Pricing and roadshows for Japan and rest of Asia

[TomE]

Japan has an affection for Lotus going back many decades, including the partnership between Lotus and Honda in F1 in the 1980s.

Pricing for the Emira in Japan is expected by late October. Other selected markets in Asia are due to follow soon after. Dealer roadshows will start from January.

 

[Mike-engel]

Once roadshows begin in other countries, how many cars do people think Lotus will devote to the effort. What are the chances people will be able to drive an actual car before a buy commitment instead of just sitting in the saddle of a show pony?

 

[TomE]

Press and demo cars are due in Feb/Mar so everything before then will be a show car or pre-production prototype.

Isn’t that a good thing? The car has been revealed but not gone into production yet. But we get to see a reasonably representative version. Other manufacturers would just publish details and expect people to sign up.

Anyone who wants to wait for a test drive can do that. No one is being forced to buy. Being an early adopter of a newly launched car involves compromises and isn’t for everyone.

 

[Mike-engel]

I’ve never bought a car sight unseen, with no test drive or press reviews, and definitely not for $100K. That’s a lot of money to put at risk when one works for their money instead of the other way around. I appreciate that other high end manufacturers sometimes can get away with this, either because they are producing an appliance in high volumes or have tremendous brand recognition and loyalty. But that isn’t Lotus in the US. Many of us are purchasing a dream daily driver, stepping up after years of minivans and sensible sedans, and would appreciate an opportunity of a test drive. Moreover, starting off a campaign to grow market share with a process that isn’t for everyone seems fundamentally flawed, like other steps in this roll out. Again, I say theses things….criticisms to be sure, because I want to see the car succeed, both for Lotus and for us. I believe Lotus needs to be focusing much more deliberately on the expectations of the average buyer of a $100K daily driver, not only the enthusiast. After all, they need to increase their market 3-5 fold from their current sales and sustain this against staunch competitors until they have other products. An insufficient dealer network, limited awareness in the public eye, limitations on servicing availability, restricted ability to personalize a car for the customer, and a purchasing process that doesn’t allow people to experience the car before committing their hard earned savings seems like an awful lot for a beautiful design to overcome. IMHO.

 

[Rob]

For me it comes down to risk appetite for cars, I’m comfortable to pre order cars sight unseen and without a test drive for trusted companies that have been in Australia for a long time. I bought my Morgan 3 wheeler having never seen one in the metal, glad I did. I understand anyones reluctance to commit early due to the many unknowns, it could be argued that the smart money is on waiting and getting the series 2 when various glitches are ironed out, you see them on the road and can test drive actual production cars. I like the Lotus approach that they have adopted, they have committed to roadshows, pre release events and seemingly happy to engage directly with their customers. Lotus dealer is 20ks from me, I’m go on an FE v6 as the lotus reputation for handling & dynamics is second to none in my opinion and trust it’ll be just fine, maybe I’ll be proved wrong. Want one now - higher risk, shorter wait - wait until dealer demo you can drive - lower risk longer wait.