Chinese vs European i4 HP?

[Nova]

This cooling thing keeps coming up, but where you are "reading" such stuff is just an echo chamber of people repeating speculation on forums like this. I will buy a hat and then eat it if it is not simply a case of removing the Market Segmentation Valve to get more out of the i4 in the Emira.

Behold, as the wizards at Lotus release a 430+hp variant in a couple of years (once the V6 run is finished), with no hardware changes... witchcraft, I say!

If you look at photos of the I4 engine bay, there is a fan duct blowing over the top of the engine, and reviewers remark hearing this fan. I believe the issue may not be the ability of the engine itself to be cooled adequately, but rather the glass and rear hatch area body/structure's ability to withstand the heat of the M139's turbine. In the A45S, the turbine is surrounded by heat shielding, including on top attached to the aluminum hood. On the Emira, there are glass and composite body panels nearby, and these may have a level of sensitivity to heat that requires more proactive cooling of the engine when the car is sitting still.

 

[TomE]

@Tokion @TomE Any plans for a review of the 400HP Emira? Is it being planned by any automotive journalists?

We will need to rely on our Chinese forum members to spot the reviews of the i4 400hp version in the Chinese auto press.

There was a large group of Geely VIPs and Chinese media at Goodwood this year, including the journalists taking most of the i4 passenger slots on the runs up the hill (one reason I couldn’t get a run). They had also apparently been at Hethel earlier in the week.

I suspect the journalists may have ridden in UK i4s at Goodwood but been able to drive some of the Lotus NYO China i4s that had been spotted at the factory.

Or maybe they are the same apart from the NYO badge….

 

[Andy H]

Or maybe they are the same apart from the NYO badge….

My money's on this

 

[valentinewang]

Bcz Chinese doesn't sell the V6 in the first time，Official tuned i4 to the Chinese market instead of V6 and promise i4 release ASAP. Lots of Birtish Lotus emira problems（Only make the V6 and lack i4），Chinese Lotus has to import 200 V6 MT car try to avoid some original promise.
That's the boring fact.

 

[eriegz]

one reason I couldn’t get a run

What were the other reasons? 😂

 

[Lotustoronto]

quick question for UK guys, can you still order a V6 F/E in UK/EU? How has this order book not closed, is the F/E a 2 year model run?

 

[Nova]

Here's one of the earliest Emira 2.0T collection/pickup day videos in China, by a guy who I assume is a big name in the automotive video review industry, like the Chinese version of Shmee, but funnier. Unfortunately, this video doesn't have automagic English subtitle translation. Some takeaways I had:

• The guy bought a Fiat 500 Abarth because of its good looks, brand history, and motorsport pedigree. He hated it and sold it at a loss after only 1000km. It was weak, and the chassis tuning wasn't good, and he lamented the huge turning circle. He was worried that Emira's beauty was also only skin deep.
• He commented that the Hethel Yellow is a flirty color, no other way to interpret it.
• He repeatedly commented that the seating position felt high, asked if it could go lower, and supposed that they could have left out the electronic controls to make the seat lower.
• He remarked that despite the tall seating position, he felt really really close to the road - at one point a Mercedes S class looked like an SUV next to him.
• He thought the turbo whoosh to his left was "fun", and he mentioned it numerous times.
• He was lukewarm on the engine/exhaust sound. He said it was loud enough, but that it was just mostly low-frequency noise and that it lacked urgency and mechanical bark/bite. Later in the garage, the sound level was significantly louder than an Audi S4 Avant.
• He really really liked the suspension - I think he must have the sport since he has the Cup 2s. He thought that it was compliant and not jarring at all. He went over some rough roads and observed that the car was very composed. He remarked that most of the modern-day supercars had this also dialed in, giving good handling without a jarring ride.
• He didn't like the entertainment system because it was not at all responsive. The slowness in responding to his voice command was comical. Curiously, there is no CarPlay in the Chinese version, replaced by Huawei HiCar - probably a result of modern-day geopolitical arm wrestling between China and the US.
• He said most people probably wouldn't care about all of the Lync & Co switchgear and the general Lync & Co "look and feel" of the interior. He gave the exterior a score of 100, and interior score of 59.
• Overall, he said the more he drives the car, the more he likes it, which is a great sign.

