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

[FrenchBred]

Nope, it's an industry time measure for how often you complete a car (or anything actually) so when the line is in full speed a new car will be produced every takt time period; so 22 - 17 minutes for the Emira. This drives the speed of each station as each station must not exceed the takt time or it will slow the line. It is from a German word meaning beat or pulse from music and most high throughput car manufacturers have a takt time of 60-90 seconds these days.

I know what it is, but in all my time of CI, lean 6 sigma and project management, I only ever heard takt from Porsche guys! Maybe because I'm not from a production line environment its not as relevant.

 

[dgrace]

I call BS on the “approval in all States” excuse. There’s national crash standards through NTSB, and maybe California has its own emissions limits, but otherwise there shouldnt be individual state import restrictions.

 

[Tommyboy1986]

Come on … just look at how that is made … pure class with actual care and attention !
After watching that video I al even more made up I am getting one of these cars ! If it comes out looking as good as what they looked last night then I would happily wait until next Christmas ! Great factory walk around and explanation of why things are behind .
Can’t wait to get it home .. happy days

 

[DJS]

I agree, been looking at cars all weekend and can't find a car that gets me anywhere near as excited even when going up a bracket or two with the price.

I only get excited when I get to the Huracan and thats another league and double the price.

 

[AGP]

Great video and nice to see some things happening.

From the sounds of it though my last update of December for my i4 will be more like June now.

Anyone thinking the same?

2023 and full scale production can't come fast enough.

Yes, this was also my take from what he said. Glad I didn't sell my weekender this year now as I had planned to do originally.

 

[Cutting42]

I know what it is, but in all my time of CI, lean 6 sigma and project management, I only ever heard takt from Porsche guys! Maybe because I'm not from a production line environment its not as relevant.

Sorry didn’t mean to teach you to suck eggs LOL

Interesting article on its history https://iglcstorage.blob.core.windows.net/papers/attachment-6aa12588-08a1-4f6b-8f82-4f51a463df98.pdf

 

[emiraspain]

What survey???
So they had planned EU delivery first all along....

Shameful,but understandable.

Yes thats what I understood, EU has to be done first.... not a choice. Maybe just maybe, Lotus internally did not realize the process had changed, which would explain the change from UK first to EU, but that would be disappointing their team were not 100% up to date on such things since brexit, which is well over by now. Puts to bed all the other theories potentially.... or does it as there are still not huge numbers of UK cars flowing down the line.... so must still be some parts issues for RHD.... maybe...


Dont believe there is any survey yet, why would there be with SO FEW EU customers having driven their cars...

I do find some small details a bit surprising.... simple things that I would expect Matt to know...
How many new colours for base car.... 6 7 maybe more... Small details, but quite important and a few other details which I wont bother mentioning. Stress yes, but.....
See now why gear box is potentially problematic and why often we see one good one bad, as was the case on the track at hethel when I drove it. Its virtually stripped and adjusted by hand at Lotus ... this is not a good recipe for consistency..... something I would have been taking great care with and trying to avoid or double the staff on it or find a way to make it consistent / improve it. Especially as you know it is a problem area for previous cars, there MUST have been something they could do to make it better as has been discussed before for Evora's with the small things people have done, seems basic you would have done these things to eliminate the criticism.

Interesting video, but 100% no clearer when we will get our cars in the UK or when they will put their prices up... just seems logical base cars and i4 cars will have higher prices than planned.

 

[emiraspain]

Something is happening today on the Lotus configurator page. I’m in Canada and like a fool I look for a change everyday. Now there is a button labeled “Reserve” beside the “Configure” button. The “Reserve” button is new today and it takes you to an error page right now. We need a web Sherlock on this right now!
UPDATE: The regular “Configure” button now takes you to just a blank page. Either Gremlins or Lotus are playing with their site.

View attachment 9838

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maybe they just misspelled REVERSE... haha...reverse your order ie cancel

 

[emiraspain]

I don't think that it's necessary to get EU approval before the UK. Yes, they are now separate applications but one isn't dependent upon the other. Metcalfe is surely just repeating what Windle implied, not what is true.

