Now $105k in the USA. I’m not seeing the value

[981KMAN]

Is $105 too much for the Emira iyo?

Yes it is over priced, for a FE V2 as it will not have the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) options that I feel all cars should have in this price range. Think "Blind Spot/Lane Change Monitor", and the like..... And, I'm not sure if the FE V2 will have more exterior color options and/or interior color, stitching, etc. options, yet for $105K it should. Plus the Warranty at 3yr/36K miles, is weak for a $105 car - Most others in this category offer a 4yr/50K mile warranty.

I agree that you can spec out a Porsche 718 GTS 4.0 with more choices and options for under $105K, and there are allocations available at no ADM if you hunt for them, yet your wait time is in the 1.5 +/- year time frame. So similar to the Emira.

My bottom line is that after the initial "Hype" of a new Lotus, and the "I must have one" folks get theirs, a more normal market for the Emira will occur with 6 month lead times, more choices for colors and options, etc., less quality issues, and thus the price of $105K becomes more in line with the competition.

So I'm staying with my Oct '22 deposit which puts me in the mid 2025 time frame for an Emira. And since I have and currently own several Porsches over the years, and wish to try something "different"....... a wait for a Non-FE Emira might turn out to be a good thing.

 

[CarGuy07]

I called a few dealers in California and was told that allocations for 718 GTS/GT4 are long gone. Porsche is stopping production on those to focus on the GT4RS and Spyder RS. Will probably take more hunting efforts to locate one with availability and at MSRP if you really want one.

 

[lion shf]

I called a few dealers in California and was told that allocations for 718 GTS/GT4 are long gone. Porsche is stopping production on those to focus on the GT4RS and Spyder RS. Will probably take more hunting efforts to locate one with availability and at MSRP if you really want one.

My DE dealer says he has 1 base/T/s allocation at MSRP he also told me they may have a few for the next model year but no promises. Just about the time I’m ready to buy the 718 will be electric based on my luck. I’m open to certified so it’s wide open. It’d be fun to fly somewhere and drive it home

 

[Davebeats]

Personally I feel like 105k is reaching, but then again with inflation Escalades are 100k now a days too

 

[Cachaco131]

Personally I feel like 105k is reaching, but then again with inflation Escalades are 100k now a days too

And a horribly built Tesla X is 110-130...

 

[Porter]

Depends on what it offers but throwing out a number around 140 to 150k.

That would be the absolute ceiling. I could see an S at $115, R at $125, etc.

 

[Callabrator]

I called a few dealers in California and was told that allocations for 718 GTS/GT4 are long gone. Porsche is stopping production on those to focus on the GT4RS and Spyder RS. Will probably take more hunting efforts to locate one with availability and at MSRP if you really want one.

Getting a GT4RS or Spyder RS allocation at all, and especially one at MSRP, would be one hell of an achievement! I called a few dealers here in TX last year, and got many lols, followed by discussions about MAYBE being able to get one for $100k over...but highly unlikely even still. Granted, I've never purchased a Porsche before, so I'm low man on the totem pole.

 

[NicolasB]

Personally I feel like 105k is reaching, but then again with inflation Escalades are 100k now a days too

Some people are paying $100-150k mark-up on the V model Escalades, nuts.

 

[KusaKusa]

Personally, it's hard to justify paying a premium for Lotus over Porsche for a less premium ownership experience and the same level of performance. I can bear the growing pains to support small and new brand, like maintenance/manufacturing hiccups (assuming I have a nearby dealer), ergonomics/storage quirks, software issues, parts shortages, delays, communication misses, etc., but paying more to opt into all that feels bad. I want to support a small brand like Lotus, but it really feels like they're trying their best to make me regret it by any means possible, like a bad girlfriend with attachment issues testing their relationship.

Granted, I'm only interested in the Lotus EV sports car in the future rather than the Emira. But the price gap between Lotus and Porsche seems like it'll just get worse, with the Porsche seeming to aim starting ~$80-90k USD to hit below the Taycan, even with EV pricing increases factored in, vs the Lotus Type 135 being the same or slightly higher priced than the Emira so probably $100-110k not including potential EV pricing increases.

 

[Cachaco131]

That would be the absolute ceiling. I could see an S at $115, R at $125, etc.

150 sounds very steep. I hope 120ish reasonably specced.

 

[Cachaco131]

Personally, it's hard to justify paying a premium for Lotus over Porsche for a less premium ownership experience and the same level of performance. I can bear the growing pains to support small and new brand, like maintenance/manufacturing hiccups (assuming I have a nearby dealer), ergonomics/storage quirks, software issues, parts shortages, delays, communication misses, etc., but paying more to opt into all that feels bad. I want to support a small brand like Lotus, but it really feels like they're trying their best to make me regret it by any means possible, like a bad girlfriend with attachment issues testing their relationship.

