Thanks 0pirates0 for uploading the video(s) of your i4 test drive. Again very useful. A pity you had to drive in heavy rain, but this at least confirms that the Cup 2s are capable of performing as long as the driver is careful and go relatively slow (and no “track mode” 👀😅).
A couple of...
Noticeable discrepancy between the body of the review and the happy conclusion. Almost like the written text first was agreed upon by a diplomatic committee.
Thanks 0pirates0 for your replies. Your answers are very helpful & useful indeed.
As most veterans know, the art is in the ability to ask the right questions (if anyone here knows what I am talking about).
And I will definitely be more diplomatic than pointing out who were the...
(1) Are all QC issues on China delivered I4 cars resolved?
(2) If ‘no’ to above question. Are future software updates expected to resolve further issues and also to ‘update’ (improve) the cars?
(3) Are there still already imported i4 cars available for sale to (new) customers in China?
(4) Are...
I really love my 37000 miles/59000km 2008 BMW 335i E93 Cabriolet in Barbara red with Cream leather interior, full Öhlins coil over suspension and ESS N54 Twin Turbo flash ECU tuning (which retains emission control, and the car has passed the national compulsory check at the BMW/Alpina...
I really love my 2008 BMW 335i E93 Cabriolet in Barbara red with Cream leather interior, full Öhlins coil over suspension and ESS N54 Twin Turbo flash ECU tuning. But this is the car that will need to go if my Emira FE i4 actually (ever) shows up.
To «shift» production, is such an elegant word that nonchalantly can be inserted interchangeably for the more serious expressions «delayed» and «pushed back».
After having ordered, specified, and partly prepaid for 10%) an i4 unseen and untested over 2 years ago, and never ever getting any...
Only Auto/DCT cars will come with a printed Manual. It is being considered to have the title “Forget Manual, the future is Electric” printed on the cover….
But there is a possibility this gets voted down 🤣👀
Not sure if it always work that way? In Japan where I live (I am Norwegian, not Japanese) there is no tax advantage neither for the Japanese made V6 or the German made I4. (The price of the two versions are just a little over 5%) I believe that orders for V6 are several times that of orders for...
I have been following Misha Charoudin for a long time, and I have noticed his comments regarding suspension in many cars he has driven around the Nurburgring.
The issue is definitely not “as hard as possible”. Actually the Nurburgring has many anomalies and even areas that function like a small...
Could it also have to do with some inexperienced drivers not able to handle the power and response of the Emira, and also the very high traffic volume in Chinese cities. I have seen other videos that experienced drivers tend to weave left and right, to avoid slower cars, crossing lanes to get...
Thanks for your feedback. I am simply trying to get any relevant information about what is going on regarding i4 cars delivered to China and sold to Chinese customers.
Next I am interested in hearing about improvements to QC of i4 at Hethel, and also possibly updates and improvements as result...
For those who don’t already know; Misha Charoudin is a very accomplished driver and YouTuber associated with the Nurburgring based “ring-taxi” and “rental” firm APEX. He is driving all kinds of cars from classics with small engines, tuning cars of all kinds, up to true super-cars like McLarens...
I was actually hoping for the opposite: namely that the data collected from the delivery of i4 to China made Lotus Hethel figure out the root cause for several issues, and that this is what will provide “good news for upcoming production. (No time to wait too long into the future at this point)...
Another possible explanation is that the Lotus Hethel team is frantically sorting out all those QC issues that seem to have popped up in most of (all of) the first i4 cars that were exported to China, as reported by 0pirates0. And this should help to prevent that i4 cars produced from now on...
It is worth noting that the Wuhan Lotus products are hardly in the hands of regular customers (owners) yet, so the reliability of them will only be verified after a considerable number of them have been registered and delivered to end users and driven for some time on regular roads and streets.
I salute you Nick for finding this “footnote”. There is still the statement that the Lotus Technology deal in January 2023 did not include the traditional sports car assets of Lotus, which was founded in 1948.
And there is also the clear error that the current Emira is described as 1405kg...
I have done some more follow up and looked at the SPAC investor presentations, the latest of is from July 2023. (My own background is in Economics and Business Administration, and I have run my own luxury goods company based in Japan for the last 40 years. Admittedly the scale is diminutive as...
Dear Nick
Wanna bet on whether the Emira model ever shows up as a pure BEV (with the same name, or just with a couple of added letters), or not⁉️
I personally think that some electric element, with a smaller battery (in an 48V system) and a different version of the DCT gearbox has a greater...
Being in line for an i4 FE, locked in without any possibility “to swap to another mistress”. Thanks Lotus for never showing us the actual car until over 2 years after we had to “sign in blood, and swear to never ask for any change to our order” - and only then they show the car and have it...
Hi Porter
Take a look at the following link. It is made by Mercedes in Transylvania (so it is a bit “blood-thirsty” - Just could not help myself🤣🤣🤣)
https://mercedesblog.com/mercedes-benz-has-inaugurated-production-of-the-new-8g-dct-gearbox/
You have to be aware that the people making write-ups for investors and other commercial or PR purposes are copywriters (not engineers) that takes wild liberties in making their texts looks attractive and palatable to said investors. Usually not fact-based.
Thanks TomE. This is exactly as I had thought the development and plans for Lotus Hethel sports cars will be.
Years ago (ca 2011 - 2012) I had a special opportunity to borrow a brand new electric Tesla Roadster S from Tesla Japan to use it for radiation monitoring (we mounted a recording Geiger...
I doubt that “Emira will be converted to BEV” at all. It will rather be replaced with the new dedicated BEV Model 135 sports car that is currently being designed and developed in Hethel.
Another issue will be whether the Lotus Group will allow Hethel a slight extension to the time period it is...
I wonder if our dear moderators can look at the fact that the issue of poor quality EMIRA i4 (2.0) are running parallell in two separate threads. It would be better to integrate this subject in ONE thread.
Thanks❣️
Hi 0pirates0
I found your report about engine lights in all i4 delivered to China very interesting. I suppose these were the very first batch produced at Hethel UK for delivery to end users, not only in China, but the whole World‼️. “Gremlins” will of course emerge in early cars, but we hope...
Since it is physically very different, it will definitely have to go “somewhere else.”. Its dimensions are 290 x 202 × 77 mm. If it is possible to cover up the cut out for the Fresh Air, it may go there (mounted to the wall). However it may have to go somewhere in the space behind the rear seat...