USA/Canada Delivery Thread

[eriegz]

So to recap, what news do we have regarding Canada & US deliveries, from forum members who spoke to Lotus employees at Goodwood?

 

[EspritGuy]

WTF? Build in April, Delivery in October..... That doesn't make sense.

Yet not much with Lotus makes sense these days.

I'm as thirsty for NA info as any, but mates should realize a lot of conjecture was generated by only one post #2059.
Not thinking that was a highly credible source. Awaiting additional confirmation from other dealer contacts across this Forum.

From my casual calculations Build Orders occur 5-6 months before production which may take 2 months, plus shipping.
In that example an August BO is a Feb-March production (sure, make it April if you like) and add 2 months..... leading to a June-July shipping. Only a guess. Q3 is going to be telling.

How about some real news about how the 600 FE NA phase two V6 allocations were assigned and where?

 

[Barfly]

I'm as thirsty for NA info as any, but mates should realize a lot of conjecture was generated by only one post #2059.
Not thinking that was a highly credible source. Awaiting additional confirmation from other dealer contacts across this Forum.

Agree! And that was my post. This was from one guy at a single dealer. Which is why I asked if anyone else got the same info.

 

[Cachaco131]

Enjoy the wait folks. Every month we wait is an opportunity for Lotus to eventually sort out the various issues. The choice is (1) get it early and serve as Beta testing like in the UK or (2) wait some 6-18m and get a better sorted product. Dealer network here in the US isn't good so that's not going to change much or at all. But in my view, option 2 potentially translates into less visits to the dealer network, further time to save, maybe new colors and even options or versions.

 

[Barfly]

It just occurred to me that he said build date of April 1. Just leaving that right here...

 

[Max]

Enjoy the wait folks. Every month we wait is an opportunity for Lotus to eventually sort out the various issues. The choice is (1) get it early and serve as Beta testing like in the UK or (2) wait some 6-18m and get a better sorted product. Dealer network here in the US isn't good so that's not going to change much or at all. But in my view, option 2 potentially translates into less visits to the dealer network, further time to save, maybe new colors and even options or versions.

Just lurking here, as I loved the idea of this car coming out at a somewhat decent price point, but how this company, with this massive injection of cash, can't get what is, at bottom, a re-skinned Evora out the door has to be the biggest cluster f**k I've ever seen in automotive history. And I got my license in 1970. The price is gone, the delivery is now out to 2024, and the old excuses are ancient history now.
Most of the car is made of carry-over parts. This is absurd.

And I have no idea why they're prioritizing tiny markets like Korea and Japan when the U. S. is where the volume and the sell-through is.
Astounding incompetence. They make Alfasud look like BMW.
Unbelievable.

 

[Concept24]

I believe the Acura NSX, second generation took 5 years from its announcement until first deliveries. The good news was that all the bugs were fully fixed before the car made its way into consumer's hands. It has proven to be very reliable, as it should.

 

[Max]

I believe the Acura NSX, second generation took 5 years from its announcement until first deliveries. The good news was that all the bugs were fully fixed before the car made its way into consumer's hands. It has proven to be very reliable, as it should.

That was a clean sheet design and a hybrid to boot. Only reason they released it later was the financial crisis, according to the Wiki. The Emira is practically a kit car compared to the NSX.

 

[KCMO68_510]

Texted my dealer today and he said they were contacting people on Monday that would get FE2.0 allocations, but since I reached out he did say to get my build code to him as I would be one of the slots. First sign of progress in nearly 2 years.

He also made it sound like those allocations could be V6 or I4. May or may not be accurate, but I’m a v6 buyer anyways.

 

[EspritGuy]

Texted my dealer today and he said they were contacting people on Monday that would get FE2.0 allocations, but since I reached out he did say to get my build code to him as I would be one of the slots. First sign of progress in nearly 2 years.

He also made it sound like those allocations could be V6 or I4. May or may not be accurate, but I’m a v6 buyer anyways.

Which dealer?

 

[Concept24]

That was a clean sheet design and a hybrid to boot. Only reason they released it later was the financial crisis, according to the Wiki. The Emira is practically a kit car compared to the NSX.

Yes, so a clean sheet design that was delivered with virtually no issues. What a difference in the no issues/issues department, compared to the Emira!

