Lotus 3rd Phone Call

[EspritGuy]

What are you naming that Thread?

A. Lotus Explained
B. Lotus Heardus
C. Lotus “For The Listeners”
D. Other

For the Impatient

 

[TomE]

"Rogue One" or "Episode IV: A New Hope"

 

[Yachtie]

I contacted Lotus by email this afternoon and got a very quick reply (1 hour) as below. Hopefully this is a new beginning in communication for 2022!
With regard to the delivery question I placed the first deposit on the 8th July (Thursday at Goodwood) around 11am. If the rumours are right that deposits ran at 500 per day there and they all committed (and I know there would be a lot of drop outs) that would equate to deliveries being one month later for each day of Goodwood!! June for the 7/8th through to September for the 11th July! Hopefully there are a lot of drop outs or I4 buyers!!

We apologise for the lack of information regarding your Emira purchase.

We can advise in regards to final specifications if there are any changes you would like to communicate now we can take these into account. However once a build allocation has been provided for you we will look to contact you to take any final amendments before submitting these to factory to gain an understanding of any potential delay. It is at this time we would be able to confirm a specific month in which you can expect delivery of the vehicle.

The first cars going into production have been based on deposit times with these coming from early July. We appreciate this is around the time your own deposit was placed but interest and deposits were significantly high during Goodwood. However we do expect you to receive contact from us soon and rest assured as soon as the information becomes available we will reach out to advise you on the next steps which will include finance and payment options and delivery or pickup of the vehicle.

If there is anything further I can do to help in the meantime, please do not hesitate to get in contact.

 

[Pav]

Yep, that reads like there's been a bit of thought put into communication. Nice.

 

[TomE]

I contacted Lotus by email this afternoon and got a very quick reply (1 hour) as below. Hopefully this is a new beginning in communication for 2022!
With regard to the delivery question I placed the first deposit on the 8th July (Thursday at Goodwood) around 11am. If the rumours are right that deposits ran at 500 per day there and they all committed (and I know there would be a lot of drop outs) that would equate to deliveries being one month later for each day of Goodwood!! June for the 7/8th through to September for the 11th July! Hopefully there are a lot of drop outs or I4 buyers!!

We apologise for the lack of information regarding your Emira purchase.

We can advise in regards to final specifications if there are any changes you would like to communicate now we can take these into account. However once a build allocation has been provided for you we will look to contact you to take any final amendments before submitting these to factory to gain an understanding of any potential delay. It is at this time we would be able to confirm a specific month in which you can expect delivery of the vehicle.

The first cars going into production have been based on deposit times with these coming from early July. We appreciate this is around the time your own deposit was placed but interest and deposits were significantly high during Goodwood. However we do expect you to receive contact from us soon and rest assured as soon as the information becomes available we will reach out to advise you on the next steps which will include finance and payment options and delivery or pickup of the vehicle.

If there is anything further I can do to help in the meantime, please do not hesitate to get in contact.

Good that you got a quick response with some meaningful content and it looks like they've set up some sensible standard messaging, which is good. I do get an impression things are starting to improve.

I agree with your assessment that each day of Goodwood for deposits equates to about a month on delivery dates. Not had this confirmed by Lotus but tallies with a lot of nuggets I've picked up.

So far it looks like people up to around middle of 8 July have got June delivery dates. I don't think Lotus contacted everyone with a June date before the Christmas break, so some more may drop in to June. I've not heard so far of anyone with 8 July afternoon or 9 July onwards deposits being called about a June delivery.

I do know calls and emails are continuing to UK V6 FE deposit holders with deliver dates for July 2022 onwards. They will get to everyone!

 

[NicolasB]

So I am guessing if I placed my first reservation the middle of September, and I am in the US, I might get my car maybe in the middle of 2023??

 

[TomE]

A lot of the above discussion is about the process in the UK.

It's slightly different for US and will depend in part on which dealer you placed first deposit with and how far down their allocation list you are. Most US dealers can tell you if you are in their 2022 allocation - may be a provisional view currently but should be more definitive by end Jan. I don't think 2023 allocations have been resolved yet, so for timings for next year they may only be able to say roughly which quarter.

It's possible Lotus are going to try to make the process fairer for US customers by doing some levelling out of allocations across dealers based on original deposit dates. But that's not confirmed and probably won't be clarified for at least another month.

 

[NicolasB]

This was an email I received last week from my dealer in western NY:

"Hi Nick, happy new year. I have not heard a thing from Lotus about timing of allocation because they are closed until after the new year. But whatever information they do share is on the web before us dealers know about it. So keep watching and if I hear anything I’ll let you know. From what I heard, because I sold all of my 2020 and 2021 lotus GTs, I will be getting allocation for first edition. With that being said, lotus cars has not given any dealers what their allocation will be just yet."


So, I guess we will see if they get any updates in the future. I did ask him how many reservations he had, or where I was on the list, but no response. He's kind of old-school and spends more time at the track racing than he does on forums and emailing.

