The Lotus Emira has been improved for the 2026 model year, with changes being made to the car’s cooling system. According to the carmaker, routing for the coolant lines has been optimised to provide better flow to both the transmission oil cooler as well as the main cooling radiator.
This results in more cooling and a lower vehicle weight, with Lotus adding that the air-conditioning system has been recalibrated to provide a more stable interior climate at high temperatures. The Emira’s engine thermostat also has a revised opening temperature of 65 degrees Celsius (previously 75 degrees), improving heating and performance under severe conditions.
Meanwhile, the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox has been recalibrated for faster shift times and improved shift quality. The 8DCT is paired with a 2.0 litre turbocharged inline-four petrol engine that serves up either 366 PS (361 hp or 269 kW) and 430 Nm of torque in the regular Turbo, or 400 PS (394 hp or 294 kW) and 470 Nm in the Turbo SE.
A 3.5 litre supercharged V6 is also available, making 405 PS (400 hp or 298 kW) and either 420 Nm with a six-speed manual transmission (includes a limited-slip differential), or 430 Nm with a six-speed automatic.
The MY2026 update also sees the introduction of a new Emira V6 SE variant, which joins the existing range that already includes the Turbo SE. As its name implies, the latest in the range is powered by the aforementioned supercharged V6 and there are two transmissions to choose from.
Go with the manual version and you’ll get a new compression mount for the gearbox, which Lotus claims results in more precise gear changes. The V6 SE is offered with a choice of Tour or Sports chassis setups, and it is finished in Zinc Grey as standard.
Other aesthetic touches include an extended Black Pack, 20-inch forged alloy wheels, red brake callipers and an interior featuring Alcantara and sport pedals. For personalisation, there are 15 exterior colours, seven interior themes, eight wheel designs and four brake calliper finishes to choose from.
The Emira catalogue has also been expanded to include two new colours called EOS Green and Purple Haze. Customers can also option the Racing Line design package – also offered for the SE variants – that adds a subtle, lower pinstripe in yellow, red or silver to match the colour of the brake callipers.
Whatever hue is chosen is also applied to the mirror caps, with other additions being Racing Line badging, high-gloss black wheels and exterior logo finished in either black or silver. The colour-matching exercise extends to the interior that gets stitching in the chosen accent colour and a special badge.
Finally, Lotus provides the option of an Extended Co-Driver Pack that adds more ADAS on top of what’s already included as standard (AEB, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, fatigue detection). With the paid extra, you get adaptive cruise control (only for automatic transmission), rear cross traffic alert, door opening warning and high beam assist.
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