Matt Windle interview with Car and Driver

Not a review - but very good read.

Matt Windle Is Bullish about Lotus's Future Prospects

The specialty carmaker has a new lease on life, and its managing director goes into detail with us about the present and near future.

www.caranddriver.com

 

[robrmon]

Thanks for sharing. So 10k orders for the Emira with 1/3rd in the States

 

[CDM1855]

10,000 orders seems high, The way things are going It will take them 10 years to produce that. And then on top of that they’re going to be producing a new electric sports car. Good luck to them

 

[Pegasi]

"C/D: The Evora was a great car, but didn’t sell especially well in the States. We loved it, but there were many who were convinced that it didn’t warrant a luxury price tag. How is the Emira going to change that equation?"

I have never read that Evora's were overpriced anymore than any other sports car may be overpriced, sure it's costly but my understanding is that it was satisfying to those who understood the car and wanted those dynamics. I also find it odd of using "luxury price tag" on what is clearly a driver's car. I am nitpicking but I didn't like this question.

 

[Nova]

10,000 orders seems high, The way things are going It will take them 10 years to produce that. And then on top of that they’re going to be producing a new electric sports car. Good luck to them

I guess "orders" means deposits taken, not considering cancelations.

 

[d15b7]

I always (me personally) thought that the Evora 400 and later Evora GT priced at + or - $110k here in the USA was overpriced. And sales were quite low here on those models. That was a hard sell.

The Emira with its beautiful exterior and vastly improved interior at $92k is much more in line with being able to sell thousands of units per year vs hundreds of units (Evora).

Now they just need to start producing 5k+ units a year asap!!

 

[TomE]

Yes, by orders they mean deposits. Saying they had more sales last year than the previous six is also not quite right, as they're counting deposits as sales, not actual sales contracts/delivered cars.

The Evora 400 was priced about 10k above where the Emira is now pitched, so relative to competitors was seen as expensive and lacking in the interior and tech that people felt was expected at that price. Adding all that stuff and getting the price down is a big achievement by Lotus.

Interesting that they're adding over 50 new dealers in China but (not stated in the article) only 10-12 in the US when that's a third of Emira deposits. They're obviously investing where they think the big growth in lifestyle/EV cars will happen.

 

[Ryder]

D. I agree with your assessment but not the production numbers. Likely 2-3K per year. Also what % of those Emira's get shipped to the US ? I believe 10,000 deposits are realistic and many will continue the long wait for their dream car.

 

[Ryder]

Yes, by orders they mean deposits. Saying they had more sales last year than the previous six is also not quite right, as they're counting deposits as sales, not actual sales contracts/delivered cars.

The Evora 400 was priced about 10k above where the Emira is now pitched, so relative to competitors was seen as expensive and lacking in the interior and tech that people felt was expected at that price. Adding all that stuff and getting the price down is a big achievement by Lotus.

Interesting that they're adding over 50 new dealers in China but (not stated in the article) only 10-12 in the US when that's a third of Emira deposits. They're obviously investing where they think the big growth in lifestyle/EV cars will happen.

Tom, I do not have a crystal ball and maybe China is the best place for Lotus to open new dealerships. However, just maybe their Chinese partner ( Greely ) made that call ???

 

[DerTheDer]

Way over shot that number there. If my dealer wont give me a refund its because there is no one else in line that wants the deposit. Complete bullocks. Do they plan making these into the 2050's at this rate?

 

[TomE]

Tom, I do not have a crystal ball and maybe China is the best place for Lotus to open new dealerships. However, just maybe their Chinese partner ( Greely ) made that call ???

Absolutely

 

[TomE]

D. I agree with your assessment but not the production numbers. Likely 2-3K per year. Also what % of those Emira's get shipped to the US ? I believe 10,000 deposits are realistic and many will continue the long wait for their dream car.

