My day at Hethel

    Featured
I've got lots to share from my day at the Lotus Hethel factory and test track yesterday. Bear with me, it won't all be in one post and I will add to this thread during today and tomorrow. I'm also adding updates on relevant threads too, such as about specific features and the process in the US.

As many know, I've been sharing my and our frustrations about poor comms and customer service with contacts at Lotus. That resulted in my four pages of feedback (plus input from others) being raised with senior management. As a consequence, four of us were invited to go to Hethel, see for ourselves what is happening and discuss with senior people. Greg and Andrew went on Thursday and Ade @Evotion and I went on Friday. Greg has already posted his write up here and he and Andrew have added to that in response to questions. I'll try to avoid duplication.

Headlines
  1. Remember it's still a pre-production car. That has been affecting comms and timing. But it's coming and it's (mostly) on track - the month delay from May to June is due to type approvals not supply chain, but Lotus are taking mitigating steps which will mean UK customer deliveries will catch up rapidly.
  2. Quality. The step change from old factory to new factory is hugely impressive. The investment in production technology is the most visible, but behind that has been the hiring of a lot of production engineering and QA expertise from places like Toyota and Volvo as well as consulting input. There's also a lot happening on training, production proving and review. We saw the robots used for assembling panels to cars (it's like something from a scifi movie), one of three automated paint shops and the huge laser rig used to measure thousands of dimensions on every car at different stages of the build process to ensure they are built to tolerance. We also saw latest iteration seats (more on this later) and the QA sheets capturing feedback on what needs improving. We also saw full dashboards with immaculate stitching and gorgeous aluminium bracketry (which most people won't see). Lots of other things showing the evidence of the quality focus.
  3. Colours. We saw all 6 First Edition colours (more details to follow) and they are all stunning. The bright colours pop and flow really well and the darker colours look classy and elegant. The curves of the car mean the colour changes constantly across the surface of the car, something we already know is really hard to see on a small sample. Eagle7's renders are very close and a new configurator is coming next week with much better renditions and the option to use different lighting.
  4. Customer communication. They acknowledge this has not been as good as it should be and actions are being taken to address that. Briefings have taken place this week to all UK and US dealers with updates on the car, timing, processes, etc. Update emails have started going out to UK customers (segmented into clusters) and the new configurator plus finance and part exchange options will go live next week. Press drives and publication of reviews have been scheduled (we will see in 2-3 months time) and a further round of information being released is phased around that, including things like i4 FE and base pricing.
  5. Delivery. Customer cars are on track to start in June in the UK. There are no concerns currently about supply chain, although it's obviously requiring a lot of work and planning and management. The key point is the slip from May to June is down to approvals not supply chain. Lotus are mitigating this and will be delivering a much larger batch in June and July than a normal month of production. So total 2022 volume will still be in line with original plans.
  6. The car. I know I'm a Lotus enthusiast and some people think I get paid by the factory. But honestly folks it is utterly stunning. It looks fantastic and will turns heads, the interior is driver-focused and high quality, it looks and sounds awesome out on track and just pottering around the site. We spent time in the visitor centre and kept catching glances of cars moving around the site - some in the characteristic Emira "glamouflage" (yes, that's what it's called) and several in FE and non-prod colours.
  7. Have faith! This is going to be an iconic car and if you have a deposit down you are not going to be disappointed.
Huge thanks to Scott Walker (UK Sales) for helping to make this day happen and to Matt Windle (Lotus MD), Geoff Dowding (Sales Director) and all the Lotus development, production, QA, logistics and events staff who spoke to us and showed us around.

Topics to come (and links to those topics once added):
We were also told some things we were asked not to share, mainly because Lotus want to communicate it at the relevant time.
 
Last edited:
1. The US is ready!
2. On the edge of my seat for your next write-up kid.
3. “Parts exchange” - what is that?
4. Tell us the story about the colors again! Please? How they shine & stuff.
5. Thanks man. This is awesome!
Part exchange- giving in your old car as part payment
 
Wait. One more thing.

6. Do we have to call it glamouflage too or only if we work at Lotus like you do now? ;)
 
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #24
1. The US is ready!
2. On the edge of my seat for your next write-up kid.
3. “Parts exchange” - what is that?
4. Tell us the story about the colors again! Please? How they shine & stuff.
5. Thanks man. This is awesome!
1. It's getting there, the dealers are being primed, Lotus have some constraints on what they can do
2. Coming soon...
3. Trading in your old car against your new Emira - "part exchange" or PX in the UK
4.

52491463.jpg
 
I've got lots to share from my day at the Lotus Hethel factory and test track yesterday. Bear with me, it won't all be in one post and I will add to this thread during today and tomorrow. I'm also adding updates on relevant threads too, such as about specific features and the process in the US.