Im pretty sure it was Matt who clearly said it, it wasnt harry..it was Matt and he 100% blamed brexit.
I wont look it up and quote him, as it makes not an iota (is that how you spell that..) of difference, but Matt certainly said, before you could get UK approval on its own, but now you need / should / easier to... get EU approval and then UK afterwards.
Im sure you can just get UK approval, this is logical as small companies do this who cant get EU approval at all, although their approvals are very different as they are not large scale manufacturers. I imagine what he means is that it is "easier", much easier to get EU first and then move on to UK showing the EU approval. They probably didn't realise this until late on and changed their minds... and then never bothered to explain it to patient UK customers... but thats par and a bogey in fact for the course...

 

[emiraspain]

Kawasaki factory some 20 years ago:

yes I thought the same thing and had seen this video also.. haha..
i thought, what kind of a botch job is this... what century are we in.... a marker pen..... doctors hand writing... waiting to happen.. haha

 

[Tonyshepp]

yes I thought the same thing and had seen this video also.. haha..
i thought, what kind of a botch job is this... what century are we in.... a marker pen..... doctors hand writing... waiting to happen.. haha

At least the boxes are cardboard which is sustainable rather than plastic

I love the British mentality of just get on with it - my worry is how hand built the car is and how quality is dependent on how little beers/wines the guy/lady had the night before.

 

[emiraspain]

Well I was told on Wednesday I was number 54. Which, obviously, in Lotus calculations comes after the number 333 of Harry's car.

You are 54 from original list or 54 now....?
Harry was perhaps 333 on the list, but thats not necessarily true, HE implies it is and its logical the number is chassis 333 from original order or from cars started or chassis built, but we didnt see many other chassis numbers to see if it was logical... Important to note Matt or no Lotus employee said it was number 333 based on order, but who knows..... they could write anything on the chassis to refer to anything. 333hp for this dude... haha

I would not trust that you are number 54 as you ordered before me and before 99.9% of people on here from what you have said. I was told I was number 32, hence the confusion, I didn't even ask the actual number and they told me a few months ago I was 32/4. They had me down later, but changed it as the dealer had messed up etc etc.... I cant even remember now when I paid, but certainly wayyyyyy before Harry.
Clearly the fist 50/60 orders are now upside down and as Matt said, it seems production simply build the cars they want or have to hand with NO thought of order what so ever... which to an extent is understandable, BUT as they cant finish any RHD cars anyway, maybe another approach could have been taken, but again, I am over it now.... I have not called them recently to ask or put pressure on as it doesn't work, its a wasted effort for me and wasted time for them, and we know there is no link between CS and production at the lower level anyway, so whats the point; we do it from frustration and hope, but we know its futile. Matt also indicates its futile... Production do as they wish.... He doesn't seem to be too bothered as long as they do something .


Harry jumped, but he will get 1 million views, none of us will, so its logical in a way....
It would be nice if the first 50/100 were sorted in a reasonable order.... but based on all the crap thats gone on, its simply not going to happen no matter how much we wish it would.

 

[emiraspain]

Perhaps a new era of openness has dawned at LCC. Matt was certainly more open in the vid than I expected.

he was yes, you're right...but still we don't know much more than we did before the 30 mins were up. haha.

I dont dislike him at all, not at all, but I get the impression he wants to be a friend to all, and not many, not any bosses achieve that, and believe me, I've tried, but it comes back to bite you in the trunk.
Apart from the brexit thing, I dont think I have learned anything I or any of us could not have imagined. Clearly its been an awful year and he/they have had to put up with impossible factors, there was no surprise logistics / fuel costs. / china lockdowns / we all knew these things.... not one of us doubts this, or they shouldn't, but he / they are not the only ones.. many people on here have had the same crap and worse to deal with and their back pockets are directly effected by it, where as I doubt that many full time staff at lotus have a big scale down economically because of the many issues this year (lower bonuses aside), so I draw a line at 25% sympathy with him / them.
And as always, they simply could /should have dealt with their 1000's of customers a great deal better... I may be wrong, maybe.. but was there an actual apology, was there a "sorry" ... was there I honestly feel awful for our customers....
There was a we are suffering here too, no one wants the cars out more than we do... etc.. but thats not a sorry. Maybe he does not need to say it you could say, but I certainly would have done..... I feel so bad we have let down our customers, I just dont know what to say, we've tried to hard and something else comes to slap us in the face, but we keep at it, and we will make them happy...