 

[DJS]

A lot of the above discussion is about the process in the UK.

It's slightly different for US and will depend in part on which dealer you placed first deposit with and how far down their allocation list you are. Most US dealers can tell you if you are in their 2022 allocation - may be a provisional view currently but should be more definitive by end Jan. I don't think 2023 allocations have been resolved yet, so for timings for next year they may only be able to say roughly which quarter.

It's possible Lotus are going to try to make the process fairer for US customers by doing some levelling out of allocations across dealers based on original deposit dates. But that's not confirmed and probably won't be clarified for at least another month.

I’ve not had my call yet and my deposit was online in the early hours of the 10th of July.

If we think a month for every day at Goodwood and Goodwood was 500 a day and we are guessing 40% in drop outs and i4 ers that would mean they are building 300 cars a month? I think that’s optimistic.

I’m thinking September or October delivery from the discussions I’ve been having.

As soon as I get my call I will post an update here.

@TomE looking forward to info you have coming.

 

[TomE]

This was an email I received last week from my dealer in western NY:

"Hi Nick, happy new year. I have not heard a thing from Lotus about timing of allocation because they are closed until after the new year. But whatever information they do share is on the web before us dealers know about it. So keep watching and if I hear anything I’ll let you know. From what I heard, because I sold all of my 2020 and 2021 lotus GTs, I will be getting allocation for first edition. With that being said, lotus cars has not given any dealers what their allocation will be just yet."


So, I guess we will see if they get any updates in the future. I did ask him how many reservations he had, or where I was on the list, but no response. He's kind of old-school and spends more time at the track racing than he does on forums and emailing.

The US dealers were all given provisional 2022 allocations a month or two after the July reveal. The unexpectedly positive reaction and volume of deposits due to Goodwood and UK/US roadshows then meant a review. I don't know much about that but am aware of potential delays to previous dates given for first US customer V6 FE deliveries, which may be due to reallocation of global capacity to other countries.

What I do know is everyone, customers and dealers, should be getting more information about allocations and delivery timings during January.

I also know they're still confident they can deliver the intended 3000-3500 cars worldwide in 2022. First deliveries in the UK will start a month later but they will catch up very quickly.

 

[Duncx]

I placed my pre-order on the morning of 6th July with a main dealer, before the car was revealed at Hethel. I then converted my order to an offiical Lotus one at the first opportunity. I've paid my two deposits (£2K and £3K) and had my phone calls with a promised delivery some time in June - BUT - now I want to make a couple of changes to the spec.
I'm really hoping this doesn't push me down the list. I've informed Lotus of my possible changes and I'm just waiting to hear back from them if it will cause any delay or not. I know that a few people are in a similar position so fingers crossed that Lotus can juggle stuff around a bit and keep us in the same positions!

 

[TXEMIRA]

This was an email I received last week from my dealer in western NY:

"Hi Nick, happy new year. I have not heard a thing from Lotus about timing of allocation because they are closed until after the new year. But whatever information they do share is on the web before us dealers know about it. So keep watching and if I hear anything I’ll let you know. From what I heard, because I sold all of my 2020 and 2021 lotus GTs, I will be getting allocation for first edition. With that being said, lotus cars has not given any dealers what their allocation will be just yet."


So, I guess we will see if they get any updates in the future. I did ask him how many reservations he had, or where I was on the list, but no response. He's kind of old-school and spends more time at the track racing than he does on forums and emailing.

The “keep a look-out on the site or for email” response sucks.

The dealers are just stuck in the middle of that too. Would be nice if communication was in-line and delivered through the dealer BUT with UK going direct and US going through dealers - it “is what it is” for now…

#ForTheStory

 

[TomE]

I’ve not had my call yet and my deposit was online in the early hours of the 10th of July.

If we think a month for every day at Goodwood and Goodwood was 500 a day and we are guessing 40% in drop outs and i4 ers that would mean they are building 300 cars a month? I think that’s optimistic.

I’m thinking September or October delivery from the discussions I’ve been having.

As soon as I get my call I will post an update here.

@TomE looking forward to info you have coming.

They can do more than 300 per month. It's how many go to the UK that's the factor.

I keep trying to do the maths but there are too many variables for me to be comfortable giving it anything more than a decent guess. The 500 per day at Goodwood doesn't tally with some other info I have and I think there's been some confusion over UK and global figures when these numbers have been discussed. I've also heard some figures for total UK and global deposits, but also inconsistent. Some may be total received and some may be total active (after cancellations). But 60% of deposits being V6 FEs is consistent with what I've heard.

We do know Lotus are working on annual capacity of 5000 cars per year globally, so 100 per week for all markets. The previous strategy (around July last year) was around 3000-3500 total in 2022, when it was a May date for first customer deliveries. Of these for 2022, about 800-850 were due to be UK but this was increased to 1000-1100 post Goodwood. US and EU deliveries were due to start about 2 months after first UK deliveries and take up the rest of the 3000-3500.

