Prices increase update from Lotus - and stopping of reservations for V6 FE

Please be advised that, as a result of significantly increasing costs, the Lotus Emira will later this year be subject to new pricing.

Whilst a significant level of cost increase has been absorbed, with effect from 1 June 2023, the retail price will increase to £81,995 (incl VAT) for the Emira V6 First Edition, and £77,795 (incl VAT) for the Emira First Edition 4-cylinder turbocharged variant. Full pricing details can be found on our website. However, your Emira reservation will not be affected by this increase, we can confirm your reservation has been price protected.

We are fully committed to our production schedule and in the next two weeks, we will be in touch via email to update you further on the progression of your Lotus Emira.

Due to overwhelming demand, we will be closing reservations for Lotus Emira V6 First Edition. We will be sharing the exact timings soon.

 

[Keenan]

I have already downloaded a 1080p copy from YouTube in MP4 format. For what it’s worth.

Can you email me a copy please and re share to YouTube with the link here. We can then all repost it

 

[denk0815]

Yup, I have a locked in spec on an FE i4. 8th July 2021 initial deposit and second deposit 12th April 2022

Oh and a price rise on the 15th Feb 2023 :-(

Is the price rise the same for v6 and i4?

 

[Twin Cam]

Right but when was the order book opened? The V6 was shown to the public, demonstrated with multiple journalists, shown in early production process in factory, and then delivered. We've seen absolutely zero in terms of a similar escalation of readiness for the I4.

I just can't see how any reasonable person could assume that Lotus is hiding an I4 product in a production-ready form that they are about to "surprise deliver" to dealers for handover to customers. At this point I honestly expect it will be 2024 at earliest before anyone sees a customer-owned I4 car on Western roads. Lotus started delivering V6 cars to customers in 2022. The 2 year gap itself shows the thing that I'm talking about.

Yes. I was. I ordered before the official launch of any product. I could chose v6 or i4 at this point. We understood i4 would be 6 months or so after. I then got a call from lotus asking me to spec my car. I chose i4. They then emailed a link where I chose my spec and I had to pay the second larger deposit. This was a year ago. I was told 2 weeks ago my i4 is in the first batch to build. I’m now told the promise of a fix’s price has been withdrawn.

It’s my and many others money cash rolling the production of the v6 product for v6 customers & I don’t take kindly to any v6 customer saying I don’t deserve the deal I baught because I’m patient for an i4.

Hear, hear, I was getting that vibe too, not all of us want an old powertrain and squiffy gearbox,

 

[Boombang]

Sure he reports to someone else. He's also a director of a UK company with legal and fiduciary responsibilities but more than that he shouldn't have been making promises that he didn't have the authority to keep.

There really is no justification for this course of events.

Not forgetting Lotus Cars Limited is also an FCA regulated firm. I'm sure there is an angle here, even if it's just complain and follow the ombudsman process (which after a certain number of complainants incurs a fee to the firm regardless of outcome). Playing with fire here.

 

[Pete]

I got the email yesterday... but as a recent depositor (Jan 2023) for an i4, to be perfectly honest I was expecting some sort of price increase. And to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if by the time my build slot finally comes around, I may be hit by another (annual?) price rise too.

Having said that, I totally get the anger and frustration for early depositors, and certainly not helped by Matt Windle's video 'promise'. I can see this driving a noticeable number of cancellations for sure. I can think of several 'better' ways this could have been handled (just a couple off the top of my head: notifying/implementing price rises earlier; not having Matt Windle making any 'promises' that couldn't be kept; having some sort of staggered increase over the next 6-12 months; setting the price increases by deposit date, not build date).

If we give Matt Swindle the benefit of the doubt and say the decision was made by those above him then he could have shown courage and done another video update to justify the decision rather than just doing positive updates to win himself short term glory. All he done by failing to front up to this is prove he is a coward as well as a liar.

