Shmee 150 Emira Update

Base price has been removed and the i4 F/E price now says contact retailer when you choose it in the configurator.

Only the V6 F/E remains unchanged.
Right but the I4 car doesn't really exist yet. It hasn't been launched, shown, driven, etc. and I'm not aware of anyone that's been able to place an actual order for one. It's still vaporware as far as a sellable automobile is concerned.
 
Some UK people with initial deposits have been able to submit config for i4 FE and pay second deposit.
Really? I didn't realize. As far as the rest of world is concerned, it seems to not be a real product yet.
 
Right but the I4 car doesn't really exist yet. It hasn't been launched, shown, driven, etc. and I'm not aware of anyone that's been able to place an actual order for one. It's still vaporware as far as a sellable automobile is concerned.
The i4 was certainly launched, maybe no reviews yet, but launched yes...(and delayed) You can build it online, with all available options and up until this weekend it had a firm price and all specs were available. To me that's a launched car.

No different than the Ferrari Purosangue SUV, it was revealed this month, and is already live on the Ferrari Configurator with all available options and specs. You can order one. (Ferrari always hides pricing, so lets ignore that, I think because they don't have different configurators for different countries / pricing).
 
Last edited:
Right but the I4 car doesn't really exist yet. It hasn't been launched, shown, driven, etc. and I'm not aware of anyone that's been able to place an actual order for one. It's still vaporware as far as a sellable automobile is concerned.

I have made 2nd payment on an i4, had the config link and confirmation with cs at Lotus. I had an email saying Nov build and Dec delivery but later one saying 2023 so it is realish.

Original deposit 8th July
 
I have made 2nd payment on an i4, had the config link and confirmation with cs at Lotus. I had an email saying Nov build and Dec delivery but later one saying 2023 so it is realish.

Original deposit 8th July
Same here, even the first deposit date!…..
 
The i4 was certainly launched, maybe no reviews yet, but launched yes...(and delayed) You can build it online, with all available options and up until this weekend it had a firm price and all specs were available. To me that's a launched car.
Have you seen one drive across a stage? Drive on camera? Drive at all? Any idea what one sounds like?

That's why I'm saying it doesn't exist yet. It literally hasn't been shown to the public at all, in any context, as far as I'm aware.

I have made 2nd payment on an i4, had the config link and confirmation with cs at Lotus. I had an email saying Nov build and Dec delivery but later one saying 2023 so it is realish.

Original deposit 8th July
I get that they are taking deposits... not sure what the 2nd payment consists of in the UK but does that count as a full order? Or just a 2-stage deposit?

I'm excited about the I4 too guys, don't get me wrong. I'm just very off-put by the fact that no one has seen one actually driving in all this time since Goodwood 2021, and they claim they're going to be going into production... when? Imagine if none of us had seen a V6 car actually move under its own power in all this time, we'd be losing our minds. That's how I see Lotus with this car. Until the public sees one actually driving, we have no reason to believe anything they say about it.
 
Have you seen one drive across a stage? Drive on camera? Drive at all? Any idea what one sounds like?

That's why I'm saying it doesn't exist yet. It literally hasn't been shown to the public at all, in any context, as far as I'm aware.


I get that they are taking deposits... not sure what the 2nd payment consists of in the UK but does that count as a full order? Or just a 2-stage deposit?

I'm excited about the I4 too guys, don't get me wrong. I'm just very off-put by the fact that no one has seen one actually driving in all this time since Goodwood 2021, and they claim they're going to be going into production... when? Imagine if none of us had seen a V6 car actually move under its own power in all this time, we'd be losing our minds. That's how I see Lotus with this car. Until the public sees one actually driving, we have no reason to believe anything they say about it.
I’ve seen several i4s:
  • 7 pre-prod cars in final stages of build in the assembly hall at Hethel in January - I had a good look at the engine installation
  • 2 development cars moving around the Hethel site under their own power
  • 3 spy shots of cars in UK and Europe (might be 2 or 3 cars)
There have been i4 engines in mules, prototypes and development cars for the last two years. They’ve done a very good job of keeping them under wraps.
 
And with an interest hike again planned in the next few days who's' guessing those looking at PCP's may start to doubt they can afford the car.
It's abit unfair if we have to pay a higher rate because of Lotus' incompetence to get the car out on time.
Yes I realise the finance company is different, but If they delivered as planned we would have had the lower rate
 
It's abit unfair if we have to pay a higher rate because of Lotus' incompetence to get the car out on time.
Yes I realise the finance company is different, but If they delivered as planned we would have had the lower rate
It's just bad luck that financial markets, inflation, war, china lockdowns, European energy crisis all happened after two years of COVID... is not Lotus' fault.
 
I will take that crystal ball 🔮 😉😅
I don’t think it needed a crystal ball to predict UK interest rates would be higher by end of 2022 than the start of the year. How much higher was the tricky part.
 
Anyway, if the pound keeps dropping the way it is and with virtually every part on the car being brought in from abroad, even though a "British" car, this car is going to cost Ferrari money soon..... 💰💰
Whew I'm paying with US dollars but who knows both our currencies could be worthless soon!!
 
There is another way of looking at FX - We don't know how Lotus contracts are setup, I know in Latin America everything is done in USD. In Europe I assume it is in Euro's. To me it looks like selling cars in USD in the N/A market will be very profitable for Lotus at the moment, more than before. Asia may also be done in USD or other parts of the world outside of UK/EU.

Selling in any other market where the vehicle is not sold in USD will be much trickier and could potentially see major losses in FX. It is a big problem for any international UK company at the moment. I am sure most contracts have FX clauses to adjust for something like this, but there will still be a negative impact. Price increases will certainly be on the table, despite Matt's video. (whoever it was for)

On another note, tax decreases in the US both when Trump and Reagan applied them in a similiar way, did have benefits to the economy. However, this situation and economy is very different, I don't know how this will play out.
Regardless of exchange rate, here in the US we (I) will only pay a certain amount for the car. I just worry that our whole house of cards is gunna come down as a result of the "climate change" gang and it doesn't matter what the price is...:( "Chicken Little" should have been mandatory reading in grade-school it seems..:)
 
I get that they are taking deposits... not sure what the 2nd payment consists of in the UK but does that count as a full order? Or just a 2-stage deposit?

I'm excited about the I4 too guys, don't get me wrong. I'm just very off-put by the fact that no one has seen one actually driving in all this time since Goodwood 2021, and they claim they're going to be going into production... when? Imagine if none of us had seen a V6 car actually move under its own power in all this time, we'd be losing our minds. That's how I see Lotus with this car. Until the public sees one actually driving, we have no reason to believe anything they say about it.

I have no clue what 2 deposits means. I also think they are desperate not to harm v6 sales and thus are keeping any data about the i4 super secret. I have seen the engines on the factory floor and a couple installed in cars but non running or even in finished condition.

I am confident it is a thing and will happen
 

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