8/15 Factory Tour

[Matt]

can you describe more about the i4, is it available for test drive or just sit there? Since there was no news about the test cars and they were delayed to Q2 2023?

No i4 has ever been produced, the global test drive campaign will start in Sep.

 

[DenzilP]

No i4 has ever been produced, the global test drive campaign will start in Sep.

I saw an i4 on my factory tour in April being built, (just about complete - at the end of the line) no doubt a pre production one. Also I spoke with a senior Lotus person at Goodwood who said they were even surprised how good the i4 sounded. Fingers crossed the final production one is.

 

[TomE]

I saw pre-production i4s being built in the assembly hall in January. They’re still a way off building production cars. Type approval is due in Q4.

 

[emiraspain]

They specifically said that both suspensions are the same height. The pictures of the cars at the Lotus Driving Academy are the heights the cars will be delivered at

thats confusing as the cars driven at the lotus academy later had different heights.... But you would think the guys on the factory line setting them up would know .... . Im still not 100% haha

 

[scarzie]

Thanks for sharing. I saw the pre-production car in March this year. The ground clearance is definitely abnormal, because the front bumper is less than 12 cm off the ground. A factory Ferrari 458 is 16-17 cm. Also look at the height of suspension , have you ever seen a factory car with such tiny wheel gap ?! View attachment 8133

That is the non-driving prototype that made the rounds and has the batteries in back and the i4 engine cover which has always been lower than any of the driving models we've seen. The wheel gaps on those that were being built were the same as those that are being used for the driving academy. I'm 95% confident that's what we'll be getting as I would assume they're not doing the driving experience with transport blocks.

Those asking about the i4 - it wasn't a car, just a single i4 engine stashed behind a bunch of fresh v6's from Toyota ready to be stripped down. I'd reckon they're not going to be building any for the foreseeable future due to the backlog and demand for the v6.

 

[Chris2409]

When I did the LDA a few weeks back a I4 car was there. It was flat red (I’m not sure of the actual colour name but more of a base red than the Magma which was also there). The engine cover looked the same as the blue demo display car - really just a plastic cover and not really worth displaying IMO.

 

[MrClean]

Could you tell if they were Sport vs Touring suspension? There's been discussion about Touring possibly having a larger wheel gap.

Also, how was the ground clearance? It appears to sit very low in some pictures and have a higher clearance in other pictures.

FWIW, I had done some research into this and found the Seneca Blue launch car seen July 2021 and in many photos since then had lowering springs and spacers to give it that stance we all loved!
I have not been able to track down the spring specs or part numbers or the spacer widths but I’m definitely interested in matching that setup!

 

[MrClean]

My thoughts, too - a former girlfriend had an S2000 which she drove for several years (and had serviced several times) before eventually a dealer spotted transport blocks on her car! She received a brand new S2000 from Honda and in return Honda placed her original S2000 on display (as a warning to personnel regarding the importance of a proper PDI and servicing, IIRC!)

That happened with my 2004 S2000 although I figured it out after my drive home from the dealership. I knew the technician that PDI’ed the car and he was so embarrassed! No harm done to the car since it was found almost immediately.

 

[JimH]

When I did the LDA a few weeks back a I4 car was there. It was flat red (I’m not sure of the actual colour name but more of a base red than the Magma which was also there). The engine cover looked the same as the blue demo display car - really just a plastic cover and not really worth displaying IMO.

Definitely not a looker or worth displaying without the cover….

 

[Porter]

Definitely not a looker or worth displaying without the cover….

View attachment 8141

With all the cooling challenges they've experienced with that very hot powertrain, I suspect later (faster) versions of the AMG I4 Emira will need some interesting approaches to cooling, particularly forced airflow cooling.

Has anyone mocked up an image of an Emira with a mohawk duct? Seems like a natural fit for getting direct airflow onto the back side of the engine from above. I know the rear window and adjacent vent strips are designed for extraction, but who knows, maybe a mix of ducted approaches and chimney/convective approaches could add value in reducing heat soak in different scenarios. If not a roof duct, then maybe some kind of rear side window ducting, as in the Cayman GT4 RS?

 

[TomE]

A roof duct might work. Exiges look good with them and those ones are functional not just decorative.

There’s already a fair sized underbody duct into the lower front of the engine bay, as well as the side ducts. So not many other routes left if they need more air flow.

 

[Porter]

A roof duct might work. Exiges look good with them and those ones are functional not just decorative.

There’s already a fair sized underbody duct into the lower front of the engine bay, as well as the side ducts: So not many other routes left if they need more air flow.

Koala ears like the RS200 Evo!

 

[Leonard]

A roof duct might work. Exiges look good with them and those ones are functional not just decorative.

There’s already a fair sized underbody duct into the lower front of the engine bay, as well as the side ducts: So not many other routes left if they need more air flow.

We need photo shops immediately!!!!

 

[Lankan]

Koala ears like the RS200 Evo!

View attachment 8167

The roof duct will work for me, any day.

It works very well on the Exige S2, both functionally and how it looks, and I do think it will look good on the Emira too.

 

[scoates]

I'm hoping that for the final edition hardcore Emira V6 they need to use a roof duct, if they do that's an instant buy for me!

 

[Evotion]

I must be in the minority. I hope they never make another Emira version and spoil the initial impact of the FE.

I kinda hope they bring out the FE and then give up and concentrate on the EVs.

 

[Leonard]

I must be in the minority. I hope they never make another Emira version and spoil the initial impact of the FE.

I kinda hope they bring out the FE and then give up and concentrate on the EVs.

That is what they should have done. No First Edition, no Base, no Final Edition just 'Emira' and made it as good as it could be. Maybe a GT4 as a last hoorah

 

[digilotus]

That is what they should have done. No First Edition, no Base, no Final Edition just 'Emira' and made it as good as it could be. Maybe a GT4 as a last hoorah

Agree. First Edition is a bit pointless and having "Base" released as a worse (and cheaper) spec in future is even dumber.

Lotus could have released the Emira (normal edition) with some bonus incentives to early adopters such as a free "drivers pack", "designer pack" and "premium paint" until <date> or for first # of orders.

Should there be new features or options added in future then that could have been released for MY24 cars and not as part of "Base" edition models.

 

[TomE]

Lotus could have released the Emira (normal edition) with some bonus incentives to early adopters such as a free "drivers pack", "designer pack" and "premium paint" until <date> or for first # of orders.

Isn't that exactly what they've done with the First Edition? A load of options and packs included at a discount. The number of cars and length of availability for First Editions is just much higher than we expected. The Launch Edition Evora was 400 cars.

 

[digilotus]

Isn't that exactly what they've done with the First Edition? A load of options and packs included at a discount. The number of cars and length of availability for First Editions is just much higher than we expected. The Launch Edition Evora was 400 cars.

My point is given you'll be able to spec a "First Edition" configuration from a "Base" Edition, what's the point of a First Edition designation? Totally pointless really. It's the same "Base" car with the same options availability just with a different exterior badge.