 

[Lotustoronto]

If we give Matt Swindle the benefit of the doubt and say the decision was made by those above him then he could have shown courage and done another video update to justify the decision rather than just doing positive updates to win himself short term glory. All he done by failing to front up to this is prove he is a coward as well as a liar.

Just like he said the first customer car was behind him in the video and that delivery’s were about to start…. He knew what he was doing… it was a bandaid to prevent the refunds from happening before they had income…. Once the income was steady from deliveries, then they decided to let us have it. They new the whole time. *** Matt Swindle haha that was a good one

 

[ADC]

An awful lot of people on this thread seem to be angry I4 depositors. Which is fair, but we should recognize that the I4 version is a car that has never been launched or shown by Lotus in any formal way to the Western public, ever. Not as a prototype, not as a press car, not at all.

The Goodwood launch in 2021 showed the V6 car and the order book opened for that car, with clear guidance that the FE would be first and everything else would come later. I4 was mentioned as well but very clearly was a future product, not the car being immediately launched by Lotus. And now in 2023, it still hasn't been launched.

What I'm saying is that placing a deposit on the I4 was always speculative. It wasn't a concrete transactional deposit on an expected production car the way the V6 FE was, and is.

No offense intended. I just think some perspective about the difference in situation is warranted. People with long standing V6 FE orders that are being shafted on build date technicality are right to be angry. But I4? Be angry that the product doesn't exist yet, sure, but there has still been no concrete evidence that it's even a product that's developed enough to produce. The price was always going to move with time, and the car is still squarely in vaporware territory as far as I can tell.

With respect, I can't really agree that placing a deposit on an i4 FE within the first few of months of the reveal and during the roadshow events in 2021 was any more speculative than the V6. The narrative was always firmly that the i4 FE would begin delivery 6 months after the V6 FE. Aside from the choice of engine always being on the table for the FE run, the i4 was even the prerequisite for the headline grabbing 60K price tag proposition.

Sure, things changed, but to suggest that early i4 (First Edition) depositors have no reason to get their knickers in a twist because Lotus hasn't demonstrated it yet feels a bit disingenuous... you speculate that it is "vapour" that isn't production-ready, but we could also easily speculate that the reason they have not trotted it out is because they are too busy firefighting the shitshow that has ensued from producing what was supposed to be the "easy" variant.

Either way, I think everyone who put their money down for an FE (whether V6 or i4) literally years ago, and weathered all the delays in good faith, is getting a raw deal here. I wouldn't say I'm angry, but I'm not exactly happy either :|

 

[JimH]

With respect, I can't really agree that placing a deposit on an i4 FE within the first few of months of the reveal and during the roadshow events in 2021 was any more speculative than the V6. The narrative was always firmly that the i4 FE would begin delivery 6 months after the V6 FE. Aside from the choice of engine always being on the table for the FE run, the i4 was even the prerequisite for the headline grabbing 60K price tag proposition.

Sure, things changed, but to suggest that early i4 (First Edition) depositors have no reason to get their knickers in a twist because Lotus hasn't demonstrated it yet feels a bit disingenuous... you speculate that it is "vapour" that isn't production-ready, but we could also easily speculate that the reason they have not trotted it out is because they are too busy firefighting the shitshow that has ensued from producing what was supposed to be the "easy" variant.

Either way, I think everyone who put their money down for an FE (whether V6 or i4) literally years ago, and weathered all the delays in good faith, is getting a raw deal here. I wouldn't say I'm angry, but I'm not exactly happy either :|

Not to mention the V6 FE Automatics which are still unicorns too at this point.....

 

[vision]

Not to mention the V6 FE Automatics which are still unicorns too at this point.....

I think this is funny, I’m fixed price email so waiting for an email within two weeks of the next delay, check out or whatever, absolutely brilliant. By the way I’m very much in

 

[howard1650]

Can the Emira be made to past EU Stage7 emissions regs due June 2025? Or will this be the end of ICE production?

 

[Dabjbr]

Another day, another reality check…

I wanted this car to be the final ICE car of my dreams, one that I would love forever.

