I4 Delivery Date USA/Canada Updates

[bcstmr]

If delivered in January, will they still be the 2024 model year? Is that even allowed?

 

[drjazzsk]

Can they technically deliver 2024 MY cars in 2025? If not then that’s going to make things very interesting. (Oops just saw that someone else posted something similar)

 

[Rainier]

I guess the batteries will drain flat while waiting in the shipping lot for months? Doesn't that permanently damage them? Does dealer fit a fresh battery when the car is received?

 

[RoryBellows]

Yes you can deliver a 2024 after 2024 as its based on production not sales date. As far as batteries go I would like to assume they would disconnect them and then just reconnect and charge as needed but who knows and they probably wont say.

 

[DigDugLotus]

Update from Lotus (this morning) to XYZ dealership... Carb Approval will finalize Dec or beginning Jan... I4's will start arriving at dealer within days of the approval. The 10 cars in the US are in lockup... Used for a showing recently but put back in lockup pending Carb.

Well, that sucks. And yes…. Batteries will likely need replaced if they are just sitting for months. They will trickle to zero sitting. Also rotors can start to oxidize…. The dealership inspection and us being vigilant will be very important. Dealership too far from me to have issues that are preventable.

 

[Emira Fan]

Well, that sucks. And yes…. Batteries will likely need replaced if they are just sitting for months. They will trickle to zero sitting. Also rotors can start to oxidize…. The dealership inspection and us being vigilant will be very important. Dealership too far from me to have issues that are preventable.

[Batteries will likely need replaced if they are just sitting for months.]

Yes one more wrinkle, hard to imagine they are charging 400+ cars sitting in a lot. DigDug, did you get a build date when you received your VIN? I didn't, but suspect the cars have already been sitting for months.

 

[DigDugLotus]

[Batteries will likely need replaced if they are just sitting for months.]

Yes one more wrinkle, hard to imagine they are charging 400+ cars sitting in a lot. DigDug, did you get a build date when you received your VIN? I didn't, but suspect the cars have already been sitting for months.

Yes, build date was end of August/beginning of Sept. Received my VIN July 16th 2024.
VIN is 4068. So yes, been sitting for awhile is my guess

 

[Lotustoronto]

My understanding is that cars are shipped in transport mode. Essentially preventing the battery from draining as the cars ECU's are not running when off. Car's in transport mode are typically only able to run to a certain speed with most electronics off until it get's PDI'd at dealers.

 

[Rainier]

My understanding is that cars are shipped in transport mode. Essentially preventing the battery from draining as the cars ECU's are not running when off. Car's in transport mode are typically only able to run to a certain speed with most electronics off until it get's PDI'd at dealers.

Thanks.
I guess Antigravity will be my first after market mod anyway

 

[DigDugLotus]

My understanding is that cars are shipped in transport mode. Essentially preventing the battery from draining as the cars ECU's are not running when off. Car's in transport mode are typically only able to run to a certain speed with most electronics off until it get's PDI'd at dealers.

Didn’t realize that….thanks for the knowledge.

 

[chstockd]

I received a VIN number yesterday. I looked it up on the NHTA Website and Interestingly it shows the Engine Brake HP at 360. The engine power is listed as 298(KW) so assuming the 360 BHP is just a range for the engine type??

 

[Nova]

I received a VIN number yesterday. I looked it up on the NHTA Website and Interestingly it shows the Engine Brake HP at 360. The engine power is listed as 298(KW) so assuming the 360 BHP is just a range for the engine type??

The 360HP figure is from an error in Lotus' NHTSA filing. The real number is 298kW.

 

[chstockd]

The 360HP figure is from an error in Lotus' NHTSA filing. The real number is 298kW.

Thanks for the clarification

 

[DigDugLotus]

I received a VIN number yesterday. I looked it up on the NHTA Website and Interestingly it shows the Engine Brake HP at 360. The engine power is listed as 298(KW) so assuming the 360 BHP is just a range for the engine type??

Funny… I had this exact post 1-2 months or so. It also surprised me until they confirmed that USA Emira is 298kw/400hp. Think Nova is the one that replied to me too.

 

[Rainier]

News update on Barney, the shipping lot security attendant:

The Norfolk wind howled a mournful tune across the holding lot, whistling through the gaps in the chain-link fence and swirling fallen leaves around the hundreds of Lotus Emira I4s parked within. Moonlight glinted off their sleek fiberglass bodies, a sea of vibrant colours that should have been gracing American highways by now. Instead, thanks to some bureaucratic CARB snafu, they were stuck in purgatory, their powerful engines silent, their batteries slowly draining, and cobwebs gathering in their wheel arches.