 

[EMIRADILEMMA]

Here's one of the earliest Emira 2.0T collection/pickup day videos in China, by a guy who I assume is a big name in the automotive video review industry, like the Chinese version of Schmee, but funnier. Unfortunately, this video doesn't have automagic English subtitle translation. Some takeaways I had:

• The guy bought a Fiat 500 Abarth because of its good looks, brand history, and motorsport pedigree. He hated it and sold it at a loss after only 1000km. It was weak, and the chassis tuning wasn't good, and he lamented the huge turning circle. He was worried that Emira's beauty was also only skin deep.
• He commented that the Hethel Yellow is a flirty color, no other way to interpret it.
• He repeatedly commented that the seating position felt high, asked if it could go lower, and supposed that they could have left out the electronic controls to make the seat lower.
• He remarked that despite the tall seating position, he felt really really close to the road - at one point a Mercedes S class looked like an SUV next to him.
• He thought the turbo whoosh to his left was "fun", and he mentioned it numerous times.
• He was lukewarm on the engine/exhaust sound. He said it was loud enough, but that it was just mostly low-frequency noise and that it lacked urgency and mechanical bark/bite. Later in the garage, the sound level was significantly louder than an Audi S4 Avant.
• He really really liked the suspension - I think he must have the sport since he has the Cup 2s. He thought that it was compliant and not jarring at all. He went over some rough roads and observed that the car was very composed. He remarked that most of the modern-day supercars had this also dialed in, giving good handling without a jarring ride.
• He didn't like the entertainment system because it was not at all responsive. The slowness in responding to his voice command was comical. Curiously, there is no CarPlay in the Chinese version, replaced by Huawei HiCar - probably a result of modern-day geopolitical arm wrestling between China and the US.
• He said most people probably wouldn't care about all of the Lync & Co switchgear and the general Lync & Co "look and feel" of the interior. He gave the exterior a score of 100, and interior score of 59.
• Overall, he said the more he drives the car, the more he likes it, which is a great sign.

Thanks so much for the translation @Nova. If you don't mind, may I please trouble you to translate what he said about the Supra?

 

[Nova]

Thanks so much for the translation @Nova. If you don't mind, may I please trouble you to translate what he said about the Supra?

Oh, no problem. He said the Supra looks great on paper: history/pedigree, great looks, BMW-powered 6-cylinder. But when he tried it, he didn't like it at all. He called it a derogatory slur that essentially means that it has dual conflicting identity characteristics. He said it felt fake - again because he is a car reviewer so he knows a BMW when he sees it, even if they put a Toyota label on it. He found this confusing familiarity "uncomfortable". He said he wouldn't call the Z4 a sports car, he called it a "Road-Mood Performance Car", and the Supra places a sports car shell on top of the Z4. He said he likes the Emira a *LOT* more than the Supra. Something to keep in mind is that the Supra 3.0 is about the same price as the Emira I4 FE in China.

He did casually give the Emira interior only a 59, compared to 100 for the exterior, probably due to it being similar to Lync&Co cars. At least the rest of the car is nothing like the other Lync&Co cars.

 

[Porter]

If you look at photos of the I4 engine bay, there is a fan duct blowing over the top of the engine, and reviewers remark hearing this fan. I believe the issue may not be the ability of the engine itself to be cooled adequately, but rather the glass and rear hatch area body/structure's ability to withstand the heat of the M139's turbine. In the A45S, the turbine is surrounded by heat shielding, including on top attached to the aluminum hood. On the Emira, there are glass and composite body panels nearby, and these may have a level of sensitivity to heat that requires more proactive cooling of the engine when the car is sitting still.

I believe the fan and duct are also present on the A45. Highlighted in yellow here. The intake path is highlighted in magenta.