First stirrings of deliveries

In the last few days, UK dealers/agents have been getting paperwork(agreements) from Lotus regarding their loan cars, which are production test cars for the likes of you and me to drive.
The cars have trackers and will be geo-fenced.
Anticipated deliveries are 1st-2nd week in August.

 

[Leonard]

Lotus really needs to source suppliers who are NOT in China, because the monkey-business (pun intended) going on right now in the world doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. This would be a great time for the U.K. to re-establish and renew their industrial base to secure their own economic stability. Either resurrect production capability in the U.K. itself, or start sourcing from someplace besides China, like India maybe.

Yes, unfortunately thats not going to happen now as Lotus are Chinese!

 

[Lots_Of_Trouble]

I will await next month's alleged test drives and if I likey will probably do the same. No need for a winter sports car and no need for all the FE options, so actually all good at this point.

I've decided if it's a delay coming again then I'll be reverting to the base option next summer too,spend the money elsewhere for now,they've piddled about enough for my liking,comms would have made this much better

 

[Eagle7]

Yes, unfortunately thats not going to happen now as Lotus are Chinese!

Not entirely, but yeah I can see government pressure being put on them to not go to India. However, I don't think there'd be a problem for U.K. sourcing. With Boris gone, maybe you guys will get somebody who will focus on what will really help the U.K.

 

[Leonard]

Not entirely, but yeah I can see government pressure being put on them to not go to India. However, I don't think there'd be a problem for U.K. sourcing. With Boris gone, maybe you guys will get somebody who will focus on what will really help the U.K.

Have you seen the 2 new leader contenders?

 

[Eagle7]

Have you seen the 2 new leader contenders?

No. Who are they?

 

[Leonard]

No. Who are they?

I cant really bring myself to share details. I'm avoiding all temptations to rant on here

 

[FederGigant]

I was July delivery originally, then moved to September, then October. Now my dealer said that Lotus claims September delivery for me. To be honest I would prefer October or November for some reasons, but I think I don’t really have to worry about that

 

[TomE]

So Pelosi announces she's going to Taiwan; China warns her not to go; Pentagon says our Pacific fleet is on alert and ready for action now because she's going..... hmm.... just before the mid-terms, how convenient. A 'staged' conflict to declare an emergency, since money-pox pandemic alarm doesn't appear to be gaining any traction or credibility. A Chinese version of Ukraine/Russia. Calls for boycotting, sanctions, etc. So then everything out of China is put on hold because you know, crisis.

Lotus really needs to source suppliers who are NOT in China, because the monkey-business (pun intended) going on right now in the world doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. This would be a great time for the U.K. to re-establish and renew their industrial base to secure their own economic stability. Either resurrect production capability in the U.K. itself, or start sourcing from someplace besides China, like India maybe.

Firstly, Lotus are Chinese-owned so won't be able to pursue a no-China approach to sourcing.

Secondly, they are procuring based on a number of criteria including technical, quality, capacity, cost. A cluster of parts are coming inter-group from other Geely companies and their suppliers (some in Asia), and some are from key partners like Toyota and AMG. While there are some parts coming from China, there are already other parts coming from India and various parts of UK and Europe.

Lotus aren't going to be able to do a wholesale switch of procurement strategy this close to the start of customer delivery. Some supply agreements were put in place even before the reveal last July, because the tooling, ramp up and lead time was already going to be long.

Re-sourcing over a year later would also most likely lead to significant cost increases as new suppliers would seek to price based on current materials costs and latest view on 1-2 year inflation outlook.

 

[Scruff111S]

I’ve checked today and mine has also been further delayed - there advising of 6-8 weeks delay. Mine was originally July then August then September and now it’s October and if I change my spec sometime in 2023 .I’m literally thinking of kicking it into 2023 it’s going be winter and just sat in the garage at this rate.
Will we ever get these cars or is it a fragment on our imagination- maybe it’s all just a dream turning into a nightmare. Should never of sold my M4 argh

Exactly my feelings. As i said before, if I had ordered a Porsche over 3 years ago, I am pretty sure it would be in my garage well before now.

 

[KJD]

No. Who are they?

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

 

[Mctaff]

No. Who are they?

Dumb. And dumber.

 

[emiraspain]

So Pelosi announces she's going to Taiwan; China warns her not to go; Pentagon says our Pacific fleet is on alert and ready for action now because she's going..... hmm.... just before the mid-terms, how convenient. A 'staged' conflict to declare an emergency, since money-pox pandemic alarm doesn't appear to be gaining any traction or credibility. A Chinese version of Ukraine/Russia. Calls for boycotting, sanctions, etc. So then everything out of China is put on hold because you know, crisis.

Lotus really needs to source suppliers who are NOT in China, because the monkey-business (pun intended) going on right now in the world doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. This would be a great time for the U.K. to re-establish and renew their industrial base to secure their own economic stability. Either resurrect production capability in the U.K. itself, or start sourcing from someplace besides China, like India maybe.

all true, but a chinese based company will only do that as a last resort.... as you cant imagine the chinese government allowing these companies to do just as they please either

 

[TomE]

Actually Geely is famously non-establishment in China. That’s a difficult line to tread but the chairman has done an OK job resisting state interference. I think only two Chinese car companies are not state-owned, Geely being one.

Not suggesting that gives them completely free choice, as politics comes in to many things - true in Western car companies too.

 

[Guest142]

Actually Geely is famously non-establishment in China. That’s a difficult line to tread but the chairman has done an OK job resisting state interference. I think only two Chinese car companies are not state-owned, Geely being one.