The original plan was 5,000 Emiras per year but it’s going to take well into 2023 to achieve that rate. Second shift is supposed to take them to 7,000 per year but they’re not now due to hit that until early 2024.

The article mentions increasing capacity at Hethel for the Type 135 EV sports car for 2025, which will likely need a third shift and further investments. For example the chassis build facility in Norwich is currently a bottleneck on going above 7,000 per year.

 

[Lotustoronto]

@TomE - Thanks for making it's own thread. A couple observations I made in the interview - I have no idea how they are going to launch the EV sports car in the same facilities and along side Emira by 2025 (2 years from now), when they are having so many issues with Emira. I am happy that C&D called out the lack of Lotus dealer network and support in the US/NA. It is a very serious point and I do think that Lotus understands this, I hope they have some good incentives to keep their dealers happy and more important;y grow the support. They showed them the two new electric cars being launched (type 133-134 I think), so some people at your dealerships know what it looks like... no leaks guys??

10K deposits is more than I expected, and more than 1/3rd in the US is around 3.5K-4K cars for US/NA market. It will take 2-3 years to run that out. As I expect that number to grow next year, before settling down. All the US YouTubers still need to get a go in the Emira and review it and all the US Journalists will be doing the testing reviews next year as well. Should be interesting.

There is a chance that by end of 2023, after a proper US launch - and the Evija perhaps taking the top ring time for a production car (great marketing) - the Emira V6 may be completely sold out in US. The type 133 for 2025 needs to bump someone off the production line.

Finally kudos to C&D to ask some tougher questions, it wasn't a puff piece and hopefully Lotus start fixing some of their issues.

 

[DJS]

Yep 3k cars in 2023 at best, that's 7k Emira customers without car in 2023 , so that's a good 2 years to clear the backlog and new deposits that will be placed in 2023. Don't be surprised to see the I4 and V6 auto pushed right back to end of 2023/early 2024

Hang on ain't we already been waiting 18 months.

 

[CDM1855]

If the V6 Auto doesn’t actually start production within the next 3 months, I am sure that will trigger a lot more cancellations. As for the i4 cars, I wouldn’t be surprised if they never materialise

 

[Dommo]

As for the i4 cars, I wouldn’t be surprised if they never materialise

I've heard rumours that they can't get the cooling right with the I4 engine.

 

[DerTheDer]

I've heard rumours that they can't get the cooling right with the I4 engine.

I have heard that in multiple circles. Let them take this time to get it right. Would be disasters to go with a new engine and have glaring issues that can destroy the motor.

 

[DJS]

Lotus will get it right trust me Geely won't have it any other way, we might still be a year or so off thou.

 

[ADC]

I've heard rumours that they can't get the cooling right with the I4 engine.

I have heard that in multiple circles. Let them take this time to get it right. Would be disasters to go with a new engine and have glaring issues that can destroy the motor.

Genuine question: Are these "circles" actually just forum echo chambers, or actual credible sources?

I completely agree it is wise that they take their time to get to grips with the new engine, but they've also been running i4 test mules for literally years now... I'm not inclined to believe that there are any show-stopping problems still lurking here, but rather they are probably focussed on trying to get their shit in a pile on production in general (and de-prioritising the i4 until production is running more smoothly). If the development team continues to refine the i4 while they wait, so much the better!

But then, I'm just some guy speculating on a forum while I wait for an i4 Emira, so wtf would I know

 

[Dommo]

Genuine question: Are these "circles" actually just forum echo chambers, or actual credible sources?

I completely agree it is wise that they take their time to get to grips with the new engine, but they've also been running i4 test mules for literally years now... I'm not inclined to believe that there are any show-stopping problems still lurking here, but rather they are probably focussed on trying to get their shit in a pile on production in general (and de-prioritising the i4 until production is running more smoothly). If the development team continues to refine the i4 while they wait, so much the better!

But then, I'm just some guy speculating on a forum while I wait for an i4 Emira, so wtf would I know

My info came from a credible source.