Peter Lyon
July 22, 2024
Lotus is making arguably the biggest media splash in its history by launching two new cars at the same time. Alongside the electric Eletre SUV, Lotus Cars Malaysia today also introduced the fully electric Emeya to the local market and can now be reserved for RM5,000. With pricing starting at RM575,000 on-the-road, three variants—the base Emeya, Emeya S, and Emeya R—are available, making it an arch-rival of the Porsche Taycan.
The Emeya is scheduled to start deliveries in November 2024, but potential buyers may have a close-up look at the electric “Hyper-GT” from July 30 to August 4 at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Private viewing sessions will be held daily from 10 am to 10 pm, and you can reserve your spot here at this link.
The Emeya is essentially an SUV with a lower profile than the Eletre. Its performance specs are similar to those of the three SUV variants, with the two lower-end models producing 612 horsepower and 710 Nm from a dual-motor AWD setup, with the flagship Emeya R generating 918 horsepower and 985 Nm from a two-speed gearbox.
In terms of performance, that translates to a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 2.8 seconds for Emeya R and 4.2 seconds for Emeya, S. Additionally, the Emeya R has a marginally faster top speed of 256 km/h as opposed to the other variant’s 250 km/h, but you definitely won’t notice the difference when you’re pushing that hard—if you can find somewhere to go heel for leather, that is.
The same 102 kWh battery pack powers all three versions, giving that the standard Lotus Emeya has a 610 km (WLTP) range, which translates to under 540 in the real world. Meanwhile, you can also knock around 10% off the Emeya S’s 540 km and the Emeya R a 435 km range to make them real world. Because of its 800V construction, the Emeya can do 350 kW fast DC charging, which takes just 18 minutes to juice up from 10 to 80%, or 5.5 hours to fully charge when using a 22 kW AC wall box.
The larger (21-inch vs. 20-inch) standard wheels and tyres on the S and R versions account for most of the range difference; all variants nevertheless have the same sophisticated active aerodynamic equipment to maintain the car’s drag coefficient as low as 0.21 Cd.
All models in the range come standard with dual chamber air suspension, however the R is tuned differently to match its performance focus. The Emeya’s interior is highlighted by a 15.1-inch touchscreen infotainment display that is positioned in the centre of the dash and easy to use. In addition to the dashboard’s letterbox-style screen, drivers also receive access to a sizable “55-inch” head-up display.
The Lotus Emeya also offers a comprehensive package of advanced driver assistance features including two Nvidia Drive processors processing data from 34 cutting-edge surround sensors, 12 cameras and four LiDARs. Over-the-air updates will also gradually enhance the car’s safety system.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
Yes, the Emeya is a good-looking hyper-EV and comes to market priced at exactly the same price as the Porsche Taycan. To be bluntly honest, to price it the same as the Taycan is very cheeky and will not resonate as much with potential buyers who will obviously see the Porsche packing more street cred. For example, people are willing to pay $80 for a bottle of Bollinger champagne but are only willing to pay $55 for a bottle of Moet Chandon. The Taycan’s name alone is worth at least an extra 10% over the Lotus we feel, so perhaps this could be a lost opportunity for Lotus in Malaysia.
