US buyers interested in the V6 version- base V6 is now available.

[Emira Fan]

Happen to be on the US lotus site and noticed Lotus US is once again talking orders for the V6 version.

All the speculation on the V6's eminent demise was premature....

Base version is now available.

 

[RoryBellows]

Well I guess the good news is they added prices to the configurator. The bad news is they've been taking orders and issuing build sheets since September 24 for the 2025 cars and supposedly closed the order books for the V6 in 2025.

 

[EspritGuy]

Happen to be on the US lotus site and noticed Lotus US is once again talking orders for the V6 version.

All the speculation on the V6's eminent demise was premature....

Base version is now available.

Does this mean dealers have unlimited allocations to fulfill orders?
Yes, you can create a spec, yes you may leave a deposit, but based on dealer allocations can an order be sent to Lotus and be accepted?
Based on a note I just received, Lotus is offering deals on i4s.

 

[Foxy87]

Considering multiple threads about last possible order and closed books on feb 15th, this is pretty hilarious.

 

[MiamiBlue]

In the UK there have been rumours that the V6 was finished for over a year now. Yet the configurator has recently been updated, and the V6 is still there along with new options.

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

Been away from the forum for awhile (been out driving), and just noticed this today as well. US configurator now populated with base V6 pricing. I thought I might just be late to this news, but from this thread it appears not and this just happened.

Anyway I configured my current V6 FE as a base V6 with the same features/options as mine to see what it would price out at, and along the way found some interesting and surprising things in the new configurator, some different from what we had heard before.

1. V6 base edition base price is identical to i4 First edition base price. Apple to oranges I know, but just interesting.
2. No option yet to order i4 base edition (now called Turbo SE), as there is on the UK site
3. Lotus Driver's Pack is available with Touring suspension or Sports Suspension at no additional cost. The UK configurator adds a handsome upcharge (£2,650) for Driver's pack but only with sport suspension. NO option to order Driver's pack if you want touring suspension. I had heard the rumors of this before, but now this seems to be geographically dependent which is a bit strange to me.
4. Seneca Blue is a $1950 upgrade. On the UK configurator it's £1950. Interesting that the number is the same but the currency (and obviously the cost) is different Basically the same story when it comes to the leather upgrades. All options priced higher for UK customers.
5. UK configurator charging £500 for the exposed gear shift feature. Standard no charge item on the US configurator.
6. No charge for heated seats for US version. £200 upcharge in the UK.
7. KEF audio $950 US. £1000 for the UK
8. Convenience Pack standard no charge US. £1000 UK

So for the base V6, the UK is being offered a much more stripped down version than the US with most everything needing to be added as an additional cost option. I'm guessing this is intentional, perhaps to enable the lowest possible entry price for the UK market, given the difference in economic conditions there vs the US? But this is just my speculation.

Even given this, the base V6 no options config for the US is coming in at $102,250 for a car with several standard options included vs £93,655 ($121,278 at current exchange rates) in the UK without these options. Hard for me to comprehend such a difference and why, so if anyone is seeing differently please let me know.

When I did the comparsion between my V6 FE 2.0 config and a same-equipped base V6 with the new US configurator, and comparing to the UK configurator, here is what I came up with:

My FE 2.0: $107,750
US base V6: $110, 600
UK base V6: £105,505 ($136,623)

So not much increase at all in pricing from FE to base in the US it seems. But a big difference in US pricing vs UK pricing. An eye-opener for sure.

 

[Lotustoronto]

Keep in mind that UK pricing includes VAT (taxes) while US configurator does not. Also, expect the prices to increase more for 2026 model year than UK’s will… just a guess. In Canada the price of an Emira has gone up considerably when you start to include our taxation.

 

[MiamiBlue]

The new prices in the UK are pretty significant. Using the configurator I built my FE V6 spec and the price came out at £106,705.00.

I love the car, but there's no way I would pay that much if I was buying today. It's just too expensive now.

 

[RoryBellows]

Its generally not cheap to get cars across long distances so it would make sense for Lotus to make the foreign delivery models with more options baked in to maintain more profit margin. A good example of this is practice was when GM would ship the VE Commodore to America as the Pontiac G8. The lower trims lost them money so when they did it for the VF as the Chevy SS you had to buy it heavily optioned.

Also I think at this point they are probably charging whatever they think they can get away with in the market the car is headed to.

 

[Foxy87]

In switzerland, a fully equipped Base is 7k more than a FE 2 years ago…

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

Its generally not cheap to get cars across long distances so it would make sense for Lotus to make the foreign delivery models with more options baked in to maintain more profit margin. A good example of this is practice was when GM would ship the VE Commodore to America as the Pontiac G8. The lower trims lost them money so when they did it for the VF as the Chevy SS you had to buy it heavily optioned.

Also I think at this point they are probably charging whatever they think they can get away with in the market the car is headed to.

Yep, good call outs and makes sense. Thanks.

 

[Wiz33]

Happen to be on the US lotus site and noticed Lotus US is once again talking orders for the V6 version.

All the speculation on the V6's eminent demise was premature....

Base version is now available.

Nope. All it means is that Lotus finally got the V6 base configurator up on their site after being almost a year late ( should have gone up mid 2024). If you pay attention, You will see that they also have the FE i4 configurator up which is no longer available. Try calling a dealer and tell them you want to place an order on a base V6 and see what they'll tell you.

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

Keep in mind that UK pricing includes VAT (taxes) while US configurator does not. Also, expect the prices to increase more for 2026 model year than UK’s will… just a guess. In Canada the price of an Emira has gone up considerably when you start to include our taxation.

Good call out on the VAT, thanks. In that case:
My V6 FE 2.0 including taxes and registration: $117,320
UK base V6 configured like my FE: £105,505 ($136,623)
The gap definitely closes, but is still surprisingly significant.

 

[Wiz33]

Good call out on the VAT, thanks. In that case:
My V6 FE 2.0 including taxes and registration: $117,320
UK base V6 configured like my FE: £105,505 ($136,623)
The gap definitely closes, but is still surprisingly significant.

Did you adjust for inflation between when you got the FE to now?

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

Did you adjust for inflation between when you got the FE to now?

Nope! 5/29/24 sale date, so around 9 months ago.

 

[Rupes]

Does this mean dealers have unlimited allocations to fulfill orders?
Yes, you can create a spec, yes you may leave a deposit, but based on dealer allocations can an order be sent to Lotus and be accepted?
Based on a note I just received, Lotus is offering deals on i4s.View attachment 61151

That's a horrible lease offer. With the 10% down, you're paying $53k for a 3 year lease on a $102k car!

 

[Wiz33]

Nope! 5/29/24 sale date, so around 9 months ago.

FE 2..0 price was announced back in 2023

 

[Wiz33]

That's a horrible lease offer. With the 10% down, you're paying $53k for a 3 year lease on a $102k car!

all depends on the residue. Actually a good deal if you do plan on buying it out after 3 years like I do.