Barnaby "Barney" Bigglesworth, the lone night security guard, huddled in his little hut, a mug of lukewarm cocoa his only companion. He yearned for the comforting silence of the countryside, but tonight, the lot was alive with unsettling sounds. Creaks, groans, and a chorus of clicks and pops echoed around him. Peering out the window, his heart hammered in his chest as the Emira's headlights flickered to life, bathing the lot in an eerie yellow glow.

"Blimey," Barney muttered, "They're havin' a reet ol' do, ent they?"

The cars, seemingly possessed by the spirit of Halloween, began to move. Not driving, mind you, but dancing. They shimmied and shook, their spoilers twitching like excited puppies' tails. A pair of yellow Emiras spun in a dizzying waltz, while a line of red ones performed a synchronized "boot scoot" that would have made a line-dancing troupe proud.

Barney, convinced the isolation was finally getting to him, fumbled for his phone. "Hello, police? Yeah, it's Bigglesworth, down at the Lotus lot... No, I ain't been at the cider... The cars, they're... they're doin' the Time Warp, like!"

The police dispatcher, a woman with the patience of a saint and the sense of humour of a wet teabag, sighed. "Mr. Bigglesworth, this is the third time this week. Please, go back to sleep."

But Barney couldn't sleep. He watched in bewildered amusement as a particularly spirited Emira, a vibrant shade of Stars and Stripes blue, popped its trunk and began playing "Monster Mash" at full blast. The other cars, their sporty suspensions clearly up to the task, bounced and swayed to the beat.

Just when Barney thought it couldn't get any weirder, a figure emerged from the shadows. Tall and slender, with glowing red eyes and a flowing white sheet, it glided towards the dancing cars.

"Oh, great," Barney groaned, "Now Casper the Friendly Ghost wants to join the party."

But it wasn't Casper. As the figure drew closer, Barney realized with a jolt that it was none other than Colin Chapman, the legendary founder of Lotus, back from the great racetrack in the sky.

Chapman, a mischievous grin on his spectral face, raised his hands, and the music swelled. The cars went wild, performing donuts and burnouts that filled the night air with the screech of tires and the smell of burning rubber.

"Happy Halloween, Bigglesworth!" Chapman's voice boomed across the lot. "Let's show those Yanks how we do it in Blighty, even if it's a bit delayed!"

And with that, he hopped into a bright red Emira and joined the ghostly dance party, leaving Barney to shake his head and wonder if maybe, just maybe, that lukewarm cocoa had been a bit stronger than he thought. Perhaps those cobwebs weren't just gathering on the cars after all... perhaps they were spun by something a bit more supernatural.

(AI slop for Halloween season)

 

[PsymonR]

Yes, build date was end of August/beginning of Sept. Received my VIN July 16th 2024.
VIN is 4068. So yes, been sitting for awhile is my guess

If it helps, although I don't have definitive information my UK i4 was built a similar time last year (MY23 VIN, service indicator came on in August), but due to the UK type approval delays I didn't get my car until end of March this year. 4k miles in and I've not had any major issues so far.

 

[DigDugLotus]

Any updates on the I4 CARB certification? Car has been built and sitting since end of July/August…..

 

[boisecrawfords]

Any updates on the I4 CARB certification? Car has been built and sitting since end of July/August…..

I've reached out to CARB twice with no response.

 

[christophermalex]

4-Cylinder AMG Lotus Emira Update - They're coming!!!​

Dear Lotus Depositors:

I am thrilled to share the most recent update we've received from Lotus, which is that the i4 Emiras have been approved for transit!

These cars are expected to begin arriving at the US Port in early December. Once they are received in Baltimore, the cars will still need to go through Customs, be inspected, and then transported to Galpin.

We will relay individual updates to each of you as your cars progress from the UK to Galpin. As always, please don't hesitate to contact your Galpin Lotus Specialist with any questions. We look forward to getting these cars on the road as soon as possible!

Thank you for your continued patience, the wait is nearly over!

 

[boisecrawfords]

That would be AMAZING. What I don't understand is that my VIN hasn't shown up on the build reports, but other i4s have. Hopefully min (4613) is coming soon!