Lotus Emira V6 US pricing and specs revealed - plus a nice surprise

Lotus has confirmed pricing for its upcoming Emira V6 coupe, and the news is a little more positive than we expected after initial numbers were announced last month. Then, it looked like the Emira could end up being a six-figure sports car when it arrived in North America, but the British automaker has squeaked in just under the $100k mark.

Not, admittedly, by a huge amount. When the Emira goes on sale in V6 First Edition form in the US on October 18th, it'll be priced from $93,900

Your money gets you a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 engine sourced from Toyota, which is paired with a six-speed manual transmission as standard. A six-speed automatic with paddle-shift is optional. Either way, there's 400 horsepower and either 310 lb-ft of torque in the manual, or 317 lb-ft in the automatic version.

The result, Lotus says, is 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds. Top speed is 180 mph.

As standard, you get a choice of six colors: Seneca Blue, Magma Red, Hethel Yellow, Dark Verdant, Shadow Grey, and Nimbus Grey. Lotus says there'll be more colors added to the range next year. 20-inch ultra-lightweight V-spoke forged alloy wheels are standard, with a diamond cut two-tone finish. Silver or gloss black versions will be a no-cost option.

Two-piece brake discs with branded calipers, LED lights front and back, and a titanium exhaust finisher are also standard. The Lower Black Pack is fitted to First Edition cars too, with the front bumper air blades, front splitter, side sills and rear diffuser all finished in gloss black.

Inside, there are heated seats with 12-way adjustability. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and navigation are standard, on a 10.25-inch touchscreen in the center; the driver gets a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. KEF supplies a 10-channel, 340W audio system, and there's climate control and cruise control.

The Drivers pack is standard, with Tour or Sport suspension and a choice of two tires, while the Design Pack adds privacy glass, sports pedals, black Alcantara on the headliner, and either black, red, silver, or yellow brake calipers. Front parking sensors, a reversing camera, automatic wipers, and auto-dimming mirrors are included as par of the Convenience Pack.

Lotus will offer a few options for Emira V6 First Edition cars. As well as the $2,150 automatic, there'll be a extended Black Pack for $1,400. That gives the black treatment to the roof, cantrails, mirror backs, rear fading, and the exhaust finisher.

If $94k is a little too rich for your blood, the good news is that there'll be more affordable versions of the car in due course. Shortly after production of the V6 First Edition begins in the fall of 2022, the i4 four-cylinder First Edition Emira will begin production. Finally, the entry-level Emira is expected to arrive in 2023, with Lotus unexpectedly promising that pricing for that car will begin at just $74,900.