 

[Scruff111S]

You are 54 from original list or 54 now....?
Harry was perhaps 333 on the list, but thats not necessarily true, HE implies it is and its logical the number is chassis 333 from original order or from cars started or chassis built, but we didnt see many other chassis numbers to see if it was logical... Important to note Matt or no Lotus employee said it was number 333 based on order, but who knows..... they could write anything on the chassis to refer to anything. 333hp for this dude... haha

I would not trust that you are number 54 as you ordered before me and before 99.9% of people on here from what you have said. I was told I was number 32, hence the confusion, I didn't even ask the actual number and they told me a few months ago I was 32/4. They had me down later, but changed it as the dealer had messed up etc etc.... I cant even remember now when I paid, but certainly wayyyyyy before Harry.
Clearly the fist 50/60 orders are now upside down and as Matt said, it seems production simply build the cars they want or have to hand with NO thought of order what so ever... which to an extent is understandable, BUT as they cant finish any RHD cars anyway, maybe another approach could have been taken, but again, I am over it now.... I have not called them recently to ask or put pressure on as it doesn't work, its a wasted effort for me and wasted time for them, and we know there is no link between CS and production at the lower level anyway, so whats the point; we do it from frustration and hope, but we know its futile. Matt also indicates its futile... Production do as they wish.... He doesn't seem to be too bothered as long as they do something .


Harry jumped, but he will get 1 million views, none of us will, so its logical in a way....
It would be nice if the first 50/100 were sorted in a reasonable order.... but based on all the crap thats gone on, its simply not going to happen no matter how much we wish it would.

Yes, i put down my first deposit on the 5th October 2019, thinking, in hindsight wrongly, that i would be one of the first to get a car. Originally told i would get it in March. I chatted to Scott Walker ar Silverstone in November, voicing my concerns after a few YouTube's claims they were getting their cars in March, this having only put down deposits late 2021. Scott said car would be build in deposit order and high profile people would not get priority. Harry's car very much contradicts that. Also, IF, and i am assuming a lot here, i am number 54, as advised, in the list, when did when did the 53 earlier people put their deposits down?

 

[emiraspain]

I think that's Harry repeating what he was told by Lotus. I don't think it's required to do EU approval first, but Lotus decided to do it in that order. That was a change from their original plans.

Back in January they were definitely going for UK approval first. When I visited the factory Matt told me they were nearly ready to make the UK submission. They were confident enough it would be approved that they were planning to start building production cars before approval was granted, if necessary to maintain the timelines for first deliveries.

I know nothing of the facts, but I do very much doubt the certainly of the info coming from anyone at Lotus in regards to any item.. haha.
I dont doubt for a minute Matt told you this, but I do doubt whether the info Matt had in his head was necessarily 100% correct.... maybe he had been given info that was untrue or changing...

At least the boxes are cardboard which is sustainable rather than plastic

I love the British mentality of just get on with it - my worry is how hand built the car is and how quality is dependent on how little beers/wines the guy/lady had the night before.

Yes..I also saw a great deal of people sticking things in and what have you...many many opportunities to make errors. I have only been to a few car production sites so I am NO authority, but I have to say the build process worries me a bit, give me a robot any day, but thats another can of worms best not to open. Quality issues already seem to be coming out in the EU and although its a "new" car, QC is Lotus's biggest worry, and to be honest, it always has been.... Fingers crossed a big % goes on QC and more than just a rickety 100m stretch of road to listen out for unwanted noises ..... I'd be going over each car with a fine tooth comb for at least the first 200 until you are confident things are working well!

