Goodwood - updates and info

[Leonard]

UPDATE - DELIVERY - CUSTOMER SERVICE - DON'T CALL IN.

As per what Tom was told at the show, if I understood it correctly, I called Lotus directly to get an update on my July, delivery as I cannot make it to the show from Spain in order to find out or even see the car, which I have still never seen in person.

From that call I can tell you Alex at the CS department told me that they don't have any further info yet, not until next week after the show, so there is no need to call in to them as they cant help you yet. CS at the show should not be saying what they said, they need to check this, but there you go.

Alex at CS was very helpful though and I also got a text message now asking me to rate Lotus's customer service, which I will follow the link to and do so. Hence, it would appear they are taking our issues with customer service quite seriously as should be the case.

The issue is not with the level of service from the actual CS Team.
It is about information flow from the top down, integration between all the D2C teams and a comms strategy..

 

[TomE]

Not to come in the middle of it all, but the person who said his July delivery had been delayed to October, was some one who had a July delivery even though he placed his order (apparently) after the cut off date last July for July delivery, if that makes sense.
I mean, there was someone who placed an order before that gentleman and he didnt have a July delivery, so I think that would be the first piece of information to get to the bottom of before we all assume we are looking at 3 month delays. We also dont know, or I didnt see it, his spec, although it was a manual, so auto is not the reason. There is also the possibility of an error having been made......
I guess next week all will become as clear as....dish water....after washing some very dirty dishes indeed. haha

Remember that V6 FE people with deposits up to about 12 July have now been given 2 delivery months and are about to be given a third. So it depends which date you are referring to when you consider what the delay is. Yachtie had a 8 July morning deposit (Goodwood Day 1) and a July delivery batch, which is consistent with how Goodwood July deposits were allocated. He then had a second update more recently about being moved to July build/August delivery, so his overall delay is July to October. He has a V6 FE manual.

Per my earlier post, the delays are not uniform, either just directly linked to spec or for the same spec with deposits only a few days apart. So far it looks like deposits pre-Goodwood will have a 1-2 month delay and Goodwood deposits will have a 2-3 month delay.

 

[Ian C]

So my update after calling CS is that my cars original production date (June for delivery July) is now production August delivery Sept running 6 to 8 weeks behind. As stated above , we will get a further call after Goodwood with firmer dates.
Order was placed on the Friday at last years Goodwood

 

[TomE]

Could an attendee kindly find out what the score is with the stereo?
Is it any good and if not how much it weighs over the std set up

I didn't get a chance to listen to it but spoke to a couple of Lotus engineers who'd listened to it while driving the cars down to Goodwood. They said the clarity was impressive and that it would go to high volumes without distortion.

I was also told that KEF are doing a further iteration between the pre-prod cars and the production build, to tweak things based on testing in the prototype cars. There's one specific improvement I was told about but asked not to publicise. What's encouraging is the close KEF involvement and the fact they are fine-tuning it to the Emira.

 

[TXEMIRA]

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Not gonna lie. Scrolling this morning with excitement and I thought this was a Scissor Door Emira.

#ForTheCoffee

 

[Leonard]

I didn't get a chance to listen to it but spoke to a couple of Lotus engineers who'd listened to it while driving the cars down to Goodwood. They said the clarity was impressive and that it would go to high volumes without distortion.

I was also told that KEF are doing a further iteration between the pre-prod cars and the production build, to tweak things based on testing in the prototype cars. There's one specific improvement I was told about but asked not to publicise. What's encouraging is the close KEF involvement and the fact they are fine-tuning it to the Emira.

Thank Tom. Glad they're still working on it. Please tell us the improvement
Reviews were so mediocre I just couldn't imagine KEF would be happy putting their name to it without making it compete with the top names

 

[TomE]

Maybe someone (who cares) should make a definitive list of questions for tomorrow......

ie red line//6750/7000.... if not, why not..... later model will be 7000/7250?
why the extra rubber on the bonnet gap...
(im not mentioning wheel gap...ever)
seats....
why such delays for tiny changes (and if brave enough, how come harry can change with no penalty.. )
why are customers service not more involved and less robotic (serious question..they need to know what we think of them)
Stitching on steering wheel.
What do they think about Evo's review and remarks.... have they seen the final one .... ie with cup tyres... is it better?
Please add, make a simple list... and then add at the end..
WHERE THE HELL IS MY CAR? I'll take it with no wheels, never mind diamond cut, I'd go for a crew cut, with stupid low cut jeans, to get in my car now and be a cut above the rest.

