Lotus Emira launched in Malaysia with whopping RM 1,131,800 price

KUALA LUMPUR: Lotus Cars under Proton and DRB-Hicom retired from Malaysia a few years ago when they were taken over by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Auto) with a huge investment of USD 1.9 Billion to revive the brand and start working on a new production facility outside of Hethel, UK. Just before retirement, Lotus Cars did not have a brand new vehicle for many years and the last British Lotus Car was the Evora with a V6 engine.

Then in April 2020, there was news that Lotus was back in Malaysia, but not with Proton or even Geely. Instead, it was back with a private group and they had set up a new showroom and after-sales facility in Jalan Astaka U8/84A, Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam. There were no new cars on sale yet and they were just getting ready for the next generation range of Lotus cars to arrive.

So, this afternoon, Lotus Cars returned to Malaysia under LOTUS KARZ Sdn Bhd and they unveiled and launched the Lotus Emira. Priced from RM 1,131,800 on the road with all taxes paid (you can also buy it tax-free at RM 456,900 and have it stored and aged in Langkawi to get the tax price lower over the next few years).

There are a few versions of the Emira and this is the V6 version that is powered by a 3.5-litre supercharged engine that, like the Evora, is mid-mounted behind the two seats. This engine delivers 400 horsepower and is mated to a proper six-speed manual gearbox which is sadly missing in many new sports cars today.

This Emira arrives with 20-inch ultra-lightweight V-spoke alloy wheels shod with Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres. You have the option of requesting and also paying more to get a sport suspension with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.  

New owners, Geely have upgraded the previous ‘spartan looking’ Lotus cabin with a class act luxury sports car cabin to rival Porsche, Audi and also BMW. You have a premium audio system from KEF that produces 340W and it is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability.  

Just like its rivals, all the functions are accessed through a 10.25-inch centrally mounted touchscreen with driver feedback through a 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster ahead of the multi-function flat-bottom sports steering wheel. 

You can choose to get an automatic gearbox and more comfort features like parking sensors, rear reversing camera, rain-sensing wipers with aero blades, auto-dimming mirrors and a rear luggage storage net, which means it is no longer a real Lotus sports car but a commuter sports car.

Lotus cars have to be simple, light and communicative with a manual gearbox. You can view, touch and even start up the V6 engine on this Emira on the 9th & 10th April 2022, at Lotus Cars Malaysia showroom at 43, Jalan Astaka U8/84A, Bukit Jelutong, 40150 Shah Alam, Malaysia. 

Showroom hours are from 10.00 am till 5.00 pm. The Lotus Emira will also be in Penang on 16th April 2022. To find out more, please contact hello@lotuscarsmalaysia.com or call 6016 – 611 2388.

Also read: World’s first all-electric hyper-SUV, the Lotus Eletre detailed in pics