Harry sells his Emira

[PsymonR]

Harry has sold his Emira, video will be incoming at some point as to the reasons why.

Harry's tweeted to say that the video about his Emira replacement is going live at 5pm UK time today, will be interesting to see what he has to say as to why he's replaced the car.

 

[PsymonR]

In summary, the reason he switched seems to be twofold, firstly he was finding himself gravitating towards other cars in his collection and secondly with his test drive of the Eletre and the various delays Lotus was having (such as Emira still being First Edition and seeing delays to the i4) he feels Lotus under Geely is not what he wanted to be a part of compared to what he thought at the time of ordering his car. There doesn't seem to be any major technical issues, only one he really called out was misting up due to aircon problems but other than that was fine.

The replacement is a MSO McLaren 650S Spider an example of which he enjoyed when he did a road trip in one on his channel. He also called it out as being what he thinks Lotus should be. Thing is though I don't agree with him on that point, if the Emira had been comparable to a 650S I would not own one then the cost would have been significantly higher and I wouldn't have one on my drive!

 

[Lotustoronto]

Reading in-between the lines - I don't think Harry believes Lotus is a viable company any longer. If you look at the recent events taking place with Lotus I have to agree, the future looks dreadful.

1. Chinese made EV's - Clearly the EU and USA/CAN are determined to stop the flow coming in. Not good for Lotus.
2. Mike Johnstone Head of Commercial operations - Quit
3. Scott Walker - Quit
4. Lotus no longer doing direct sales to customers - Fail
5. Emira and Eletre being offered with 0% financing - Clearly not selling well
6. First Edition Emira's being offered for 3+ model years!? ('22, '23, '24 and '25) - Outrageous in automotive terms, most auto companies do a refresh after 4 years!
7. Emia's have only been on sale in North America for 3.5 months, many plagued with the same issues since 2022. By the end of year we will see plenty for sale below MSRP.

And this what we know. I am certain that Harry has a lot more insider information that he did not disclose.

We need to start being honest with ourselves, I love what the car is on paper, but there are serious issues going on with this company. He even admitted, with Geely taking over there was an expectation that it would follow the similar line to what was done with Volvo. This is not the case.

While he didn't call out the Emira itself as a bad vehicle and praised the design team, he felt Lotus as a company is over. Jumped ship while he still could without loosing a ton on depreciation.

 

[LuckysDad]

Pretty unuspired replacement imo

 

[Racer X]

Yeah, I was a bit disappointed with his decision. I was inspired by his Emira purchase, and I’m saddened that he’s sold the car already. Oh well.

 

[Hell4Leather]

Pretty unuspired replacement imo

Going from a Lotus to a McLaren is fairly common. Just as common, is going from a McLaren back to a Lotus.

 

[Foxy87]

This is not a good read. Just hypothetically, if lotus really got it all wrong and wont be able to ever be profitable, what does that mean for the brand and more so for the customers? Will Geely ever let the brand die?

Seeing what FISKER owners go through - not funny (worthless bricked cars standing in their driveway).

Still keen on getting an Emira in the near future…

 

[Lotustoronto]

This is not a good read. Just hypothetically, if lotus really got it all wrong and wont be able to ever be profitable, what does that mean for the brand and more so for the customers? Will Geely ever let the brand die?

Seeing what FISKER owners go through - not funny (worthless bricked cars standing in their driveway).

Still keen on getting an Emira in the near future…

Lotus Eletre would be a brick if Lotus pulled out of N/A and EU. Nobody would know how to fix them or get parts. However it does seem Lotus is being geared for the local Chinese market or other countries that are pro Chinese EV’s. So depending where you are in the world, it may not matter.

Emira for the most part can be fixed or worked on and most of its parts are from other sources. Only the body panels would be the major issue.

Whatever it is that Harry knows, scared him off keeping the Emira. I think the 650S spider was something he bought at the bottom of its depreciation curve and will likely upgrade to 750s down the line or another McLaren product. The excuse of having too many cars and not driving the Emira is complete nonsense.

 

[cyanmauve]

Maybe he has a YouTube channel that is dependent on views, the hype on the Emira is dying down, and he wants/needs a new car to make more content.

He already made quite a few videos on the Emira. He may have exhausted the viewers who want to see content for that car.

I think there will be plenty of Emiras available for purchase if he changes his mind and wants to go back to Lotus.

 

[Hell4Leather]

Maybe he has a YouTube channel that is dependent on views, the hype on the Emira is dying down, and he wants/needs a new car to make more content.

He already made quite a few videos on the Emira. He may have exhausted the viewers who want to see content for that car.

I think there will be plenty of Emiras available for purchase if he changes his mind and wants to go back to Lotus.

No better way to get views and subsequent commentary than some type of controversy. Lotus is changing and not the company of the old school drivers……and such. Good plan. Seems to be working.

And for those saying “Harry’s not like that….” Harry’s MO has always been about making a living. Views =$

 

[Rupes]

I still didn’t get a good sense for “why” and it sounds like he has more of a problem with the direction Lotus is going (electric) than the car itself. A bit of a head scratcher for me, especially given how much he fawned over the car. My guess is he had some falling out with Lotus.

The fact we’re comparing the Emira to a car that cost 3x the amount when new doesn’t seem too a bad thing to me either.