Not suggesting that gives them completely free choice, as politics comes in to many things - true in Western car companies too.

Wow we are in deep here. I'm not actually sure if these delays will ease even in Q1 2023. At a loss here. Not sure which way to go because all the information suggests long standing supply chain issues while suppliers keep telling consumers just a little while longer (and longer, and longer). And that's if you hear from them at all. @TomE where are you on this whole (possible/likely) wait til early-to-mid next year delay issue?

 

[Bertelli]

If I was Lotus I'd be most worried about people cancelling their order. The economy is in a very different place compared to a year ago & folks have got more important things to spend money on.

 

[Guest142]

Wow we are in deep here. I'm not actually sure if these delays will ease even in Q1 2023. At a loss here. Not sure which way to go because all the information suggests long standing supply chain issues while suppliers keep telling consumers just a little while longer (and longer, and longer). And that's if you hear from them at all. @TomE where are you on this whole (possible/likely) wait til early-to-mid next year delay issue?

Btw, it's highly likely to be the case that these costs will be passed on to consumers. It's what Lotus isn't saying on top of those facts that have me on the fence here.

 

[VL3X]

So Pelosi announces she's going to Taiwan; China warns her not to go; Pentagon says our Pacific fleet is on alert and ready for action now because she's going..... hmm.... just before the mid-terms, how convenient. A 'staged' conflict to declare an emergency, since money-pox pandemic alarm doesn't appear to be gaining any traction or credibility. A Chinese version of Ukraine/Russia. Calls for boycotting, sanctions, etc. So then everything out of China is put on hold because you know, crisis.

Lotus really needs to source suppliers who are NOT in China, because the monkey-business (pun intended) going on right now in the world doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. This would be a great time for the U.K. to re-establish and renew their industrial base to secure their own economic stability. Either resurrect production capability in the U.K. itself, or start sourcing from someplace besides China, like India maybe.

Sure, but Rimstock is UK based and still MIA too... (production began in March and we have yet to see any silver forged wheels)

 

[Eagle7]

Firstly, Lotus are Chinese-owned so won't be able to pursue a no-China approach to sourcing.

Secondly, they are procuring based on a number of criteria including technical, quality, capacity, cost. A cluster of parts are coming inter-group from other Geely companies and their suppliers (some in Asia), and some are from key partners like Toyota and AMG. While there are some parts coming from China, there are already other parts coming from India and various parts of UK and Europe.

Lotus aren't going to be able to do a wholesale switch of procurement strategy this close to the start of customer delivery. Some supply agreements were put in place even before the reveal last July, because the tooling, ramp up and lead time was already going to be long.

Re-sourcing over a year later would also most likely lead to significant cost increases as new suppliers would seek to price based on current materials costs and latest view on 1-2 year inflation outlook.

Firstly.... Tom, you must be a riot at parties lol.

Unless I'm mistaken (a distinct possibility), Geely has the controlling share of stock at 51% of Lotus, am I correct? That's not exactly the same as outright ownership. Second-sourcing is a good idea in today's world right now, so you don't get brought to your knees by whatever forces, economic, physical or political might suddenly show up. Diversifying your portfolio in other words.

It's good to know there are parts coming from all over the place, as that's pretty much typical of any complex manufacturing, but in my opinion, it's still wise to second source, especially with a JIT manufacturing strategy.

I'm not advocating a switch of any kind this close to customer delivery. That would be a nightmare. I'm suggesting something looking forward to next year and beyond. I also still think it would be in the U.K.'s best interest to revive and strengthen their own industrial capability.

The same price increases for materials etc. are going to effect their existing suppliers too. It actually helps if you have competitive suppliers, because that prevents one from having too much control over what you're producing.

Let's face it, the price is going to have to go up regardless of suppliers. Inflation is effecting everybody. The only question is, how much is it going to go up. This is the downside of JIT. Because you aren't stockpiling, you're more vulnerable to the winds of change. It's really good that Matt assured us they'll honor the original prices for those who already have an order in. What that tells me though, is price changes are already rearing their ugly head.

Right now the only thing I'm looking for, is cars starting to be delivered to those of you in the U.K. We need to get that ball rolling and get past where we're at now.

 

[Guest142]

So Pelosi announces she's going to Taiwan; China warns her not to go; Pentagon says our Pacific fleet is on alert and ready for action now because she's going..... hmm.... just before the mid-terms, how convenient. A 'staged' conflict to declare an emergency, since money-pox pandemic alarm doesn't appear to be gaining any traction or credibility. A Chinese version of Ukraine/Russia. Calls for boycotting, sanctions, etc. So then everything out of China is put on hold because you know, crisis.

Lotus really needs to source suppliers who are NOT in China, because the monkey-business (pun intended) going on right now in the world doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. This would be a great time for the U.K. to re-establish and renew their industrial base to secure their own economic stability. Either resurrect production capability in the U.K. itself, or start sourcing from someplace besides China, like India maybe.

Highly offended. Piss of "monkey business" F you Eagle. That's racist. And im not going to sit here and let it pass. Walk it back!

 

[Eagle7]

Highly offended. Piss of "monkey business" F you Eagle. That's racist. And im not going to sit here and let it pass. Walk it back!

You didn't understand the reference; it was to monkey pox. It refers to the effort to continue the notion of a global pandemic so they can continue controlling everyone with with face masks and lockdowns. If you ever read Orwell's 1984, you'll get the reference to the need to manufacture a continuing crisis as the means of controlling the populace.