Over the last couple of years, both my knowledge and adoration for the Lotus brand has grown. Some of my best friends are Lotus owners, having ridden shotgun in an Exige 390 Final Edition and an Esprit V8, I can truly say that there is something special about the brand. One that deserves both a remarkable home and team to represent Lotus in New Zealand.
Lotus Auckland had the latter of this ticked off already in Chris Parker, the Dealer Principal and Charlotte Martin-Scobie, the brand’s Sales Consultant. With Thursday evening’s opening, Lotus now have a home to match! Having moved to 138 Great North Road, Auckland, Lotus are now in the heart of the city’s most exclusive automobile dealerships, a fitting home for a marque that produces the Emira sportscar and Eletre hyper-SUV. That lineup received a new addition on Thursday night.
Thus, our Thursday night wasn’t spent simply celebrating Lotus Auckland’s new home but the headline attraction was the unveiling of the new Emeya, the brand’s fully-electric hyper-GT. I was one of the few fortunate people in the room to have already spent time with the Emeya. Specifically at the 2024 edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed where I went up the famous hillclimb in one. Even typing out that sentence brings a beaming grin to my face!
However, this article isn’t about me or about the Goodwood Festival of Speed, it’s about the new Lotus Emeya and particularly, its arrival in New Zealand. With our glasses full courtesy of Sober Curious AF and our tummies topped up with some nibbles, we gathered around the Union Jack draped silhouette as Shaun Summerfield, GM Communications at Giltrap Group took to the lectern.
Shaun talked about Lotus’ history and their transition to a hyper-electric brand while still retaining the handling capabilities that have made the brand so revered. He remarked about the Eletre’s strengths, a car that we are only too familiar with, having reviewed both the Eletre S and Eletre R models. Then, he turned our attention to Lotus’ film about the Emeya after which, Chris and Charlotte stepped up to peel back the cover and unveil a beautiful Fireglow Orange Emeya S.
While distinctive looking in its own right, Emeya is still recognisable as a member of the family that gave us the Eletre hyper-SUV. Shaun then invited Chris up to the mic to speak about the Emeya. In his typically enthusiastic style, he talked about the advancements in performance that this car brings to the Lotus family. The R model in particular having a 0-100kph time nearing 2.5 seconds while the S model settles for a 4.5s time to do the same. The topic then turned to the downforce generated by that electronic rear wing as well as the exquisite finishing of the interior.
Chris also talked about the revolutionary technology powering the car right from the processing power of the system to the LiDar which allows the car to be ready for autonomous driving.
From there, the doors were opened, literally and we were allowed to get familiar with the car. As experienced with the Eletre, Emeya has a high quality finish inside and out. The exterior being a marriage of form and function, its silhouette cutting a particularly sharp figure in this Hyperglow Orange. Inside, Emeya exhibits a similarly luxurious feel to the Eletre while sporting a few new tricks including a glass roof that can turn opaque and clear entirely or in zones.
I’ll save the details for our review later on. For now, just now that three trim levels will be available in New Zealand, the Emeya, S and R. Six paint options and five interior themes add to its customizability with the list of options being comprehensive too. Audio comes courtesy of KEF, like the Eletre. All of this makes the Emeya a very compelling package. Speaking of compelling packages, there was one waiting for all of us as the event concluded. Sober Curious AF and Lotus had prepared a tasting pack of six drinks for all of the guests to take home.
With the Emeya unveiled at Lotus’ new home in Auckland and not a drop of alcohol in our systems, Dave and I headed home, our appetites whetted for the review to come!
A special thanks to Chris Parker and Lotus Auckland for the invite.
Thanks for reading! For more Lotus news and reviews, visit Tarmac Life.
Words and photos by Matthew D’Souza.