I’m feeling more and more that the Lotus Emira is really just the hot girl I’ve been lusting after. The more I learn about her, the more I realize she’s a massive headache. Not only does she have problems and it seems a lot of shit she hasn’t figured out yet, her family is a mess. They’re liars and not to be trusted. Do I really want a long term relationship with all this drama? I mean, come on. She still has my engagement ring (deposit), but I’m definitely getting cold feet. Is she worth all this crap?! Yeah, she looks good but there are so many stable and good looking others out there. Ones with good jobs and a reputable family that will stand by our side. Do I really want to marry into a broke, unsupportive family that will leave me stranded if, more like when, things are bad?!

Like I said… reality check!

 

[Cachaco131]

Another day, another reality check…

I wanted this car to be the final ICE car of my dreams, one that I would love forever.

I’m feeling more and more that the Lotus Emira is really just the hot girl I’ve been lusting after. The more I learn about her, the more I realize she’s a massive headache. Not only does she have problems and it seems a lot of shit she hasn’t figured out yet, her family is a mess. They’re liars and not to be trusted. Do I really want a long term relationship with all this drama? I mean, come on. She still has my engagement ring (deposit), but I’m definitely getting cold feet. Is she worth all this crap?! Yeah, she looks good but there are so many stable and good looking others out there. Ones with good jobs and a reputable family that will stand by our side. Do I really want to marry into a broke, unsupportive family that will leave me stranded if, more like when, things are bad?!

Like I said… reality check!

If you marry a Honda, the family will be supportive and there for you. But with so many Hondas around, don't you deserve better?

 

[KAR120C]

Another day, another reality check…

I wanted this car to be the final ICE car of my dreams, one that I would love forever.

I’m feeling more and more that the Lotus Emira is really just the hot girl I’ve been lusting after. The more I learn about her, the more I realize she’s a massive headache. Not only does she have problems and it seems a lot of shit she hasn’t figured out yet, her family is a mess. They’re liars and not to be trusted. Do I really want a long term relationship with all this drama? I mean, come on. She still has my engagement ring (deposit), but I’m definitely getting cold feet. Is she worth all this crap?! Yeah, she looks good but there are so many stable and good looking others out there. Ones with good jobs and a reputable family that will stand by our side. Do I really want to marry into a broke, unsupportive family that will leave me stranded if, more like when, things are bad?!

Like I said… reality check!

Just figure out where you are on The Emira Forum circle of despair before making your decision.

1. See something negative on social media
2. Gnash teeth as Lotus Hate rises
3. Flail arms in anger and desperation
4. Type furiously about conspiracies, cancellation, lawsuits, and buying another brand

Repeat steps 2-4 until in a frenzy

5a. Carry out threat, but never leave the forum
- or -
5b. Come down off ceiling and carry on

6. Wait anxiously for cycle to begin again.

 

[eriegz]

If you marry a Honda, the family will be supportive and there for you. But with so many Hondas around, don't you deserve better?

I think this analogy is starting to go off the rails...

 

[Captain.Kirk]

Can you email me a copy please and re share to YouTube with the link here. We can then all repost it

It’s too big to email the file itself and I’m not sure if YouTube would actually take it down. I’ll think of something else.

 

[TomE]

An awful lot of people on this thread seem to be angry I4 depositors. Which is fair, but we should recognize that the I4 version is a car that has never been launched or shown by Lotus in any formal way to the Western public, ever. Not as a prototype, not as a press car, not at all.

The Goodwood launch in 2021 showed the V6 car and the order book opened for that car, with clear guidance that the FE would be first and everything else would come later. I4 was mentioned as well but very clearly was a future product, not the car being immediately launched by Lotus. And now in 2023, it still hasn't been launched.

What I'm saying is that placing a deposit on the I4 was always speculative. It wasn't a concrete transactional deposit on an expected production car the way the V6 FE was, and is.

