2022 Lotus Emira

It isn't every day, or decade, that Lotus introduces a new sports car. In fact, the last new Lotus that was introduced to our shores was the (barely) four-passenger Evora way back in 2010. With a bonded, extruded aluminum chassis, the Emira (pronounced eh-meer-ah) utilizes traditional Lotus construction methods but is the first vehicle to use the company's new Sports Car Architecture. And with Lotus' move into the fully electrified world of the supercar, the Emira represents the company's last vehicle to be powered solely by an internal combustion engine.

Buyers will have a choice between two engines to power their Emira. Sourced from technical partner Mercedes-AMG is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine expected to crank out around 360 horsepower. We've sampled this engine's potency in the AMG CLA 45 and we're sure it will be absolutely ferocious in the relatively lightweight Emira. This engine will be paired with a dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Part of the reason for the Emira's extra curb weight (3,000 pounds is a little portly for Lotus) is the modern, comfortable interior. A fully digital 12.3-inch instrument panel greets the driver as does a small-diameter, flat-bottom steering wheel. The two seats can be spec'd with either four- or 12-way electric adjustability and strike a balance between day-to-day comfort and support for high-performance driving.