As many know, I've been sharing my and our frustrations about poor comms and customer service with contacts at Lotus. That resulted in my four pages of feedback (plus input from others) being raised with senior management. As a consequence, four of us were invited to go to Hethel, see for ourselves what is happening and discuss with senior people. Greg and Andrew went on Thursday and Ade @Evotion and I went on Friday. Greg has already posted his write up here and he and Andrew have added to that in response to questions. I'll try to avoid duplication.

Headlines
  1. Remember it's still a pre-production car. That has been affecting comms and timing. But it's coming and it's (mostly) on track - the month delay from May to June is due to type approvals not supply chain, but Lotus are taking mitigating steps which will mean UK customer deliveries will catch up rapidly.
  2. Quality. The step change from old factory to new factory is hugely impressive. The investment in production technology is the most visible, but behind that has been the hiring of a lot of production engineering and QA expertise from places like Toyota and Volvo as well as consulting input. There's also a lot happening on training, production proving and review. We saw the robots used for assembling panels to cars (it's like something from a scifi movie), one of three automated paint shops and the huge laser rig used to measure thousands of dimensions on every car at different stages of the build process to ensure they are built to tolerance. We also saw latest iteration seats (more on this later) and the QA sheets capturing feedback on what needs improving. We also saw full dashboards with immaculate stitching and gorgeous aluminium bracketry (which most people won't see). Lots of other things showing the evidence of the quality focus.
  3. Colours. We saw all 6 First Edition colours (more details to follow) and they are all stunning. The bright colours pop and flow really well and the darker colours look classy and elegant. The curves of the car mean the colour changes constantly across the surface of the car, something we already know is really hard to see on a small sample. Eagle7's renders are very close and a new configurator is coming next week with much better renditions and the option to use different lighting.
  4. Customer communication. They acknowledge this has not been as good as it should be and actions are being taken to address that. Briefings have taken place this week to all UK and US dealers with updates on the car, timing, processes, etc. Update emails have started going out to UK customers (segmented into clusters) and the new configurator plus finance and part exchange options will go live next week. Press drives and publication of reviews have been scheduled (we will see in 2-3 months time) and a further round of information being released is phased around that, including things like i4 FE and base pricing.
  5. Delivery. Customer cars are on track to start in June in the UK. There are no concerns currently about supply chain, although it's obviously requiring a lot of work and planning and management. The key point is the slip from May to June is down to approvals not supply chain. Lotus are mitigating this and will be delivering a much larger batch in June and July than a normal month of production. So total 2022 volume will still be in line with original plans.
  6. The car. I know I'm a Lotus enthusiast and some people think I get paid by the factory. But honestly folks it is utterly stunning. It looks fantastic and will turns heads, the interior is driver-focused and high quality, it looks and sounds awesome out on track and just pottering around the site. We spent time in the visitor centre and kept catching glances of cars moving around the site - some in the characteristic Emira "glamouflage" (yes, that's what it's called) and several in FE and non-prod colours.
  7. Have faith! This is going to be an iconic car and if you have a deposit down you are not going to be disappointed.
Huge thanks to Scott Walker (UK Sales) for helping to make this day happen and to Matt Windle (Lotus MD), Geoff Dowding (Sales Director) and all the Lotus development, production, QA, logistics and events staff who spoke to us and showed us around.

Topics to come:
  • Colours: more thoughts on what I saw
  • Sport and Touring: our chat with one of the development drivers and more info written by Gav Kershaw and about to be published
  • Comms and deposit and order processes
  • US/Canda approach
  • After Sales: spares provisioning and servicing
  • Press programme
  • Dealer demo cars
  • Delivery and factory collection options
  • i4 development status and the surprise engine modification
  • Latest revision on the seats
  • Hiring and second shift
  • New rolling road, monsoon test chamber and shakedown track
  • Diamond cut wheel design (confirmation of details and feedback process with Customer Care)
  • GT4 car and race programme
  • Radford development
  • Elise/Exige Final Editions
We were also told some things we were asked not to share, mainly because Lotus want to communicate it at the relevant time.
Thank you Tom for sharing all this information , you have been very helpful with all the inside information and just made me even more exited about June .
 
I've got lots to share from my day at the Lotus Hethel factory and test track yesterday. Bear with me, it won't all be in one post and I will add to this thread during today and tomorrow. I'm also adding updates on relevant threads too, such as about specific features and the process in the US.

