Megastar Emme 422T: How Brazil’s Automotive Ambitions Crashed and Burned

Brazil, Famous for Soccer
Once Manufactured Vehicles?
The Story of Ambition and Failure

What things come to mind when people think of Brazil? Some people might choose soccer or samba but would not choose vehicles first. Although there are auto parts manufacturers in Brazil, no automakers produce completed cars.

However, there was once an ambitious project to create a Brazilian vehicle. It was a joint project with British sports car brand Lotus. Although it ended in a miserable failure and is not well known due to its unique appearance, it is sometimes recalled in the automobile industry.

Despite Ambitious Preparation

Controversy Over Design Plagiarism

The story goes back to the mid-1990s. Several Brazilian businessmen established Megastar Veículos, the country’s first automobile manufacturer at that time. The company, created with investment from a large Swiss company, attempted to develop a mid-sized sedan, Emme, following the scooter. Various lineups were planned, from entry-level, mid-size to high-performance, and the high-performance model 422T is said to be aimed at high-performance sedans of the time, such as the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG.

The only model released was the Emme 422T, introduced at the 1997 Sao Paulo Motor Show. The company emphasized that they had localized 87% of the parts, but design controversy arose as soon as it was released. It resembled the ECC concept car introduced by Volvo in 1992, five years before its release. Volvo had nothing to do with the Emme series, and of course, Megastar did not license the design from Volvo. Even the independently designed front part was criticized for its image of being more complicated than luxurious.

Applying Innovative Material
Engine Supplied by Lotus

There were some innovative aspects as well. Emme was the first model in the automotive industry to apply a composite plastic body panel called “Vextrim.” According to the manufacturer, Vextream is lighter than steel but much harder, making it bulletproof, does not rust, and can be recycled entirely. However, this was just an argument, and its performance was never proven. Even the chassis was made of old-fashioned galvanized steel, so there was no sense in reducing weight. Even though no safety features such as airbags or ABS were applied, the curb weight reached 3,527 pounds (1.6 tons).

The only thing worth boasting about was the engine, which Lotus supplied. The high-performance model, the 422T, was equipped with a 2.2L inline 4-cylinder DOHC turbo engine that delivered a maximum output of 280 horsepower and a maximum torque of 37.4kgf.m. The power was delivered to the rear wheels by a BorgWarner 5-speed manual transmission, also used in the Ford Mustang V8. Thanks to this, it achieved 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration in 5 seconds and a top speed of 167 mph (about 270 km/h), considered high performance.

The Outcome was Predictably Disastrous
Megastar Eventually Went Bankrupt

Megastar began production on the Emme T422 just a few weeks after its unveiling. After completing a driving test from Milan, Italy, to Monte Carlo as a prototype, the company was confident and prepared for launch in the US and Europe. However, quality problems emerged from the first unit launched in the Brazilian market. Cheaper-than-expected materials were used, and the panel gap was as serious as that of the early Tesla. Above all, the biggest problems were the design, lack of safety features, and the high price comparable to that of the BMW M5. Ultimately, the Emme was discontinued not long after its launch.

Despite receiving an investment of $162 million, all of Megastar’s projects were canceled in 1999 due to poor performance. The company eventually went bankrupt. There is no exact information on how many Emme units were produced until then, but the industry estimates a maximum of about 15 units. It has been reported that five of them were the mid-level trim, 420T, and the rest were 422T. Considered one of Brazil’s biggest failures, the model has also been remembered as the strangest vehicle to wear the Lotus emblem.