 

[Concept24]

Texted my dealer today and he said they were contacting people on Monday that would get FE2.0 allocations, but since I reached out he did say to get my build code to him as I would be one of the slots. First sign of progress in nearly 2 years.

He also made it sound like those allocations could be V6 or I4. May or may not be accurate, but I’m a v6 buyer anyways.

Now the big question is whether your Emira will be more reliable than your M3 was.

 

[Eagle7]

That's it folks, the most balanced view we've ever gotten from Eagle7. Makes me want to cheer, and also weep for his lost innocence.

Well I'm probably one of the most understanding and even-going people around, but there's a point at which you have to give credit where credit's due. After watching the "We're here because we're expected to be here" place-holder showing of Lotus at Goodwood, I'm left wondering... Lotus... what ARE you doing? That huge display of much ado about not much was frankly puzzling. Is the Emira becoming the red headed step-child of the marque?

If you're going electric, then feature electric. Show us the custom Lotus charging stations, even if they're just a mock-up. Show us an open electric chassis minus the body. Show us the future. Right now it's like they're in the middle of the stream trying to change horses, and we're seeing them caught in between, straddling both. I get it. They're a car company, but they really need to hire some theatre people to add some theatre to the brand.

Oh well. I'm just waiting for my dealer to tell me my car is on the way. I'll make my own theatre in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

 

[dgrace]

Re: 6-figure EV sportscars, I think there may be a niche there for something sexy with 2 seats. Tesla models X and S are very common in that price range, but the upcoming EV Cayman will be the real competition.

 

[Eagle7]

Re: 6-figure EV sportscars, I think there may be a niche there for something sexy with 2 seats. Tesla models X and S are very common in that price range, but the upcoming EV Cayman will be the real competition.

A niche yes, but once you get into the 6-figure range you've got gold-rush fever going on. Everybody and their dog in the automotive world wants to be in that mine, digging away. It's one thing to be an exceptional musician, but if you suddenly enter a room where everybody there is also exceptional, suddenly you're not exceptional. You can't rely on natural talent, you're going to have to really work hard to even keep up, much less stand out. That's where Lotus is heading.

A great looking EV sportscar, even one with good performance isn't going to be enough when you're up against heavy weight companies with well-established dealer networks, and very capable development teams. EV has flattened the curve for power and acceleration, so nobody has an advantage there. People with the means to afford 6-figure vehicles are going to expect a much better customer experience than Walmart customers. Lotus has a LONG way to go, once they step over the 6-figure line.

If they were smart, they'd aim at the $80k-$99k segment, and let the heavy-weights brawl with each other for the 6-figure customer base. But I digress....

 

[dgrace]

I dunno, 6 figures ain’t what it used to be. Agree that Lotus has an uphill battle though.

 

[KCMO68_510]

Which dealer?

Holman Motorcars in Saint Louis, MO.

 

[sweidemeyer]

Got my call from Stephen at Holman on Friday telling me I am in the next group for build submissions and to get mine submitted. His best guess at this time was a December build and Feb/March delivery. Getting it by spring would be really nice! I had not looked at the configurator in a while so I was thrilled with the vastly expanded color options. Wasn’t completely sold on any of the original 6 so now thinking Atlantis Blue. Have you settled on a color yet?

 

[Nova]

I wonder if they are taking orders because it's something to give the dealers to do so that they don't complain as much, or if they are doing it because they actually expect to be able to make these cars according to the dates quoted.

 

[Porter]

Got my call from Stephen at Holman on Friday telling me I am in the next group for build submissions and to get mine submitted. His best guess at this time was a December build and Feb/March delivery. Getting it by spring would be really nice! I had not looked at the configurator in a while so I was thrilled with the vastly expanded color options. Wasn’t completely sold on any of the original 6 so now thinking Atlantis Blue. Have you settled on a color yet?

I remember the days when I was doing a May build submission, and my dealer got it all locked in and verified. They were telling us July/August '22 builds for October/November '22 delivery. And that was already six months later than the original estimate!

Sitting here more than a year later since build order lock-in, and not only is there no car, and no car being built in the factory... they still don't even have their regulatory approvals to sell the Emira in the United States at all.