In the motoring world, the story of Lotus has had more plot twists than M Night Shyamalan’s filmography.
Now, from the brand associated with small, light sports cars comes first an SUV and then a family saloon, both weighing more than two tonnes.
We’ve come a very long way from the days of the Lotus Elise and Exige, veritable go-karts with a bit of bodywork attached.
While we froze in time during Covid, Chinese brand Geely rode into town and took a majority stake. In what in motoring terms is the blink of an eye, we have two fully electric cars on the forecourt.
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Not only that, but one is a two-tonne-plus SUV while the other is a five-door saloon. Both have more tech features on the steering wheel than previous Lotuses had in the entire car.
From mechanical click, we have leaped to electric buzz. Lotus now sees itself with a car that hopes to lure away customers from the likes of the Porsche Taycan, Panamera or Cayenne. That’s some about-face.
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Following on from the Eletre SUV is this new five-door saloon, all-electric, all-tech, all luxury trim and about as far away from the Elise era as a rally car and a Rolls-Royce.
Yet it’s these two new electric cars that may determine the future of the Lotus brand.
Three versions of Emeya are offered: entry, S and R. The midrange one was our test car. While the R boasts 905hp and a 0-100km/h time of 2.8 seconds, the S is no slouch, with 603hp and a 0-100km/h time of 4.2 seconds.
Now I hear you say that in the world of EVs, that’s no longer an eye-watering acceleration time. But unlike the rest of the surging electric cars, the Emeya can keep that top pace up, retaining its top speed until your battery falls below 10 per cent.
Speaking of batteries, this is where having friends in high places in Asia comes into play. The Emeya uses the latest 102kWh battery pack that claims 500-610km of range depending on driving. During our test in the car, we averaged 33.9kWh/100km and left the car with an estimated 172km left with a 37 per cent battery charge.
The car itself is built on the same platform as the Eletre SUV but it’s actually slightly longer, something you start to appreciate during the long walk from boot to front seat.
Surprisingly for all that space, the boot is merely average for a car this size, at 509 litres. Thankfully, that extra length is put to good use, with rear seat legroom in the realm of luxury saloons rather than four-seat coupes.
Lotus has gone from tech austerity to blingtastic in the blink of an eye, and our Emeya not only boasted a Tesla-rivalling touchscreen but also camera side mirrors, projecting on to screens built into the doors. Thankfully, for once these cameras seemed to work, delivering a quality of imaging that nearly rivalled a regular mirror.
Clearly, Lotus had the Panamera in its sights when it was formatting this car, and it shows as well in several internal touches. The finish on the car’s interior are close to German quality. That said, it doesn’t match the Porsche when it comes to low-slung sporting driving stance. Despite the best efforts to make it look sleek and cocoon the driver, it’s a little too big to pull this off. We are a long way from the days of Elise.
And yet for all the tech, there are a few little touches that impress, once you get on the road. Lotus excels in suspension setting and chassis development, something that many rival engineers will admit in private. In the past, its engineering arm has been the go-to consultancy for suspension development – even by the German brands.
It's the balance the Emeya ekes out of the contact with the road – a mix of cushioning suspension without sacrificing the sharpness and precision – that is the most impressive. Of course, it’s nonsense to expect a 2.5-tonne saloon to mimic the antics of an Elise, but when you acknowledge that difference in scale, the Emeya does impress.
It serves up four driving modes: Sport, Tour and Range. That’s nothing new – every electric car has these sort of selections today, but there is a more notable difference between Sport and Tour – the sort of difference that’s nice to see in a car that’s pitched towards the Grand Tourer market.
With price indications that it will retail within the range of the Eletre SUV, that suggests you can expect €100,000 for the entry version and €120,000 or so for the S; and that’s before you peruse the options list.
Pitted against the Porsches, it doesn’t match their sporting charisma, nor perhaps their street cred. The Taycan is that bit sharper all-round, and more in keeping with the rest of its line-up – and its lineage. The Emeya has faint traits of its heritage, but they are not really to the fore.
Yet for those looking for an alternative brand with plenty of motoring history and driving fun, Lotus has a significant edge over the host of new arrivals. And as a luxury Lotus, perhaps look past Porsche rivals and consider this as an alternative to the performance variants of electric saloons from BMW or Mercedes.
From this angle, the Emeya starts to make sense – and shows its potential as a cash cow for a brand that desperately needs to secure steady sales volumes to avoid yet another twist in its storied tale.
Lowdown: Lotus Emeya S
Power Two electric motors supported by a 102kWh battery pack and delivering 603hp in four-wheel drive format
0-100km/h 4.2 seconds
Range 500-610km
Price TBC (likely to start above €100,000)
Our verdict A seismic change for the brand under its Chinese owners delivers a premium family car that will turn heads – and can sharply turn corners.
Our rating 3/5
