First viewing at Bell & Covill

[LotusAmateur]

Forgot to add earlier. Demo cars are due early April, first customer cars end of April. I took demo to mean press not customers.

I don’t believe there was one there but wouldn’t it have been nice if they had given one to all the people who have put 2k down. Would have cost them almost nothing. They could even have personalised them. Maybe I am expecting too much but marketing is about getting the details right and doing something memorable. Having given it the sleep test my opinion has not changed about the car (love it) or the event (underwhelming).

Fully resonate with your report back Pav. I too was a B&C last evening. The car is clearly beautiful but Lotus really have to up their game on marketing and the customer expererience if they want to compete with Porsche and the premium marques that they are positioning the Emira against. The team at B&C were very friendly and knowledgeable, and Russell was very inspiring. But, beyond that, it felt very low budget, mass market and amateur hour. I did not feel special at all as a early depositor and my wife (who is less of a car enthusiast) was very unimpressed. Definitely did not feel the way I would want to when buying a £75k car and the experience makes me nervous whether Lotus will be able to up their game.

The contrast to my experience when buying the Alpine A110 is stark - they made it personal, small group and intimate. And made the depositors feel special when they launched the new Studio in London - we had a private event. And they were still amateurs compared to the other marques.

However, the Emira is still undoubtedly compelling and feels special in itself. So, I am going ahead with the next step of my order and excited about that. Let's hope the marketing team get their act together on the experience. And I am looking forward to driving it in spring - that will be the clincher!!

 

[Wolfram]

By mentioning ‘there is no need to panic buy’ a politician haphazardly triggered a small section of the UK population into increasing demand by 500% almost overnight. It was mentioned because a couple of petrol stations had run out of fuel due to lorry drivers being thin on the ground, caused by a combination of Brexit and Covid.

For some reason there are a few of us Brits who are predisposed to being selfish, or arguably, doing exactly what a psychologist would expect people to do when they are told something they need is running out.

Back to the thread.. as a mildly ironic twist, it forced me to take my wife’s ID3 to the event rather than my GR Yaris. Maybe it’s a conspiracy!

...except it wasn't just a couple of petrol stations., at least not here. In Bromley all the BP stations were empty and closed on Friday morning - well before the 'panic buying' set in. There is still virtually no fuel anywhere in the vicinity today. Seriously, people here are spending the night camped out at service stations with deck chairs and flasks of coffee in the hope of a tanker delivery. They are not 'panic buying' - they are running on vapour and are absolutely desperate for fuel to get to work etc.

With the current situation there is no prospect of me getting fuel today and being able to drive to B&C this evening. I am considering the 2h45 each way by public transport/walking, but... nearly six hours of travelling is a bit extreme...

 

[AndySXV]

Seems a crazy amount to me, I hope this is not right. £71-72 makes sense to me. +£14k if added to a base model would then make sense.

Asking Scott Walker when at B&C yesterday, he estimated the Launch Edition I4 will be £65-70k and you will have to wait until Jan 2023 if you want one!

 

[Singularity]

Fully resonate with your report back Pav. I too was a B&C last evening. The car is clearly beautiful but Lotus really have to up their game on marketing and the customer expererience if they want to compete with Porsche and the premium marques that they are positioning the Emira against. The team at B&C were very friendly and knowledgeable, and Russell was very inspiring. But, beyond that, it felt very low budget, mass market and amateur hour. I did not feel special at all as a early depositor and my wife (who is less of a car enthusiast) was very unimpressed. Definitely did not feel the way I would want to when buying a £75k car and the experience makes me nervous whether Lotus will be able to up their game.

The contrast to my experience when buying the Alpine A110 is stark - they made it personal, small group and intimate. And made the depositors feel special when they launched the new Studio in London - we had a private event. And they were still amateurs compared to the other marques.

However, the Emira is still undoubtedly compelling and feels special in itself. So, I am going ahead with the next step of my order and excited about that. Let's hope the marketing team get their act together on the experience. And I am looking forward to driving it in spring - that will be the clincher!!