 

[Tonyshepp]

I know nothing of the facts, but I do very much doubt the certainly of the info coming from anyone at Lotus in regards to any item.. haha.
I dont doubt for a minute Matt told you this, but I do doubt whether the info Matt had in his head was necessarily 100% correct.... maybe he had been given info that was untrue or changing...

Yes..I also saw a great deal of people sticking things in and what have you...many many opportunities to make errors. I have only been to a few car production sites so I am NO authority, but I have to say the build process worries me a bit, give me a robot any day, but thats another can of worms best not to open. Quality issues already seem to be coming out in the EU and although its a "new" car, QC is Lotus's biggest worry, and to be honest, it always has been.... Fingers crossed a big % goes on QC and more than just a rickety 100m stretch of road to listen out for unwanted noises ..... I'd be going over each car with a fine tooth comb for at least the first 200 until you are confident things are working well!

In one respect I'm glad "others" are getting their cars first and are being the test beds for quality. I can imagine that if faults are found there's no spare parts to fix them and you end up in a worse situation then the person receiving their car weeks after you.

 

[Jonhklee]

Come on … just look at how that is made … pure class with actual care and attention !
After watching that video I al even more made up I am getting one of these cars ! If it comes out looking as good as what they looked last night then I would happily wait until next Christmas ! Great factory walk around and explanation of why things are behind .
Can’t wait to get it home .. happy days

I think we will look back to these hand made clips in a couple of decades and treasure what we have in The Emira. like you, I was stoked to see the video. We asked for comms, and it came via Harry with plenty of up close details. I’m happy. The i4 looks a lot lighter. I’m happy with my choice. I’m still i4 FE or v6 base if reviews/test drive is not favourable.

 

[emiraspain]

Yes, i put down my first deposit on the 5th October 2019, thinking, in hindsight wrongly, that i would be one of the first to get a car. Originally told i would get it in March. I chatted to Scott Walker ar Silverstone in November, voicing my concerns after a few YouTube's claims they were getting their cars in March, this having only put down deposits late 2021. Scott said car would be build in deposit order and high profile people would not get priority. Harry's car very much contradicts that. Also, IF, and i am assuming a lot here, i am number 54, as advised, in the list, when did when did the 53 earlier people put their deposits down?

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)

 

[emiraspain]

In one respect I'm glad "others" are getting their cars first and are being the test beds for quality. I can imagine that if faults are found there's no spare parts to fix them and you end up in a worse situation then the person receiving their car weeks after you.

no no no... if my car has an issue, I will simply find your chassis number, and we know thats reliable, then request they take the part off your car to repair mine.and leave yours in a bit of limbo awaiting more parts. haha.
I have to say in the back of my mind you are right...
Its a huge worry thinking Lotus wont plan correctly for the inevitable issues which could arrise or react quickly to them and we could see cars off the road for months which for me would be the end

 

[Mistral]

I know nothing of the facts, but I do very much doubt the certainly of the info coming from anyone at Lotus in regards to any item.. haha.
I dont doubt for a minute Matt told you this, but I do doubt whether the info Matt had in his head was necessarily 100% correct.... maybe he had been given info that was untrue or changing...

Yes..I also saw a great deal of people sticking things in and what have you...many many opportunities to make errors. I have only been to a few car production sites so I am NO authority, but I have to say the build process worries me a bit, give me a robot any day, but thats another can of worms best not to open. Quality issues already seem to be coming out in the EU and although its a "new" car, QC is Lotus's biggest worry, and to be honest, it always has been.... Fingers crossed a big % goes on QC and more than just a rickety 100m stretch of road to listen out for unwanted noises ..... I'd be going over each car with a fine tooth comb for at least the first 200 until you are confident things are working well!

It may well be easier to get EU type approval first, followed by UK, but that wasn't the original plan when @TomE visited Hethel in January. The only thing that leaving the EU has done is to require separate applications. It's disingenuous of Windle to suggest that leaving the EU is to blame. It was a choice which Lotus made, despite having 2000 plus UK depositers for Emira, more than anywhere else at that time. The market size for the follow on EV models probably drove that choice.