Lotus Emeya Teased As Brand’s First All-Electric Saloon

After several rumours and spy shots, Lotus has finally unveiled the name of its first-ever all-electric saloon – the Lotus Emeya. Touted as an all-electric ‘hyper-GT’, the Emeya will be the brand’s third EV model after the Evija and Eletre.

Brightened teaser image of the Lotus Emeya unveils the EV GT's sporty silhouette & partial front fascia

The nomenclature unveiling is complemented by several teaser images of the Emeya, but as far as teaser images standard goes, you can’t see much of the car. From the first shadow-draped teaser image, you can see that the Emeya comes with dual-stacked slim LED DRLs, as well as its sporty GT-style silhouette.

The next image is even more vague, as it only depicts the rear part of the Emeya – also draped in shadow. From here, the only noticeable parts of the car are its full-width LED taillights with Lotus lettering placed above it, as well as the car’s low and wide stance.

The Emeya will share plenty of parts with its tall-riding sibling, the Lotus Eletre hyper-SUV

Moving on to the mechanical bits, the Emeya will underpin Lotus’s proprietary Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) – the same platform used by the Eletre SUV. While official specs are yet to be unveiled by Lotus, it is believed that the Emeya will use the same 112-kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack used by its tall-riding sibling, which is good enough for at least 600 KM of maximum EV range. Plus, the EPA platforma also supports DC fast charging at speeds up to 420 kW, allowing the Emeya to be charged from 10% to 80% in less than 20 minutes.

As for its powertrain, the Emeya will likely be powered by a dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) setup, delivering at least 600 HP on the baseline model – making it on par with other EV GTs like the Audi RS e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan GTS. For the up-specced variant, possibly called the Emeya R just like the Eletre, we’re looking at a possible total system output of over 900 HP, thus placing it onto the supercar/hypercar realm.

When asked how will the Emeya stack up against the likes of Tesla Model S Plaid and Porsche Taycan Turbo S, Lotus commercial chief Mike Johnstone told Autocar UK, “When you look at performance, we’ll be in a good place, both in terms of handling and 0-60 mph (96 KM/H) speeds.”

“In terms of charging, it will have the same platform as the Eletre so it can go from 10% to 80% in less than 20 minutes. We’ve got a number of key things we’ve taken from the Eletre you’ll see [in the Emeya], which will give us a good point of differentiation,” Johnstone added.

Powertrain specs aside, the Emeya will also feature trick active aero parts, which is highlighted in its short teaser video. Other mechanical bits like active air suspension, rear-wheel steering and active roll control ensures that the Emeya will handle like any other Lotus’s lightweight sportscars of the past, in spite of its fully-electric facade.

The all-new Lotus Emeya will make its global debut later in Sept 7, where it will be part of the marque’s revamped lineup laden with EVs. As for the price, we’re looking at a starting price no lower than $100,000 (RM460,000 approx.), with sales expected to commence some time later in 2024.