Thanks for building on the general feedback which is very consistent., so it seems wise to manage my expectations for the event at my local dealer.

One would expect that given Geely has pumped so much money into development, the factory and also into raising the brand profile, then they realistically they would turn attention to the overall customer experience. Hopefully they will get this sorted soon. It will be interesting to compare feedback from folks as the event progresses around the dealer network. Shame they didn’t ‘wow’ folks from the get go but they still have time to catch up methinks.

 

[Gemolack]

I was there yesterday and the car in the flesh is amazing. Pictures don't do it justice. The blue is amazing. I was set on Shadow Grey which is very dark (almost black) but Blue has got me tempted to switch!

I spent around 1/2hr talking to Antonia who is very informative. I did mention this forum to her and the B&C guys are aware of our frustrations. I was initially told via email I wouldn't be able to have an FE car as my deposit wasn't placed in time and it was a first come first served basis. I was told yesterday if I get my deposit in by the end of October I will get an FE car!

This falls on Lotus not the dealer as they are getting told different things.

 

[kratedisease]

Fully resonate with your report back Pav. I too was a B&C last evening. The car is clearly beautiful but Lotus really have to up their game on marketing and the customer expererience if they want to compete with Porsche and the premium marques that they are positioning the Emira against. The team at B&C were very friendly and knowledgeable, and Russell was very inspiring. But, beyond that, it felt very low budget, mass market and amateur hour. I did not feel special at all as a early depositor and my wife (who is less of a car enthusiast) was very unimpressed. Definitely did not feel the way I would want to when buying a £75k car and the experience makes me nervous whether Lotus will be able to up their game.

The contrast to my experience when buying the Alpine A110 is stark - they made it personal, small group and intimate. And made the depositors feel special when they launched the new Studio in London - we had a private event. And they were still amateurs compared to the other marques.

However, the Emira is still undoubtedly compelling and feels special in itself. So, I am going ahead with the next step of my order and excited about that. Let's hope the marketing team get their act together on the experience. And I am looking forward to driving it in spring - that will be the clincher!!

I think you may be setting too high standards. But just my opinion, no judgement. I was at the Lambo Huracan tour and it was probably what you would expect, violins, champagne, food. I was also at two separate Corvette C8 tours and from the pictures posted the C8 tour looked very much like what the pictures showed here on this thread compared to the Lotus tour, or "low rent" as you may imply. I have to say, I enjoyed the Corvette tour over the pretentious stuffy Lambo Tour. The Lambo tour was all about image, the Corvette tour was just a bunch of down to earth people who were car guys and car gals who just wanted to get their hands on the car, and talk car. The C8 tour could have been hosted inside a service garage and everyone would have been just as jacked up and happy.

These tours are about the car. They are not an experience to be had as if you were arriving at a hotel, resort or an event. ( but instead more like a Sunday cars and coffee). No one gets " dressed up" to go to a car tour, expecting a 5 star "experience".

People go to see the car, hang with other car enthusiasts, and talk car. Thats all.

 

[Tommyboy1986]

I was there yesterday and the car in the flesh is amazing. Pictures don't do it justice. The blue is amazing. I was set on Shadow Grey which is very dark (almost black) but Blue has got me tempted to switch!

I spent around 1/2hr talking to Antonia who is very informative. I did mention this forum to her and the B&C guys are aware of our frustrations. I was initially told via email I wouldn't be able to have an FE car as my deposit wasn't placed in time and it was a first come first served basis. I was told yesterday if I get my deposit in by the end of October I will get an FE car!

This falls on Lotus not the dealer as they are getting told different things.

Thanks for this it’s very helpful.
so have you paid the initial £2k deposit or are they saying if you pay the £2k now you will still get a FE car ?