No offense intended. I just think some perspective about the difference in situation is warranted. People with long standing V6 FE orders that are being shafted on build date technicality are right to be angry. But I4? Be angry that the product doesn't exist yet, sure, but there has still been no concrete evidence that it's even a product that's developed enough to produce. The price was always going to move with time, and the car is still squarely in vaporware territory as far as I can tell.

With respect, I can't really agree that placing a deposit on an i4 FE within the first few of months of the reveal and during the roadshow events in 2021 was any more speculative than the V6. The narrative was always firmly that the i4 FE would begin delivery 6 months after the V6 FE. Aside from the choice of engine always being on the table for the FE run, the i4 was even the prerequisite for the headline grabbing 60K price tag proposition.

Sure, things changed, but to suggest that early i4 (First Edition) depositors have no reason to get their knickers in a twist because Lotus hasn't demonstrated it yet feels a bit disingenuous... you speculate that it is "vapour" that isn't production-ready, but we could also easily speculate that the reason they have not trotted it out is because they are too busy firefighting the shitshow that has ensued from producing what was supposed to be the "easy" variant.

Either way, I think everyone who put their money down for an FE (whether V6 or i4) literally years ago, and weathered all the delays in good faith, is getting a raw deal here. I wouldn't say I'm angry, but I'm not exactly happy either :|

Exactly as ADC says. In the UK after the 6 July reveal you were placing a deposit for an "Emira", with drivetrain and Edition not specified. Lotus then ran an outbound calling campaign to depositors in deposit date order to ask whether they wanted a V6 FE or other variant.

The V6 FE folks were then put into a process for finalising specification and paying second deposit (I was locked in by Dec 2021, 5 months after the reveal, 6 months before the original due date and 12 months before my car was eventually built). Lotus changed the process so that no third deposit was required and the point of order/commitment was shifted to 30 days before delivery. It appeared to me at the time Lotus had done this to avoid a run of cancellations if they'd asked for a third and non-refundable deposit with no test drives available. It could be dressed up as being flexible for customers, who could wait for test drives before committing. The T&Cs also allowed Lotus to change spec, change prices, delay delivery dates, change financing and even cancel production entirely, because it was still a reservation fee and not an order.

The non-V6 FE folks were then asked if they wanted i4 FE or Base Edition, being told that i4 FE would follow the same process of spec/second deposit and checkout/final payment roughly 6 months after the process for V6 FE. Around April 2022 they started contacted i4 FE folks to confirm spec and pay second deposit but then stopped. Some people contacted Lotus and were sent the links to do that step. Then Lotus started announcing delays to V6 FE and knock on to i4 FE and Base.

Lotus did not differentiate the specifications or process for V6 and i4, just the six month time difference. There were separate order books and queues for V6 FE, i4 FE and Base. The show car displayed at the reveal and Goodwood was a non-running prototype with a manual gear stick and an i4 engine cover, no actual engine and a stack of batteries. Exterior and interior were identical to either a V6 FE or i4 FE. Development i4s have been running for over 2 years. I saw running i4 prototypes in Jan 2022 at the factory, with the same bodywork, mechanicals and interiors as V6 cars. The cars have existed at identical stages in the development cycle as V6s, just shifted 6 months later. The i4 is as much a soon-to-be delivered car as the V6 was 6 months ago.

Lotus could have handled this simply and fairly by shutting down their website one evening last October and re-launching it the next day with increased prices for new deposits from that date forward. We'll never know why they didn't do that. My hunch is that with repeated delays to V6 deliveries and problems with finishing early cars to the required standard, they were scared a price increase could kill off new orders before any cars were out there with customers.

So they delayed it as late as they could and then realised they needed to backdate the price increase to deposits placed the week after Goodwood, 15 July 2021 - NINETEEN MONTHS AGO! That's the really shocking part - this is not a price increase now, it's a retrospective price increase backdated to just after the reveal.

