Harry's Garage videos - visit to Hethel and Matt Windle interview, Emira collection and drive

[Leonard]

I suppose it depends what our dickhead government has done with the type approvals process now we’ve left the EU!

Is it sat in a to do pile somewhere along with being competent and a number of other items? Take back control baby!!!

Even our government wouldn't do that to a large employer in the arse end of the UK

 

[Tonyshepp]

I prefer to think this way too (and a nice "Handmade in Hethel" badge would have been nice), but I think the truth is, statistically at least, that computers and machine with multiple check points will be more consistent than by fallible human workers. Does that mean the car loses some soul and uniqueness? Sure... but is the end product now more reliable? Hopefully!

I thought that some of the cars shipped to Europe had failed the PDI due to iffy quality areas that needed to be fixed?

I suppose it depends what our dickhead government has done with the type approvals process now we’ve left the EU!

Is it sat in a to do pile somewhere along with being competent and a number of other items? Take back control baby!!!

Didnt we leave Europe years ago, it’s not a government thing type approval. You plan for it and execute on it. It’s not as though someone has sprung it on Lotus.
I appreciate the challenges with parts and the sob story of LHD being different to RHD BUT NOT when Australia is receiving 20 RHD cars.

 

[Mctaff]

Even our government wouldn't do that to a large employer in the arse end of the UK

Given the government demonstrably have no idea what they are doing and loads of brexit legislation and controls are yet to be implemented… and Matt specifically mentioned brexit, my money is on this.

 

[TomE]

Come on is anybody any wiser after this video. Harry was easy on matt and he told us nothing new.
Have they got type approval to sell a car in the UK. It doesn't look like it to me, Aussies getting 20 rhd cars sounds like eu approval gained uk not???

The positive for me here is they are realising they need to bring their customers along for the journey and give us some insight into what’s going on

Agree some questions still unanswered but to me this represents a positive change in their comms approach to date

For some people it may come across as a bit "better late than never" in terms of info and timing. But anyone who has been on the forums over the last several months has already picked up a lot of this info and hence the video appears a bit light on detail.

BUT, if you haven't been active on a forum and haven't done a Hethel factory tour and don't know much about how cars are actually built, this video is a great insight into how things are done and the kinds of processes and efforts involved. For those who saw the old factory, the difference is night and day and hence something to take positively. A lot of teething problems to overcome but they are getting there, albeit slower than they or we wanted. The quality focus is evident and there is hope that cars won't get to customers unless they are 100% right (although some of us still have concerns based on press cars and dealer demos).

We've also seen a much more frank and open acknowledgement from Lotus of the range of issues, along with some quantification and some specifics about the impacts. We might not all like what we've now heard, but at least we now know. Am I happy about the UK being de-prioritised? No. Do I now know they've actually done it and likely reasons why? Yes. Are there still unanswered question? Yes too.

If only they'd done this 3-6 months ago. But at least they've done it now. I hope it's the start of a change in approach to comms. The car will be great and I know the people designing and building it are working hard to get them on our driveways.

 

[Leonard]

Given the government demonstrably have no idea what they are doing and loads of brexit legislation and controls are yet to be implemented… and Matt specifically mentioned brexit, my money is on this.

Brexit the excuse that just keeps on giving
I'm pretty sure even Matt looked uncomfortable using that one when he said it.
If you think other UK car manufacturers aren't doing similar prioritising other territories at the moment like JLR etc then fair enough.
As I said it is what it is I'm not upset, but im not going to be taken in by or accept half truths and excuses though

 

[Porter]

Even our government wouldn't do that to a large employer in the arse end of the UK

Nah, they only care about major banks now. Companies that build actual physical products aren't trendy with the current government. Too many of those working-class types involved and they probably want all sorts of inconvenient things, like wages, or even basic human comforts like shelter or food. It's absurd what the serfs demand nowadays, I mean where do they get these notions? This is why the EU had to go.

 

[Leonard]

Nah, they only care about major banks now. Companies that build actual physical products aren't trendy with the current government. Too many of those working-class types involved and they probably want all sorts of inconvenient things, like wages, or even basic human comforts like shelter or food. It's absurd what the serfs demand nowadays, I mean where do they get these notions?

You forgot fuel for heating and cooking

 

[Mctaff]

Nah, they only care about major banks now. Companies that build actual physical products aren't trendy with the current government. Too many of those working-class types involved and they probably want all sorts of inconvenient things, like wages, or even basic human comforts like shelter or food. It's absurd what the serfs demand nowadays, I mean where do they get these notions? This is why the EU had to go.

Are you jacob Rees Mogg in disguise??!

 

[TomE]

I love the people here like "why isn't my car done yet (sad eyes)" after threatening to black mail and expose Lotus for not sharing every single detail of production with them. lol.

Huge thanks to Harry for this video. So much more useful than all the mindless speculation and complaining on these forums.

I still haven't seen any other car with my spec yet so I am very excited to get mine.

Per my post above, if you've been following the forums there isn't a lot of new info about the build process or the design of the car in the video, but it's great to see it as a build walk-through. This is what people get a sense of during the factory tours, which sadly not everyone can do.