 

[Leonard]

I think you may be setting too high standards. But just my opinion, no judgement. I was a the Lambo Huracan tour and it was probably what you would expect, violins, champagne, food. I was also at two separate Corvette C8 tours and from the pictures posted it looked very much like what the pictures showed here on this thread, or "low rent" as you may imply. I have to say, I enjoyed the Corvette tour over the pretentious stuffy Lambo Tour. The Lambo tour was all about image, the Corvette tour was just a bunch of down to earth people who were car guys and car gals who just wanted to get their hands on the car, and talk car. It could have been hosted inside a service garage and everyone would have been just as jacked up and happy.

These tours are about the car. They are not an experience to be had as if you were arriving at a hotel, resort or an event. ( but instead more like a sunday cars and coffee)

People go to see the car, and not to have an experience.

You say that, but it is part of the overall Customer Experience.
If you don't feel like you were treated well pre purchase as a 'priority' customer and that the event was rough around the edges, it ultimately makes you think about what your purchase and post purchase Experience will be like.
Lotus only have one chance to get this right and goodwill and like minded enthusiasts only get you so far

 

[Gemolack]

Thanks for this it’s very helpful.
so have you paid the initial £2k deposit or are they saying if you pay the £2k now you will still get a FE car ?

Hi Tommy,

I had paid my initial 2k deposit back in August. Initially there was a limited run but according to Antonia as long as you pay your additional further 3k deposit before the end of October you will get an FE car. I'm not sure about any other scenarios.

 

[Emira]

A post from someone on PistonHeads that clears up some of our questions:

"Spoke to Lotus this morning for some clarification.

The blue car is not a production car, it is a show car that has a lower ride height and wheel spacers to give as Lotus say a painted to the floor look. The seats are also higher in this car and as its pre-production the quality is not to the same level as customers cars shall be.

The grey car is what Lotus call a "driving dynamics" car, this car is at factory ride height and as such is what customers will get. It has 20" wheels on and has NO spacers, however the wheels are this car are now removed from the options, only the forged v-spec wheels shall be available as seen on the blue car which come in black, silver or diamond cut.

Sports and touring pack are the same ride height, the only difference is the damper settings."

 

[Stormcloud]

A post from someone on PistonHeads that clears up some of our questions:

"Spoke to Lotus this morning for some clarification.

The blue car is not a production car, it is a show car that has a lower ride height and wheel spacers to give as Lotus say a painted to the floor look. The seats are also higher in this car and as its pre-production the quality is not to the same level as customers cars shall be.

The grey car is what Lotus call a "driving dynamics" car, this car is at factory ride height and as such is what customers will get. It has 20" wheels on and has NO spacers, however the wheels are this car are now removed from the options, only the forged v-spec wheels shall be available as seen on the blue car which come in black, silver or diamond cut.

Sports and touring pack are the same ride height, the only difference is the damper settings."

As expected then. They show you a car with the correct wheels but incorrect ride height, but instead want you to decide on which engine only hearing the v6 and driving neither. Very strange.

 

[jmn444]

The grey car is what Lotus call a "driving dynamics" car, this car is at factory ride height and as such is what customers will get.

that sucks. I already own a 4wd vehicle. did they say who they spoke with???? I'm not uncomfortable with lowering the car if there are springs available, but I was expecting the car to sit similarly to the evora gt.

 

[Gemolack]

Fully resonate with your report back Pav. I too was a B&C last evening. The car is clearly beautiful but Lotus really have to up their game on marketing and the customer expererience if they want to compete with Porsche and the premium marques that they are positioning the Emira against. The team at B&C were very friendly and knowledgeable, and Russell was very inspiring. But, beyond that, it felt very low budget, mass market and amateur hour. I did not feel special at all as a early depositor and my wife (who is less of a car enthusiast) was very unimpressed. Definitely did not feel the way I would want to when buying a £75k car and the experience makes me nervous whether Lotus will be able to up their game.

The contrast to my experience when buying the Alpine A110 is stark - they made it personal, small group and intimate. And made the depositors feel special when they launched the new Studio in London - we had a private event. And they were still amateurs compared to the other marques.