See my updates

red line//6750/7000.... if not, why not..... later model will be 7000/7250?

why the extra rubber on the bonnet gap...

(im not mentioning wheel gap...ever)

seats....

why such delays for tiny changes (and if brave enough, how come harry can change with no penalty.. )

why are customers service not more involved and less robotic (serious question..they need to know what we think of them) - I'll do another post about this

Stitching on steering wheel.

What do they think about Evo's review and remarks.... have they seen the final one .... ie with cup tyres... is it better? - I discussed this with Gavan and Matt. The subsequent test hasn't happened yet. I'm not going to repeat what was told to me in confidence. Lotus were disappointed about the way EVO went about doing the test, as I commented in other posts at the time the EVO video was published.

Please add, make a simple list... and then add at the end.. - I'll be there again on Sunday and have got a further list to cover, so add away

WHERE THE HELL IS MY CAR? I'll take it with no wheels, never mind diamond cut, I'd go for a crew cut, with stupid low cut jeans, to get in my car now and be a cut above the rest. - LCC can give you the latest

 

[TomE]

For those who have seen the car in person is how is the stance width of the car is it wide like an AMG GT R ? I've seen the AMG GT it's so wide it looks so menacing on the road always liked the wide looking car taking the whole space of the road haha

From the front it has great presence. It's got a wider front track than an Evora and the vertical headlights mean they appear pushed right out to the edges. The bonnet slopes more steeply than Evora (see my update about the view from the drivers seat). Overall, the visual impression is something wide and low. But importantly, it's not supercar wide or long, it looks very much like a junior Ferrari or McLaren.

 

[freefall_junkie]

I've just had a web chat with CS and was told that they categorically do not have the same information as is being given out at Goodwood and could not tell me any more about my expected delivery. Pretty startling inconsistency. Again.

 

[TomE]

I really, really hope it's differentiated for the US market and they preserve full output, the way they did with the Evora GT.

Remember, the biggest mid-engine sports car price competition in the US is actually the C8 Corvette, and not even the regular one (which already walks all over the Emira on power specs for $30k less) but the wilder Z06 version which has 670hp and an 8400rpm flat plane crank V8. And it will likely still be cheaper than the Emira... final pricing should be released this week and is expected to be between $85k and $93k, just under the Emira pricing.

I hope Lotus isn't so focused on the UK market that they forget about these realities in other markets. There's more competition than the Cayman, and price is the key leveling comparator in the US rather than specs. For X dollars, how much performance can I buy.

They aren't going to do different specs for the US. Talking to the senior Lotus folks, they're confident in sticking to their core values of appropriate power for the road and a great, engaging drive. They're not going to chase headline power or 0-60 times. They're not playing in the bhp per $ space.

 

[TomE]

Can someone at Goodwood please check to see if the current builds have the same child seat tether anchors in the upper rear cabin that the launch prototypes had?

I'm interested in whether they will follow through on this in production, as hoped. Even better if the seats have ISOfix anchors tucked in the seam. Being able to fit a child seat safely is a big deal for those of us who want to share the car with our kids, since the platform is no longer 2+2.

The rear LATCH anchors are still there in the back. I didn't see any ISOFIX anchors on the front seats but will look/ask on Sunday if someone else doesn't cover it.

 

[TomE]

I dont fancy your gear change in that one!!!
Did you casually mention the Evo track day... and comments by said journalist, do they feel comments were strange or maybe expected as due to stage of car, tyres or other factors? Any mention of the "next" evo track review; I am guessing that has maybe happened by now.... or maybe not.

thanks for all the info, it was great!
When you say "call in" you mean phone Lotus customer service ? stupid question.. but...

