Lotus Emira to receive V8 engine replacement for V6

The Lotus Emira is currently the only pure internal combustion sports car still offered by Lotus to its enthusiasts.

Before production of this model ends in 2027, Lotus is reportedly planning improvements to the model, particularly for the United States market.

According to recent reports from Autocar, Lotus is considering a V8 engine for the Emira.

Its CEO, Feng Qingfeng, stated that the brand is exploring the feasibility of a V8 engine to replace the currently used V6 engine.

The Lotus Emira is available with a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 sourced from Toyota, or a 2.0-liter engine from Mercedes-AMG.

Feng dismissed the idea of increasing the power of the existing V6 engine, citing that the Toyota engine is unable to meet the stricter Euro 7 standards.

Lotus previously planned to gradually phase out the V6 offering to make way for the AMG-powered model.

However, with strong demand for the six-cylinder model in the United States, Lotus is prompted to consider the proposal of installing a larger engine.

Lotus Europe CEO, Matt Windle, told Autocar, ““The US is an incredibly important market for us for the car. It always has been. So we’re looking at the market demand for the product going forward.”

He further explained that the company is exploring several options that could be implemented to ensure the full potential of the Emira can be realized, including possibly matching engines from existing suppliers—most likely Mercedes-AMG.