What I'm not now clear on is if they're allocating all build to the UK for a while and delaying the non-UK first deliveries. There's some anecdotal evidence this might be the plan. But I'm also aware of other factors that could mean they can build more than 3000-3500 in 2022, produce more than 100 per week and possibly delivery a larger batch in June. That's before any decision about second shift, which I think would only take effect from late in 2022.

We should have more details published by Lotus to individual deposit holders and more generally later in Jan.

 

[TomE]

I placed my pre-order on the morning of 6th July with a main dealer, before the car was revealed at Hethel. I then converted my order to an offiical Lotus one at the first opportunity. I've paid my two deposits (£2K and £3K) and had my phone calls with a promised delivery some time in June - BUT - now I want to make a couple of changes to the spec.
I'm really hoping this doesn't push me down the list. I've informed Lotus of my possible changes and I'm just waiting to hear back from them if it will cause any delay or not. I know that a few people are in a similar position so fingers crossed that Lotus can juggle stuff around a bit and keep us in the same positions!

Congratulations, that should put you somewhere in the first 100-150 I think. Fingers crossed for you on the changes, I know some people have been able to change several elements and not been delayed but it seems very case by case. Really interested to hear the outcome.

 

[Tonyshepp]

I placed my pre-order on the morning of 6th July with a main dealer, before the car was revealed at Hethel. I then converted my order to an offiical Lotus one at the first opportunity. I've paid my two deposits (£2K and £3K) and had my phone calls with a promised delivery some time in June - BUT - now I want to make a couple of changes to the spec.
I'm really hoping this doesn't push me down the list. I've informed Lotus of my possible changes and I'm just waiting to hear back from them if it will cause any delay or not. I know that a few people are in a similar position so fingers crossed that Lotus can juggle stuff around a bit and keep us in the same positions!

I'm in the same boat waiting for confirmation that my colour change and trim change don't affect my delivery in June.

 

[TomE]

The “keep a look-out on the site or for email” response sucks.

The dealers are just stuck in the middle of that too. Would be nice if communication was in-line and delivered through the dealer BUT with UK going direct and US going through dealers - it “is what it is” for now…

#ForTheStory

You would have thought the dealers (UK, US, ROW) would have more influence in saying to Lotus the comms isn't good enough - they are the ones facing off to us lot and unable to answer our questions.

It's surprising how so many are effectively shrugging their shoulders and saying "hey, it's Lotus". Even some in the UK saying "I don't know and you're better off calling Lotus yourself". For me that's a big red flag about factory/dealer engagement, not just an issue about customer comms.

But hang on in there, I know more comms is coming in the next few weeks. Our concerns have been heard and are being looked into.

 

[TXEMIRA]

You would have thought the dealers (UK, US, ROW) would have more influence in saying to Lotus the comms isn't good enough - they are the ones facing off to us lot and unable to answer our questions.

It's surprising how so many are effectively shrugging their shoulders and saying "hey, it's Lotus". Even some in the UK saying "I don't know and you're better off calling Lotus yourself". For me that's a big red flag about factory/dealer engagement, not just an issue about customer comms.

But hang on in there, I know more comms is coming in the next few weeks. Our concerns have been heard and are being looked into.

Imagine just 3-4 years ago the US only had 95 Lotus Evora 400’s.

Ninety Five for the whole US.

 

[Duncx]

I'm in the same boat waiting for confirmation that my colour change and trim change don't affect my delivery in June.

My possible changes are ....
Trim - from ice grey to black leather (definitely want to do this)
Suspension - from Tour to Sport (maybe!)

Any chance you're moving from black leather to ice grey? If so then we could just meet up in Chesterfield and swap seats

 

[andrew6382]

You would have thought the dealers (UK, US, ROW) would have more influence in saying to Lotus the comms isn't good enough - they are the ones facing off to us lot and unable to answer our questions.

It's surprising how so many are effectively shrugging their shoulders and saying "hey, it's Lotus". Even some in the UK saying "I don't know and you're better off calling Lotus yourself". For me that's a big red flag about factory/dealer engagement, not just an issue about customer comms.

But hang on in there, I know more comms is coming in the next few weeks. Our concerns have been heard and are being looked into.

Who can't blame the dealers not wanting to deal with us, they not getting paid to sell us a car, and not getting the inforation to pass on to us.... and on the other line they have a guy wanting to buy a Bentley, Mclaren OR RR and they have commisions to earn

 

[andrew6382]

My possible changes are ....
Trim - from ice grey to black leather (definitely want to do this)
Suspension - from Tour to Sport (maybe!)

Any chance you're moving from black leather to ice grey? If so then we could just meet up in Chesterfield and swap seats

Not swaping seats, but down road from you, so happy to meet for cupa and a chat