Granted, I'm only interested in the Lotus EV sports car in the future rather than the Emira. But the price gap between Lotus and Porsche seems like it'll just get worse, with the Porsche seeming to aim starting ~$80-90k USD to hit below the Taycan, even with EV pricing increases factored in, vs the Lotus Type 135 being the same or slightly higher priced than the Emira so probably $100-110k not including potential EV pricing increases.

Taycan all the way.

 

[HeReigns]

My DE dealer says he has 1 base/T/s allocation at MSRP he also told me they may have a few for the next model year but no promises. Just about the time I’m ready to buy the 718 will be electric based on my luck. I’m open to certified so it’s wide open. It’d be fun to fly somewhere and drive it home

Here is one that may be up your alley. It’s PDK though but CPO

 

[Evotion]

IMHO this is a car that fills a gap in cars that I personally have been waiting decades to find. Dollar value is what I perceive it to be, not what people say it should be. I am a locked FE 1.0 holder, but would not flinch if I had to pay the new price or even a bit higher. In reality a car is after all a car right? In all honesty, is a $250k-500k or above car really BETTER or "NOT TOO MUCH" because of it's name? I am willing to bet more people keep sub $100k cars longer and spend less money driving them then they do cars over $150k. Again, I feel cars are a perceived value to the person buying them.

E X A C T L Y

To me, this was always a £100,000 car... For me, a bargain at anything below that and that is only because it is a psychological barrier.

 

[Pegasi]

80 is a reach for me. This all started when I saw “starts at $60,000”, took a day to realize that was pounds, rationalized the base 4 may be $70k US, drove and fell in love with the 6 manual. Now, the end. I’m buying the best certified $75k 4.0 718 Boxster I can find in 2 years. I’ll look forward to enjoying the Emira from afar.

How long would you plan to keep this Porsche?

 

[lion shf]

Escalades lol

How long would you plan to keep this Porsche?

8-10 years

 

[lion shf]

E X A C T L Y

To me, this was always a £100,000 car... For me, a bargain at anything below that and that is only because it is a psychological barrier.

There’s nothing psychological about a budget yo. But I’ll ask you, at what price does a v6 Emira become a bad value? For me it’s where it is now. Is your value price $110? 120? 130? At some point, regardless of deep the pockets, it becomes poor value.

 

[Pegasi]

Escalades lol

8-10 years

That answer surprised me. I figured it would be much shorter than that. I think you should get the Emira if you are keeping it for 8 years. Maybe even consider the I4 Base. Depending on the price, an I4 Base may be the hidden gem in all of this stuff.

 

[Porter]

E X A C T L Y

To me, this was always a £100,000 car... For me, a bargain at anything below that and that is only because it is a psychological barrier.

Unfortunately I fear Lotus will find out how much of a psychological barrier it is in the US. I can tell you without hesitation, if the FE had been priced at the new $105k rate at launch I would not have placed a deposit. Not because it's that different of a price, but because it shifts the thinking dramatically for a middle class person with a family. Over $100k it goes from something that's an indulgent but workable financial stretch, to something that's categorically inappropriate.

 

[morphious]

Unfortunately I fear Lotus will find out how much of a psychological barrier it is in the US. I can tell you without hesitation, if the FE had been priced at the new $105k rate at launch I would not have placed a deposit. Not because it's that different of a price, but because it shifts the thinking dramatically for a middle class person with a family. Over $100k it goes from something that's an indulgent but workable financial stretch, to something that's categorically inappropriate.

I may have agreed with you back in the day when vehicles were realistically priced. I bought a 2004 fully loaded Toyota 4Runner in Dec 2003 for $28,500 out the door (which I still have), today a similarly equipped 4Runner is MSRP'd at $53,724. Sure there is more gadgetry in the new one, but mine is just as capable and purpose serving as the new. Back then an Emira would be $70kish car, so is it really unrealistic for it to be priced where it is now? For me, this is not a daily driver, it's for fun and possibly a bit of reliving my youth. When I was young and care free I had the MR2's, NSX's, Corvette's, and they all went away because a sport car is not a practical car for a only car by any stretch of the imagination. I feel this is an indulgence for sure, but to say categorically inappropriate? I say a new 2023 Ford F150 Limited starting at $84,910 for a pickup truck is categorically inappropriate. My 2 cents of course.

 

[4MIR3]

Curious what everyone stance will be once Porsche announces its "Dramatic" price increase for all model for the 2024 model year change over in a couple months. It's not just Lotus.