Lotus Emira: all-new sports car ‘unboxed’ in live world premiere from re-born Hethel HQ
07/07/2021
- Sensational Emira debut staged at Lotus’ historic home, significantly upgraded with new facilities and all-new sports car factory
- Emira ‘unboxed’ live in front of more than 300 guests
- Jenson Button, F1 World Champion and Lotus customer, was surprise special guest with world-exclusive first Emira test drive
- Global online audience of thousands included 131 Lotus ‘superfans’ who appeared live on-screen at the event
- Next stop for the Emira – dynamic debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend
- Find all Lotus Emira details, images and films at media.lotuscars.com
(Hethel, UK – 7 July 2021) – It was another night for the Hethel history books as resurgent British sports car manufacturer Lotus gave a world debut to the all-new Emira. It was staged live in front of an on-site audience of VIP media and honoured guests, with tens of thousands more viewing the simultaneous online broadcast from all corners of the world.
Matt Windle, Managing Director, Lotus Cars, told guests: “The Emira is an absolute game-changer for Lotus. It’s a hugely significant milestone in our path to becoming a truly global performance car brand. It’s a new sports car – our first in many years – and what an offering it is from Lotus!”
The hour-long live-action unveiling was centred on the iconic Hethel test track and culminated in a high-octane lap of the north circuit by an Emira – officially the last petrol-powered car from Lotus. That lap drew to a close on the steering pad, directly in front of the audience as they witnessed the ‘unboxing’ of another Emira.
Former Formula 1 World Champion and Lotus customer Jenson Button was revealed as the evening’s special guest. A film of him putting the Emira through its paces on the Hethel track was played, with Jenson delivering his exclusive ‘first drive’ review live to the audience.
Jenson commented: “It’s being called a junior supercar but it would give a lot of supercars a run for their money… and it’s more comfortable than most of them! The Emira is exceptional and I’m a big fan.”