As many know, I've been sharing my and our frustrations about poor comms and customer service with contacts at Lotus. That resulted in my four pages of feedback (plus input from others) being raised with senior management. As a consequence, four of us were invited to go to Hethel, see for ourselves what is happening and discuss with senior people. Greg and Andrew went on Thursday and Ade @Evotion and I went on Friday. Greg has already posted his write up here and he and Andrew have added to that in response to questions. I'll try to avoid duplication.

Headlines
  1. Remember it's still a pre-production car. That has been affecting comms and timing. But it's coming and it's (mostly) on track - the month delay from May to June is due to type approvals not supply chain, but Lotus are taking mitigating steps which will mean UK customer deliveries will catch up rapidly.
  2. Quality. The step change from old factory to new factory is hugely impressive. The investment in production technology is the most visible, but behind that has been the hiring of a lot of production engineering and QA expertise from places like Toyota and Volvo as well as consulting input. There's also a lot happening on training, production proving and review. We saw the robots used for assembling panels to cars (it's like something from a scifi movie), one of three automated paint shops and the huge laser rig used to measure thousands of dimensions on every car at different stages of the build process to ensure they are built to tolerance. We also saw latest iteration seats (more on this later) and the QA sheets capturing feedback on what needs improving. We also saw full dashboards with immaculate stitching and gorgeous aluminium bracketry (which most people won't see). Lots of other things showing the evidence of the quality focus.
  3. Colours. We saw all 6 First Edition colours (more details to follow) and they are all stunning. The bright colours pop and flow really well and the darker colours look classy and elegant. The curves of the car mean the colour changes constantly across the surface of the car, something we already know is really hard to see on a small sample. Eagle7's renders are very close and a new configurator is coming next week with much better renditions and the option to use different lighting.
  4. Customer communication. They acknowledge this has not been as good as it should be and actions are being taken to address that. Briefings have taken place this week to all UK and US dealers with updates on the car, timing, processes, etc. Update emails have started going out to UK customers (segmented into clusters) and the new configurator plus finance and part exchange options will go live next week. Press drives and publication of reviews have been scheduled (we will see in 2-3 months time) and a further round of information being released is phased around that, including things like i4 FE and base pricing.
  5. Delivery. Customer cars are on track to start in June in the UK. There are no concerns currently about supply chain, although it's obviously requiring a lot of work and planning and management. The key point is the slip from May to June is down to approvals not supply chain. Lotus are mitigating this and will be delivering a much larger batch in June and July than a normal month of production. So total 2022 volume will still be in line with original plans.
  6. The car. I know I'm a Lotus enthusiast and some people think I get paid by the factory. But honestly folks it is utterly stunning. It looks fantastic and will turns heads, the interior is driver-focused and high quality, it looks and sounds awesome out on track and just pottering around the site. We spent time in the visitor centre and kept catching glances of cars moving around the site - some in the characteristic Emira "glamouflage" (yes, that's what it's called) and several in FE and non-prod colours.
  7. Have faith! This is going to be an iconic car and if you have a deposit down you are not going to be disappointed.
Huge thanks to Scott Walker (UK Sales) for helping to make this day happen and to Matt Windle (Lotus MD), Geoff Dowding (Sales Director) and all the Lotus development, production, QA, logistics and events staff who spoke to us and showed us around.

Topics to come:
  • Colours: more thoughts on what I saw
  • Sport and Touring: our chat with one of the development drivers and more info written by Gav Kershaw and about to be published
  • Comms and deposit and order processes
  • US/Canda approach
  • After Sales: spares provisioning and servicing
  • Press programme
  • Dealer demo cars
  • Delivery and factory collection options
  • i4 development status and the surprise engine modification
  • Latest revision on the seats
  • Hiring and second shift
  • New rolling road, monsoon test chamber and shakedown track
  • Diamond cut wheel design (confirmation of details and feedback process with Customer Care)
  • GT4 car and race programme
  • Radford development
  • Elise/Exige Final Editions
We were also told some things we were asked not to share, mainly because Lotus want to communicate it at the relevant time.
Thanks a lot Tom for the extensive work and explanation.

Can't wait for the next in depth posts.

Didn´t find in hour headlines anything related to Rest of Europe delivery plans, did you manage any response about it, or just the UK and US was discussed?

Thanks Again
 
Looking forward to more updates, great to get so much new information TomE!
Making me want the car even more. On that subject did you get any idea when a car would be delivered with deposit paid 8th July?
 
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #30
@TomE
Query: engine, is it the 416hp 420nm one or something different?
400hp and 420nm are still the official figures for the V6 manual (430nm auto)) but are subject to final testing and type approval
 
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #31
Thanks a lot Tom for the extensive work and explanation.

Can't wait for the next in depth posts.