Covered re EVO in my earlier post. Call in = phone (or web chat)

 

[SteveB]

I don't think it was lower. I think it does depend on camera angle.

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Excellent feedback from GFoS - extremely helpful to those of us who cant be there in person!

Looking at your photos it struck me that the yellow of the lotus logo on the wheel centre caps seems more of a mustard yellow compared to the lemon yellow from photos last year/early this year (including the configurator!). Now the yellow of the wheel centre caps seems almost identical to the yellow calipers. Not sure if this is trick of the light (outdoor vs indoor) or if this is a change for production cars?

 

[TomE]

Tom mate do you have Insta?

Yes but I'm new to it and a novice. My main posting is on here, then TheLotusForums and a bit on the Lotus and Emira Facebook groups. I think my Insta pictures have mostly already been published on here.

https://www.instagram.com/theyellowemira/

 

[JumboJet]

Info update - part 1

Here's the other stuff I saw and found out yesterday. I'll post some of this in the relevant topic threads too.

Car versions: the Magma, Seneca and Hethel cars are the press cars used for the recent reviews. They are all "PP" pre-production cars. The next and final non-production step is "TT" (Tooling Trial) cars, then production.

• Magma Red = AU22 BUP = Touring + Goodyear
• Seneca Blue = AU22 BVA = Sports + Cup2
• Hethel Yellow = AU22 BUO = Sports + Goodyear

I'll post some more pictures on the colours threads so people can find them.

Redline: is 6,600rpm in Tour drive mode, 6,800rpm in Sport/Track mode - emissions-related and will be the global spec.

Power: published figure will be 400hp.

Auto start/stop: no, at least not on manual.

Soft rev limiter: yes in Neutral, no if you depress the clutch.

Gear change: its mechanical, like my Evora. It needs to be changed "with purpose" rather than rushed. No issues going up the hill. Because the power delivery is very linear you don't get much of an audible or visceral clue that you are "running out of revs", so I wonder if some reviewers bumped up to the rev limit or found themselves rushing a gear change because they'd left it slightly too late. Once you're used to the power delivery and engine note - and if you're not driving 10/10ths up to the rev limit on every shift - then it'll be fine. I think part of the character of the car (as it was with the Evora) is the satisfaction of learning how to drive the manual shift. I know some people will say "why do I have to learn that again" and it's not a wholesale re-learn, it's just getting used to how this specific car drives. I also think they'll benefit from some running in (with plenty of changes) and changing the gearbox oil at 1,000 miles (which isn't usually done).

Seats: I sat in all 4 cars, which had different iterations of the seat. They all had decent side bolstering and going up the hill it was a good level of support for high speed corners. Sometimes people have commented that you're more likely to slide on a leather seat compared to alcantara but I think the Emira bolstering will largely eliminate that. Height adjustment seemed decent - I couldn't measure it but from lowest setting to highest was a good enough range for me at 5'9" to get a decent position and view, and also for others taller and shorter than me to get comfortable in the car. Quality looked good to me. The Ice Grey in the Magma car had some sag on the base - I believe it's done about 4k miles. No evidence of the three short stripes on any of the seats.

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Wheel gap: it looked fine to me, but then I'm used to an Evora and wasn't expecting it to be as low as last year's show car. I guess it rides slightly higher than some people might want, as the suspension travel is what contributes to the Lotus-style ride. To me, if the gap at 12 is the same as at 3 and 9 then visually it looks right.

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Bonnet seal: it looks more obvious in photos than in real life. If it hadn't been on my list of things to look at I doubt I would have noticed. On the Goodwood cars it's slightly recessed whereas earlier pictures showed it sticking up out of the gap and so looked wider. The gap it seals is wider than some of the other panel gaps, as it needs to hinge here for under bonnet access. I think they could have found a way to make the gap narrower and it may be possible to adjust the bonnet to reduce it. The seal is apparently for aerodynamics (perhaps there's some wind noise without it?) so I think removing it will be feasible and unlikely to cause issues.