 

[Ftype]

You beat me to it by seconds lol. The reality that they may need further development on a model with an engine and trans they've never used before is not surprising. The delay and lack of info may frustrating, but it's not unexpected with the i4 version.

Then why mislead

Another day, another reality check…

I wanted this car to be the final ICE car of my dreams, one that I would love forever.

I’m feeling more and more that the Lotus Emira is really just the hot girl I’ve been lusting after. The more I learn about her, the more I realize she’s a massive headache. Not only does she have problems and it seems a lot of shit she hasn’t figured out yet, her family is a mess. They’re liars and not to be trusted. Do I really want a long term relationship with all this drama? I mean, come on. She still has my engagement ring (deposit), but I’m definitely getting cold feet. Is she worth all this crap?! Yeah, she looks good but there are so many stable and good looking others out there. Ones with good jobs and a reputable family that will stand by our side. Do I really want to marry into a broke, unsupportive family that will leave me stranded if, more like when, things are bad?!

Like I said… reality check!

i dumped her - still waiting for the ring back and have since proposed to a German beauty with great reliability who has accepted my ring and we expect to be together in June.

 

[Captain.Kirk]

Exactly as ADC says. In the UK after the 6 July reveal you were placing a deposit for an "Emira", with drivetrain and Edition not specified. Lotus then ran an outbound calling campaign to depositors in deposit date order to ask whether they wanted a V6 FE or other variant.

The V6 FE folks were then put into a process for finalising specification and paying second deposit (I was locked in by Dec 2021, 5 months after the reveal, 6 months before the original due date and 12 months before my car was eventually built). Lotus changed the process so that no third deposit was required and the point of order/commitment was shifted to 30 days before delivery. It appeared to me at the time Lotus had done this to avoid a run of cancellations if they'd asked for a third and non-refundable deposit with no test drives available. It could be dressed up as being flexible for customers, who could wait for test drives before committing. The T&Cs also allowed Lotus to change spec, change prices, delay delivery dates, change financing and even cancel production entirely, because it was still a reservation fee and not an order.

The non-V6 FE folks were then asked if they wanted i4 FE or Base Edition, being told that i4 FE would follow the same process of spec/second deposit and checkout/final payment roughly 6 months after the process for V6 FE. Around April 2022 they started contacted i4 FE folks to confirm spec and pay second deposit but then stopped. Some people contacted Lotus and were sent the links to do that step. Then Lotus started announcing delays to V6 FE and knock on to i4 FE and Base.

Lotus did not differentiate the specifications or process for V6 and i4, just the six month time difference. There were separate order books and queues for V6 FE, i4 FE and Base. The show car displayed at the reveal and Goodwood was a non-running prototype with a manual gear stick and an i4 engine cover, no actual engine and a stack of batteries. Exterior and interior were identical to either a V6 FE or i4 FE. Development i4s have been running for over 2 years. I saw running i4 prototypes in Jan 2022 at the factory, with the same bodywork, mechanicals and interiors as V6 cars. The cars have existed at identical stages in the development cycle as V6s, just shifted 6 months later. The i4 is as much a soon-to-be delivered car as the V6 was 6 months ago.

Lotus could have handled this simply and fairly by shutting down their website one evening last October and re-launching it the next day with increased prices for new deposits from that date forward. We'll never know why they didn't do that. My hunch is that with repeated delays to V6 deliveries and problems with finishing early cars to the required standard, they were scared a price increase could kill off new orders before any cars were out there with customers.

So they delayed it as late as they could and then realised they needed to backdate the price increase to deposits placed the week after Goodwood, 15 July 2021 - NINETEEN MONTHS AGO! That's the really shocking part - this is not a price increase now, it's a retrospective price increase backdated to just after the reveal.

Simply on principle, I’m out. (I know, wrong thread)

I don’t want to wait until the “12th of Never” to get a Lotus Emira. Especially because I’m in Canada and we’re last on Lotus’ delivery route.

It’s been a wild ride, with no wheels.