Didn´t find in hour headlines anything related to Rest of Europe delivery plans, did you manage any response about it, or just the UK and US was discussed?

Thanks Again
We didn't talk specifically about European countries but what we heard about UK, US and global production gives a good idea of what's happening.

Essentially for most (all?) countries outside UK it is a dealer-led process and based around annual allocations of build slots by Lotus to each dealer. This will include info on delivery timings and mix (mainly V6 FE, i4 FE, Base as this is production-readiness determined). Dealer then determines who gets which slot and will manage the specification finalisation process with the customer. It looks like Lotus will require specification around 3-6 months before expected delivery month, but that may change as production moves forward.

Start of delivery in each country is primarily being driven by gaining the relevant approvals in that country, which is a complicated process made harder to predict due to some Covid impacts. Lotus are working to a plan but are having to review global production timings and splits every month in light of latest progress and information. Dealers are all getting briefings and more info by end of Jan and there will be a further round of updates in 2-3 months.

At the moment dealers aren't in a position to be able to say customer X will get delivery in month Y.
 
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #32
Looking forward to more updates, great to get so much new information TomE!
Making me want the car even more. On that subject did you get any idea when a car would be delivered with deposit paid 8th July?
I believe 8 July deposit means you are on the borderline between June delivery or July. I know of people on 8th who have been told they are in June and others who know they are not June.
 
First Post!
I have been reading avidly for weeks now. I'm well behind the curve when it comes to deposits etc. I didn't even know about the car until near the end of the year and so missed the road show. 2 deposits in and getting far too excited bearing in mind how long I will be waiting!

But this thread has me too excited not to register to join in...

@TomE can I just confirm that this is the thread that you will be posting all your details about your visit on? Or do I have to look elsewhere too? I spend too much time on this website already!

Thanks to everyone who has posted information and informed opinion...its been great reading.
 
I believe 8 July deposit means you are on the borderline between June delivery or July. I know of people on 8th who have been told they are in June and others who know they are not June.
That sounds like a reasonable deduction Tom, my deposit was 9am on 9th July, would you think a July delivery slot is realistic or more like August?
 
Last edited:
Good point. I will add some info by re-editing the original post and adding info on the end (which I will flag by posting on the end of the thread too). But I think there's a character limit. I might add some of the more specific topics as new threads.
Just a thought, but what about categorising what you intend on posting up as separate PDF files and attaching those to a single post - the PDF file name will bear the name of the topic/category being discussed. That way all content is in one place. The post can include an index to each file/category.

Of course, the above is not very user-friendly if one accesses this forum via a mobile device, but one would have the option of downloading the PDF and reading it offline.

As you have noted above a Wiki-style presentation would be best - is it possible via this forum?
 
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #36
First Post!
I have been reading avidly for weeks now. I'm well behind the curve when it comes to deposits etc. I didn't even know about the car until near the end of the year and so missed the road show. 2 deposits in and getting far too excited bearing in mind how long I will be waiting!

But this thread has me too excited not to register to join in...

@TomE can I just confirm that this is the thread that you will be posting all your details about your visit on? Or do I have to look elsewhere too? I spend too much time on this website already!

Thanks to everyone who has posted information and informed opinion...its been great reading.
Welcome to the watch party!

I'll work out a way to add my further info either on this thread or on new threads I signpost and link from here. You can also "follow" me but do then get notified about every post (and I realise I post a lot!)
 
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #37
Just a thought, but what about categorising what you intend on posting up as separate PDF files and attaching those to a single post - the PDF file name will bear the name of the topic/category being discussed. That way all content is in one place. The post can include an index to each file/category.

Of course, the above is not very user-friendly if one accesses this forum via a mobile device, but one would have the option of downloading the PDF and reading it offline.

As you have noted above a Wiki-style presentation would be best - is it possible via this forum?
I may need an editorial assistant or post curator to help!

My wife already thinks I spend too much time on here, but I'll try and work something out. As well as cross-linking on here I might be able to create one structured and indexed/tagged document (like an FAQ) and update it every few weeks with some version control and changes annotated. But I do have a family and a day job competing for my attention too!
 
I may need an editorial assistant or post curator to help!

My wife already thinks I spend too much time on here, but I'll try and work something out. As well as cross-linking on here I might be able to create one structured and indexed/tagged document (like an FAQ) and update it every few weeks with some version control and changes annotated. But I do have a family and a day job competing for my attention too!
Understood, and highly appreciate your efforts in sharing your feedback and observations.

Happy to help if you need any assistance with collation and structuring the content.
 

Create an account or login to comment

Join now to leave a comment enjoy browsing the site ad-free!

Create account

Create an account on our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Back
Top