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Steering wheel: I didn't have any problem with the shape or thickness of the wheel. It's a bit thicker than my Evora wheel but not an issue. The thickness various around the wheel and I could position my hands at several points between 2/3 o'clock and 9/10 o'clock easily. I tried both LHD and RHD cars and couldn't see any left/right offset of the wheel centre from the driving position.

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Pedal offset: yes, there is on LHD. The RHD cars have no discernible offset and the brake pedal is centered on the centre line of the wheel and seat. The LHD cars do have a noticeable offset and the brake pedal is more towards the centre of the car, maybe by an inch. It's noticeable but (at least to me) didn't look like a big issue.

RHD:
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LHD:
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Note: the opening in the lower dash is not centered on the steering wheel.

Dashcam fitting: previously someone had been told there would be a USB connector in the overhead panel (@donskibeat I think Scott told you?). There isn't one and so no simple connection there. A dashcam will either need hard-wiring into the panel (there's obviously power there) or running a cable tucked into the trim above the windscreen and down the A-pillar. The only 12V socket is behind the armrest, so basically in the rear storage space, and the USB sockets are under the shifter or in the armrest storage. I think I'll be asking my dealer to find a way to hard wire something. The other factor is the large sensor pod top centre of the windscreen and how the rear mirror attaches to it (see pic). This means a dashcam fitted behind the mirror will have its view blocked by the sensor. I think that means having to mount it lower, slightly below the level of the mirror, or off to the passenger side. That might affect what size/shape/mounting/camera position of dashcam you choose.

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Apologies if

I'll try on Sunday first thing but I've only got a mobile phone and I'm not a great photo-/video-grapher.

I joked with the Lotus team that they'd not brought a DV car as it didn't actually exist as a colour. I agree they missed an opportunity, as they do have one and it's the only colour now that's not been seen in public.

Sorry if this is old info-v long thread now. I am 1st batch AMG i4. UK, Informed by CS at show that production now delayed from November to January ( Del Feb)

 

[kitkat]

Thanks for all your updates as usual @TomE ! Envious of all the Emira fun you’re having.

I have to say those pictures of the Nimbus you posted are fantastic! I’ve never seen a silver show curves so well, usually silver hides curves.

As for all the delays, I’m pretty sure we all knew it was going to happen last year. Nobody can honestly be surprised.

 

[TomE]

I've just had a web chat with CS and was told that they categorically do not have the same information as is being given out at Goodwood and could not tell me any more about my expected delivery. Pretty startling inconsistency. Again.

I'm guessing someone at LCC is going to be contacting the team at Goodwood about this so they stem the flow of calls. I and several others were told early yesterday the info was already live with the team back at base. Another own goal.

 

[jimbobc]

Apologies if

Sorry if this is old info-v long thread now. I am 1st batch AMG i4. UK, Informed by CS at show that production now delayed from November to January ( Del Feb)

I was trying to find that out so thanks. Lotus weren't forthcoming with this info!

 

[TomE]

Excellent feedback from GFoS - extremely helpful to those of us who cant be there in person!

Looking at your photos it struck me that the yellow of the lotus logo on the wheel centre caps seems more of a mustard yellow compared to the lemon yellow from photos last year/early this year (including the configurator!). Now the yellow of the wheel centre caps seems almost identical to the yellow calipers. Not sure if this is trick of the light (outdoor vs indoor) or if this is a change for production cars?

I think it's lighting and maybe camera/upload processing. The Hethel Yellow paint has a very clear mustard tone. The Lotus logo has less of that but is close. The calipers are a brighter yellow.

 

[Yachtie]

Thanks for all your updates as usual @TomE ! Envious of all the Emira fun you’re having.

I have to say those pictures of the Nimbus you posted are fantastic! I’ve never seen a silver show curves so well, usually silver hides curves.

As for all the delays, I’m pretty sure we all knew it was going to happen last year. Nobody can honestly be surprised.

Just a slight note of caution on all the positive comments regarding the Nimbus car at Goodwood (I also agree that it looked fab on the stand). It was on the main stand with lots of lighting above and around, the Magma and yellow were in a small unlighted tent with a low roof so very low light levels. My take from these FE colours is that they ALL vary considerably in different light conditions. However my main take is that they are all FAB and will not be a disappointment