief, who had been referenced just four posts before, asked,
“Is this legit? You didn’t do this on the forum as a joke, is you? Other forum members are stating that they are receiving their automobiles, thus this is not a joke.”
No, that wasn’t a jest. A bigger cost for the Emira First Edition, the ultimate entry-level model with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine from AMG, is also a significant issue. Although it isn’t available yet, reserving one will cost $99,900 in addition to delivery and extras, which is more than the $85,900 listed when the coupe was first introduced in March 2022. Along with the rise, the Emira V6 First Edition saw a tiny drop in price from $93,900 to $105,400, compared to the four-cylinder variant.
The non-First Edition trim will most likely cost more than the $74,900 announced in October 2021, given the price increase of the basic trim. Once the 400-horsepower Toyota six-cylinder engine runs out of gas, the 360-horsepower AMG mill will be the only Emira available for purchase. The good news is that, after Lotus works through the First Editions, the normal run of V6-powered models the ones that come with a manual transmission should receive a hefty discount.