In amongst the forum grumbling posts I hope we've also tried to collate useful info that Lotus to date haven't published and are only now just starting to address. A lot of what Harry stepped through in the production hall has already been covered on here in various posts, sometimes in more detail. Having it all in one video is obviously easier to access than filtering through lots of threads. The shortage of info from Lotus is one of the reasons for the other stuff you have to filter through. But I think you've found some useful stuff on here that isn't available elsewhere.

What spec are you going for that's not featured in any pics yet?

 

[Mctaff]

I thought that some of the cars shipped to Europe had failed the PDI due to iffy quality areas that needed to be fixed?

Didnt we leave Europe years ago, it’s not a government thing type approval. You plan for it and execute on it. It’s not as though someone has sprung it on Lotus.
I appreciate the challenges with parts and the sob story of LHD being different to RHD BUT NOT when Australia is receiving 20 RHD cars.

Gov website seems to indicate legislation passed late 2020, process changed sep 2021, and “full legislation” due Jan next year

I read this as lotus have walked face first into a double sided sticky tape temporary approvals process through which they are one of the first participants and found out to their detriment what a shit show it is….

Agree though they have consciously chosen EU first, likely thinking new UK process would wave them through

 

[TomE]

These are adjustments, not modifications. Anyone who owns this type of sports car should either have a good mechanic or race shop that can do this sort of work for them, or alternatively learn to do it themselves. It's far less difficult than most people imagine.

You don't even need a race shop. Most Lotus dealers, certainly in the UK, are well-versed in doing road- or track-biased car setups and Lotus-approved modifications. Mine is also happy to fit non-OEM parts like exhaust upgrades from recognised manufacturers like Larini.

 

[Porter]

Are you jacob Rees Mogg in disguise??!

Curses, I've been unmasked!!

 

[Porter]

You don't even need a race shop. Most Lotus dealers, certainly in the UK, are well-versed in doing road- or track-biased car setups and Lotus-approved modifications. Mine is also happy to fit non-OEM parts like exhaust upgrades from recognised manufacturers like Larini.

Sorry, was speaking from a US perspective. Great to hear that dealerships have competent staff in the UK. In the US, that can't be assumed, even with "certified" technicians.

[edit] to clarify, I mean all dealerships, not Lotus specifically. Far more likely to get someone competent at a specialty brand like Lotus than elsewhere, of course.

 

[kitkat]

Can Lotus raise prices on orders already submitted?

 

[EspritGuy]

Its simple.... you are way earlier than position 54. If @TomE is 20, he can guide you more or less as to your correct position, but I dont think its 54.
Also its simple, Scott was overruled, what he said has not happened. 100% we already know the sept 9 are in general much further down the queue than yourself, Tom, myself and many others on here. Harry is WAYYYYY back after us in addition and so is Shimmey. So we simply suck it up as the Americans say.

To be honest, I would happily give up my place to harry, or loose a month or two in delay for him in order to get his car out there as this is GOOD for Lotus and I want them to succeed! He and Shimmey I believe will be just about the ONLY TWO 95% positive reviewers of the car in the UK. The rest will not rate it as good as its competitor, I am sure of this and I can see why, they are simply being honest.

I say that simply as Harry is a bit blinded by the car, he WANTS it to succeed , that "want" keeps him positive, where as for the other reviewers who supposedly "want" the car to succeed also, they turn that want energy into let down and disappointment as it doesn't succeed in many ways....

I think most people on here are (including myself) are a bit blinded to the reality.
The car is way better looking than its competitor and has a different character, but its not as good. I say its kind of like a Golden Delicious apple vs a Braeburn. We being british want the braebern to be the better apple, it has more taste for us, more character, smaller volume and I detest golden delicous apples, but they are the things that the world wants, bigger, easier taste to palet, more consistent.... (stupid comparison, but I wont delete it)

We all benefit from an apples-to-apples comparison regardless how many you get per pound.

 

[EspritGuy]

Minute 6,

You could have e noted Homer Simpson was born in Springfield, making it especially appropriate art.

 

[Scruff111S]

Can Lotus raise prices on orders already submitted?

I think the Matt Windle video on the 10th June covered this. He said, basically, Lotus component prices have gone up. But the price you signed up for is the price you will pay.

 

[Markc]

I think the Matt Windle video on the 10th June covered this. He said, basically, Lotus component prices have gone up. But the price you signed up for is the price you will pay.

I have seen on here Porsche and other manufacturers
have had to put prices up (I guess there is no point in selling something at a loss).

 

[Dr.JDK]

I thought Lotus was established car manufacturer but you can not get away from a feeling it all looks like new startup. They train people how to put cars together as we speak Bearing that in mind maybe it is better to be down the queue. Lets them practice on first 1000 batch, let them send first 500 to china

The first batches are made by the skilled tec tho. What you should be worried about are the first batch of cars by which the newly-trained tec built on the second shift.

 

[MaybeNeedEmira]

again you are correct, but I personally and I think even here many would agree... dont want to, but then again I'm not going on a track with a car that weighs 1500 kilos.
Once you get past 40...your level of enthusiasm changes...for many things.... for me its an effort to even open Tinder, never mind spend the evening swiping right

Alignment would be checked every so often (tire changes, unfortunate pot-hole incidents)
It would be a good opportunity to tweak geometry based on your preferences rather than 'stock' targets. If only for even tire/tyre wear.
Otherwise it's like observing the seat is too high without checking the adjustability.
Tyres, pressure, alignment, temperature are all variables for handling.