Lotus Emeya Unveiled As Marque’s 905 HP-Rated Flagship EV GT

Following its teaser last month, Lotus has finally unveiled its new flagship EV saloon, the Lotus Emeya. Previously known by its Type 133 codename, this four-door electric grand tourer is set to go against the likes of Porsche Taycan Turbo S and Tesla Model S Plaid for the king of sporty EV GT title.

In spite of its all-electric facade, Lotus is trying to implement some of the design ethos used on many of its  lightweight sportscars onto the Emeya. As a result, this EV GT boasts some serious active aero parts that help to not only boost its performance, but also provide better efficiency for the car’s EV range.

2024 Lotus Emeya EV GT

The aero parts list starts at the front, where the Emeya’s front grille features active flaps that channels cool air directly into the battery pack and front brakes for better cooling performance. When cruising at higher speeds, said flaps are closed to provide sheer aerodynamic performance to the car. This is complemented by an active front lip and racecar-style active diffuser – both helping to maximise the Emeya’s downforce, turning this EV GT into a potential monster in corners.

Moving on to the side, the Emeya features flushed door handles that pop-out when the car is unlocked, while the conventional side mirrors are being replaced by cameras – both helped in reducing the car’s drag for better aero performance.

Aside from the active aero parts, the Emeya also gets few carbon fibre trims at its exterior

More aero bits can be found at the rear part of the Emeya, where it sports a pair of side vents placed beneath the full-width LED taillights bar, helping to channel hot air out from the rear brakes and motors. More importantly, this EV GT also sports an active rear wing that only deploys either when the car is under hard braking or when cruising at higher speed – capable of producing up to 215 KG of downforce. Complementing both the rear wing and side vents is the racing-style rear diffuser made of carbon fibre.

All these active aero parts are paired with a more impressive performance figure that carries the Emeya EV GT into the hypercar territory. For starters, the Emeya employs the same dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) setup used on the Eletre SUV. Unlike many other EVs, the Emeya’s AWD motor setup is mated with trick two-speed transmission.

With a total system output of 905 HP (675 kW) and 985 NM, the Emeya blasts from nought to 100 KM/H in just 2.78 seconds – on par with its German rival, the top-specced Porsche Taycan Turbo S. Its top speed however, is electronically-governed at only 256 KM/H, which is surprisingly lower than the Eletre R’s 265 KM/H capped V-Max.

Those impressive performance numbers are matched with several high-performance mechanical parts. This includes the race-grade braking system, adjustable damper system that can detect bumps in milliseconds, while its proprietary Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) chassis has been enhanced for better rigidity and performance.

Derived from Geely’s SEA EV platform, the EPA boasts an 800-volt battery architecture, granting the Emeya a fast DC charging rate of up to 350 kW. At this rate, the Emeya’s 102-kWh battery pack can be charged from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes, with a five-minute charge granting it with up to 150 KM of EV range. Lotus, however, has yet to unveil the actual maximum EV range of the Emeya, but we’d reckon it’ll be about the same as the Eletre R’s 600 KM maximum EV range (WLTP).

The Emeya's modern-looking cabin is laced with many sustainable materials

On board, the Emeya gets a very sleek and modern-looking cabin design, laced with a slew of recyclable materials. For starters, the cabin’s upholstery material used to wrap the seats and other trims is made from a sustainably-made yarn derived from cotton waste gathered from the clothing industry. Aside from looking nice and being sustainable, said material is also substantially lighter compared to conventional leather upholstery.

Said yarn upholstery is blended with other materials such as Alcantara, plush Nappa leather, as well as several metallic trims made using the physical vapour deposition (PVD) process.

As for the tech bits, the Emeya cabin also gets tons of screens, including the massive one at the centre for the infotainment system, the driver’s digital display, as well as the two digital mirrors.. Apart from that, drivers also get a massive 55-inch head-up display (HUD) with augmented reality (AR) functionality. Topping-off the Emeya’s tech equipment list is the ultra-premium KEF 3D surround sound system with active noise cancellation (ANC) function.

The all-new Lotus Emeya is set to enter production later in 2024, taking place at Geely’s manufacturing plant in Wuhan, China. Sales for the Emeya are expected to commence some time later in 2024, with more details regarding that matter will be revealed later in Q4 this year.