This development makes business sense. Geely, the Chinese carmaker that bought Lotus, has ambitions to boost sales annually from just 1,500 to 150,000. However, as Lotus transitions to an all-electric future, from a brand perspective, there’s confusion right now since the same showroom houses the Emira—a sub-1.5-ton mid-engined combustion sportscars, and next to it the 2.6-ton Eletre SUV and the car you see here, the 2.5-ton Emeya. Although there’s no questioning the importance of vehicles like the Emeya to the carmaker’s survival (think the Cayenne to Porsche), does it deserve to be called a Lotus?

Based on looks alone, it plays the part. There are more than a dozen Lotus emblems scattered around the Emeya, which tells you that designers are trying really hard to connect this car to their sportscar past. Honestly, they didn’t have to. Designers came up with something arresting and dramatic. They also did a great job at hiding its true girth. The Emeya is a large car—longer than the Porsche Taycan and just as wide as a BMW i7. All in all, the low-slung appearance and wide stance give it a silhouette that passes for a four-door Lotus. The slender two-piece running lights, low-mounted main means, and thick bumper fins capture your attention which are then finished off on a high note by the Kamm-style tail and full-length light bar. Interestingly, the Emeya isn’t a sedan; rather, it’s a liftback akin to a Panamera or Audi A7 which has some implications.

Press the unlock button on the hidden door handles and the Emeya does a light show as the frameless doors come swinging out electronically; a nice, welcoming touch that’s also very Chinese. Side cameras and Lidar measures the amount of angle needed to clear obstacles such as nearby cars or posts.

Inside, the Emeya takes a delightful turn. The dashboard’s mix of soft edges and broad planes wonderfully integrates its various screens—there are three of them—to make every other German choice feel either austere or chintzy. The use of different materials also creates an airy, welcoming experience.

The center tunnel and beltline are high, no doubt to make you feel cocooned as you would in a Lotus sportscar. However, the end driving position remains lofty; perfect if you want to have a more commanding view of your surroundings, but not-so-perfect if you’re expecting this to be a Exige and a half. No complaints at the back since it offers as much space as the largest German luxury barge. The standard seating is a bench that accommodates three, but it can also be ordered in this Executive Seat Pack. The total occupant count is reduced to four, but everyone gets pampered with their own adjustable recline, ventilation, heating, and even massagers. The Emeya’s weak point is its lack of cargo space. Behind that electric tailgate is a modest 429 liters thanks largely to the high floor. When optioned with the Executive Seat Pack, the rear seats don’t fold down. There’s a front trunk as well, but because of all the hardware there, it’s just enough to accommodate the emergency charger and nothing else.

Like a lot of Chinese-led designs, the Emeya’s interior centerpiece is the laptop-sized OLED screen placed at the center. The graphics and responses are great, and they should, as you need to dive deep into its menus to adjust just about everything in here. Still, the buttons are small which means they’re tricky to hit on the move. Thankfully, there are programmable physical toggles in the middle, ahead of the shifter, but they’re limited to just two. Plus, they can only be programmed to respond to a limited number of commands. Thankfully, Lotus understands ergonomics and doesn’t place driving-related controls there. Instead, the driver gets a narrow 12.6-inch strip and a comprehensive heads-up display, while the passenger has one too for infotainment functions.

For the Philippine market, the Emeya is available in three variants which starts out at P 8-million. The one you see here is the mid-grade Emeya S which is priced at P 500,000 more. A high-po Emeya R tops out the range at P 9.5-million. The base and S variants receive the very same powertrain—a dual motor setup that delivers a combined 603 horsepower and 710 Nm of torque. Mind you, these are peak power figures as Lotus admits that its sustained 30-minute output goes up to only 188 horsepower. Still, 0 to 100 km/h is done in just 4.15 seconds, and at least it can sustain its 250 km/h top speed all the way from a full charge down to 10 percent battery charge.

There’s no starter button in the Emeya. You simply unlock the doors, select the gear, and you’re ready to head off. Lotus has ditched any sort of synthetic soundtrack here, which opens its biggest flaw: the lack of emotion. The driving experience is cold and distant. It’s a road-going jet, mind you, but it just doesn’t register anything, not even a crack of a smile. Instead, it’s focused on delivering mind-blowing speed in the most ruthless way possible.

When you hit the bends, you realize quickly that this isn’t something you’d want to take through countryside roads. The steering is accurate and all, but it serves little feedback. Same goes for the brakes. There’s no masking that you’re throwing around something with a 2.5-ton curb weight, so eventually you stop tackling corners with gusto. It’s a shame since the two-chambered air suspension does mean that the Emeya behaves nicely enough to bring some of that fangled Lotus driving DNA. Plus, it rides plush enough even when on the optional larger 22-inch wheels.

The Emeya uses a gigantic 102-kWh (98.9-kWh) battery which should give it up to 695 kilometers in range. Sadly, because our running was limited to a lot of heavy weekday traffic, it could only muster 373 kilometers on a full charge (3.77 km/kWh). At least it charges fast enough allowing up to 22 kW on AC power or a staggering 350 kW on DC power.