 

[Porter]

Exactly as ADC says. In the UK after the 6 July reveal you were placing a deposit for an "Emira", with drivetrain and Edition not specified. Lotus then ran an outbound calling campaign to depositors in deposit date order to ask whether they wanted a V6 FE or other variant.

The V6 FE folks were then put into a process for finalising specification and paying second deposit (I was locked in by Dec 2021, 5 months after the reveal, 6 months before the original due date and 12 months before my car was eventually built). Lotus changed the process so that no third deposit was required and the point of order/commitment was shifted to 30 days before delivery. It appeared to me at the time Lotus had done this to avoid a run of cancellations if they'd asked for a third and non-refundable deposit with no test drives available. It could be dressed up as being flexible for customers, who could wait for test drives before committing. The T&Cs also allowed Lotus to change spec, change prices, delay delivery dates, change financing and even cancel production entirely, because it was still a reservation fee and not an order.

The non-V6 FE folks were then asked if they wanted i4 FE or Base Edition, being told that i4 FE would follow the same process of spec/second deposit and checkout/final payment roughly 6 months after the process for V6 FE. Around April 2022 they started contacted i4 FE folks to confirm spec and pay second deposit but then stopped. Some people contacted Lotus and were sent the links to do that step. Then Lotus started announcing delays to V6 FE and knock on to i4 FE and Base.

Lotus did not differentiate the specifications or process for V6 and i4, just the six month time difference. There were separate order books and queues for V6 FE, i4 FE and Base. The show car displayed at the reveal and Goodwood was a non-running prototype with a manual gear stick and an i4 engine cover, no actual engine and a stack of batteries. Exterior and interior were identical to either a V6 FE or i4 FE. Development i4s have been running for over 2 years. I saw running i4 prototypes in Jan 2022 at the factory, with the same bodywork, mechanicals and interiors as V6 cars. The cars have existed at identical stages in the development cycle as V6s, just shifted 6 months later. The i4 is as much a soon-to-be delivered car as the V6 was 6 months ago.

Lotus could have handled this simply and fairly by shutting down their website one evening last October and re-launching it the next day with increased prices for new deposits from that date forward. We'll never know why they didn't do that. My hunch is that with repeated delays to V6 deliveries and problems with finishing early cars to the required standard, they were scared a price increase could kill off new orders before any cars were out there with customers.

So they delayed it as late as they could and then realised they needed to backdate the price increase to deposits placed the week after Goodwood, 15 July 2021 - NINETEEN MONTHS AGO! That's the really shocking part - this is not a price increase now, it's a retrospective price increase backdated to just after the reveal.

Tom I'm with you. I really am. Particularly on the backdating issue.

The only thing I take issue with is the widespread perception that Lotus has an I4 version of the Emira ready to launch. If that were true they would have had a reveal at some event, and journalists doing road tests of the thing already.

I honestly still see the I4 as a product that doesn't yet exist, and therefore may never exist. It's in the same category as the Cybertruck... but even that has been shown to the public, journalists have ridden in them, and it has been seen driving on the road. None of those things can be said about the Emira I4. I've seen claims that some built cars are in China but have not seen video of anyone driving one.

 

[DJS]

Another day, another reality check…

I wanted this car to be the final ICE car of my dreams, one that I would love forever.

I’m feeling more and more that the Lotus Emira is really just the hot girl I’ve been lusting after. The more I learn about her, the more I realize she’s a massive headache. Not only does she have problems and it seems a lot of shit she hasn’t figured out yet, her family is a mess. They’re liars and not to be trusted. Do I really want a long term relationship with all this drama? I mean, come on. She still has my engagement ring (deposit), but I’m definitely getting cold feet. Is she worth all this crap?! Yeah, she looks good but there are so many stable and good looking others out there. Ones with good jobs and a reputable family that will stand by our side. Do I really want to marry into a broke, unsupportive family that will leave me stranded if, more like when, things are bad?!

Like I said… reality check!

Just wait until she goes into the menopause