However, the Emira is still undoubtedly compelling and feels special in itself. So, I am going ahead with the next step of my order and excited about that. Let's hope the marketing team get their act together on the experience. And I am looking forward to driving it in spring - that will be the clincher!!

I get what you're saying as I just walked in. There was no introductions and no drink was offered. I walked in feeling a bit lost TBH. I introduced myself at reception and she said "look around the car and if you have any questions please ask the staff".

 

[Tommyboy1986]

Hi Tommy,

I had paid my initial 2k deposit back in August. Initially there was a limited run but according to Antonia as long as you pay your additional further 3k deposit before the end of October you will get an FE car. I'm not sure about any other scenarios.

Thanks for that info I’m the same I paid in August do you now have to wait for the call to pay the further £3k or is there an option to pay it any other way ?? Sorry for the questions it’s just annoying not knowing wether I’m to late for a FE

 

[gpsdesigns]

that sucks. I already own a 4wd vehicle. did they say who they spoke with???? I'm not uncomfortable with lowering the car if there are springs available, but I was expecting the car to sit similarly to the evora gt.

definitely a bit disappointing, but certainly not a deal breaker. was the car in dubai also lowered? trying to find an angle that represents how the production car sits at about 30-50 feet away. the pics of the car on the track definitely make it look like more of a sedan and don't seem to reflect what the configurator represents either. so...hoping it leans more toward the Evora GT stance, but also coming to grips that it likely won't.

 

[Stormcloud]

The Bah one will absolutely be the factory height, same as when Button took it for a spin, seemed to lean on the suspension quite a bit so expect it to be touring spec susp. Crazy that they are showing off a car with the cheap 10 spoke wheels that won't be on any Emira until 2023. Important thing is do the FE wheel options fill the arch nicely at the factory height. We don't know. Will Lotus release a road going GT car that will have current potential buyers saying that this is the ride height that was suggested to us in the roadshows for the FE a few years back? absolutely.

 

[Jl51]

definitely ba bit disappointing, but certainly not a deal breaker. was the car in dubai also lowered? trying to find an angle that represents how the production car sits at about 30-50 feet away. the pics of the car on the track definitely make it look like more of a sedan and don't seem to reflect what the configurator represents either. so...hoping it leans more toward the Evora GT stance, but also coming to grips that it likely won't.

i was told at Goodwood it will be possible to lower the spring platform so it may be possible to get a lower stance. I do think it's wrong that Lotus are showing a lowered car on the configurator as well as in person, that's kind of a false promise and a bit deceitful. The Grey doesn't car look anything like as good in the flesh as i saw both at Goodwood

 

[Gemolack]

No worries. I was told to wait for the phone call. She told me Lotus are doing the rounds in calling people. I left my details with B&C who are going to pass them up to Lotus. I'm going to give it two weeks then I will call B&C if I don't hear anything.

 

[Tommyboy1986]

definitely a bit disappointing, but certainly not a deal breaker. was the car in dubai also lowered? trying to find an angle that represents how the production car sits at about 30-50 feet away. the pics of the car on the track definitely make it look like more of a sedan and don't seem to reflect what the configurator represents either. so...hoping it leans more toward the Evora GT stance, but also coming to grips that it likely won't.

If I spec a Seneca blue emira with black pack and then same wheels as show on the blue show car … will I get that car they are showing us at present ??

 

[klho001]

i was told at Goodwood it will be possible to lower the spring platform so it may be possible to get a lower stance. I do think it's wrong that Lotus are showing a lowered car on the configurator as well as in person, that's kind of a false promise and a bit deceitful. The Grey doesn't car look anything like as good in the flesh as i saw both at Goodwood

Yeah it’sa little odd for sure. I understand on concept cars they do that but this is a car going into prod so just show customers what they getting. All this “this car is just for display, press etc” indirectly sends a message that “we wish the car really looks like this”