 

[Nova]

I don't think the views he is getting is worth him making an effort on. YouTube is a hobby for him. Maybe the McLaren was something on his list that he needed to cross off. Maybe he will rotate back to a Lotus. That would scream redemption to all the Lotus owners.

 

[EyeFour Eemeerah!]

And replaces it with a 10 year old McLaren 650s that cost him an extra $50k after trade in.

The video linked HERE is titled, “Here’s why I sold my lotus Emira,” but I still didn’t get a good sense for “why” and it sounds like he has more of a problem with the direction Lotus is going (electric) than the car itself. A bit of a head scratcher for me, especially given how much he fawned over the car. My guess is he had some falling out with Lotus.

The fact we’re comparing the Emira to a car that cost 3x the amount when new doesn’t seem too a bad thing to me either.

I think he was expecting more given the hype from announcement. The whole rollout and distribution has gone over like a fart in a diving bell, and Im waiting to see the fallout in the U.S. when there is no dealership base to handle the issues.

 

[Lotustoronto]

Maybe he has a YouTube channel that is dependent on views, the hype on the Emira is dying down, and he wants/needs a new car to make more content.

He already made quite a few videos on the Emira. He may have exhausted the viewers who want to see content for that car.

I think there will be plenty of Emiras available for purchase if he changes his mind and wants to go back to Lotus.

He took a nice big hit on trading in his Emira, doubtful it was purchased for views. Unlike other YouTubers, he can get any press car from any company, any time. I am sure there is no lack of ability to deliver content and surely doesn't need to buy cars for content like other YouTubers. I truly believe when he bought the car and had everyone at the factory sign it that he planned on keeping it. Something changed his opinion.

 

[EyeFour Eemeerah!]

I don't think the views he is getting is worth him making an effort on. YouTube is a hobby for him. Maybe the McLaren was something on his list that he needed to cross off. Maybe he will rotate back to a Lotus. That would scream redemption to all the Lotus owners.

Don’t wait for it. His collection gives him plenty to pull content from. He’s not looking at Lotus as a cash cow that he’s gonna get clicks from. He fell victim to the hype up, and was let down and bored. Let’s face it, it’s an Evora in a fat suit…nothing more. I think it was a wise decision on his part bailing now, seeing the writing on the wall.

 

[frazzer]

Sounds like there is more behind this and there's stuff going on in Lotus that unnerves him but he's not spelling it out. He is clearly disappointed not in the car but in the flailing execution of the company's vision. This is after all a cycle he has seen a number of times now and had bought into the new lease of life the company seem to have had.

 

[idleuser]

Future content from Harry “Why I bought an Emira after selling it.”

 

[cyanmauve]

The reasoning he explained doesn't quite make sense to me, but then again it doesn't have to. He has the reasons he expressed, and maybe some he doesn't care to share. Can't jump inside his head or argue the relative value of his personal reasoning.

The direction that Lotus is going has nothing to do with his existing Emira, but that's my opinion.

I have zero interest in the other vehicles Lotus is making. They could make 3 wheeled cargo vans powered by good wishes and rainbows for all I care. None of that affects the car sitting in my garage.

Just because Ford made the Mustang II doesn't mean that the Boss 302s, 429s, GT350s and GT500s, were more or less of the machines they were built as.

 

[FlyNavy01]

Reading in-between the lines - I don't think Harry believes Lotus is a viable company any longer. If you look at the recent events taking place with Lotus I have to agree, the future looks dreadful.

1. Chinese made EV's - Clearly the EU and USA/CAN are determined to stop the flow coming in. Not good for Lotus.
2. Mike Johnstone Head of Commercial operations - Quit
3. Scott Walker - Quit
4. Lotus no longer doing direct sales to customers - Fail
5. Emira and Eletre being offered with 0% financing - Clearly not selling well
6. First Edition Emira's being offered for 3+ model years!? ('22, '23, '24 and '25) - Outrageous in automotive terms, most auto companies do a refresh after 4 years!
7. Emia's have only been on sale in North America for 3.5 months, many plagued with the same issues since 2022. By the end of year we will see plenty for sale below MSRP.

And this what we know. I am certain that Harry has a lot more insider information that he did not disclose.

We need to start being honest with ourselves, I love what the car is on paper, but there are serious issues going on with this company. He even admitted, with Geely taking over there was an expectation that it would follow the similar line to what was done with Volvo. This is not the case.

While he didn't call out the Emira itself as a bad vehicle and praised the design team, he felt Lotus as a company is over. Jumped ship while he still could without loosing a ton on depreciation.

When did Scott Walker quit? That's news to me, he's been with Lotus for decades if I remember correctly.

I personally don't really think about or care where Lotus is "headed". They already announced the Emira is the last of its kind, so no matter what happens their future is of no difference to me either way, at least not after the short warranty on my Emira is up. I never really understood brand loyalty. I buy products that fit my lifestyle. The Emira is the right car for my use case and I've been enjoying it a lot! Whatever they make next has no bearing on what I currently enjoy.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

He fell victim to the hype up, and was let down and bored. Let’s face it, it’s an Evora in a fat suit…nothing more.

Huh? Harry has never done anything but praise the Emira and has certainly never said it was boring.

He made it clear that he's selling because he wants to try something new (and get the clicks no doubt) and because he doesn't like the direction of Lotus as a business. I also suspect there was a serious falling out with Lotus after his critical Eletre review.