USA/Canada Delivery Thread

[Ryder]

Yes make them definitely. Get them shipped. Let me know what port they are arriving at.
I will break in and drive my car home.
Oh I will pay my dealer in full before I do that so it won’t be stealing it. Just circumventing the certification part

I was told by my Lotus dealer that Baltimore, MD was the port of entry.

 

[Maurice R]

I was told by my Lotus dealer that Baltimore, MD was the port of entry.

I’ll be there minute the cars are offloaded.
Not going to disclose my specs so no one will know which one to guard

 

[DerTheDer]

I’ll be there minute the cars are offloaded.
Not going to disclose my specs so no one will know which one to guard

As will I! I often go up to the outskirts of Baltimore for work. Would def stop by the port with my drone.

 

[Cwolf]

I was told by my Lotus dealer that Baltimore, MD was the port of entry.

Yes, heard the same thing.

 

[Maurice R]

Yes, heard the same thing.

Could also Houston it’s big port for a lot of cars

Yes, heard the same thing.

could also be Houston big port for cars coming into USA.

 

[M3DOC]

Southeastern cars coming through Jacksonville.

 

[EspritGuy]

Yes, heard the same thing.

"Sittin on the dock at the bay, waiting for certification to go my way., wasting time..... oh yeah."
(apologies to Otis Redding)

 

[Wiz33]

Just had a nice chat with my sales contact. New color plates will arrive by the end of the month so I should be able to see them in person before I have to finalize my config for the March production allocation.

We then got to talking about saving me a slot on the last V6 FE (Final Edition) allocation and he said that it may happen quite a bit before the final Emira ICE due to increasing emission control requirement in CA (they're not going to do a 50 states version) but at which point the i4 will be the only Emira ICE till the end of production. The conversation then leads to the current emission certification. EPA is already done but paperwork is still in process. It's been in the hands of CARB since before July but it takes them 6 months to get things done.

 

[981KMAN]

........
We then got to talking about saving me a slot on the last V6 FE (Final Edition) allocation and he said that it may happen quite a bit before the final Emira ICE due to increasing emission control requirement in CA (they're not going to do a 50 states version) but at which point the i4 will be the only Emira ICE till the end of production. The conversation then leads to the current emission certification. EPA is already done but paperwork is still in process. It's been in the hands of CARB since before July but it takes them 6 months to get things done.

What a great decision by Lotus if this is true.... Don't make a 50 state compliant Emira V6, and sell the V6 only in those states where it meets Federal EPA requirements. Sell the i4 in 50 states and the V6 in those states where it meets Federal EPA requirements.

CARB is probably slow walking the Emira approval to reduce the available manufacturing opportunities anyways. I would not lose any sleep if the entire CARB was swallowed up in a local earthquake under their offices. The Government should not be mandating through increasingly stricter regulations one technology over another. Build a better product and people will buy it, yet don't force it on the consumer.

 

[Wiz33]

What a great decision by Lotus if this is true.... Don't make a 50 state compliant Emira V6, and sell the V6 only in those states where it meets Federal EPA requirements. Sell the i4 in 50 states and the V6 in those states where it meets Federal EPA requirements.

CARB is probably slow walking the Emira approval to reduce the available manufacturing opportunities anyways. I would not lose any sleep if the entire CARB was swallowed up in a local earthquake under their offices. The Government should not be mandating through increasingly stricter regulations one technology over another. Build a better product and people will buy it, yet don't force it on the consumer.

Have to keep in mind that the V6 is really old technology and he said the decision may not be up to Lotus since Toyota will have to decide if it's worth it to keep the V6 in low volume production. We all know that the only reason the i4 was detuned is to keep a line between the V6 manual and i4 models and the i4 is certainly capable or out performing the V6 which we'll probably see in the 400hp i4 for China. Also, with ICE production coming to a close, there's just no incentive to develop a manual transmission for the i4. The only reason I want a V6 manual Final Edition is more for collector's value rather than having a manul daily use car. I may even forego the V6 and get a Final Editional i4 as my daily ride when the time comes.

 

[Maurice R]

Stupid question but does anyone have a definitive answer to all the above other than speculation.
I am totally confused at this point.

 

[Wiz33]

Stupid question but does anyone have a definitive answer to all the above other than speculation.
I am totally confused at this point.

The only thing I can say is that my Salesperson have been with Lotus like forever (at least since the Esprit days) as the dealership is one of the oldest in the area and he personally is a fan and owns a Evora and has the 1st reservation for a V6 FE at the dealership. Is there any specific things you wan to know? I can try to bug him for info.

 

[vdr]

What a great decision by Lotus if this is true.... Don't make a 50 state compliant Emira V6, and sell the V6 only in those states where it meets Federal EPA requirements.

Yeah… they’re freakin’ geniuses. Too bad they couldn’t figure out how to get sample plates of the new FE colors to NA dealers BEFORE our configs were due.

 

[981KMAN]

Have to keep in mind that the V6 is really old technology and he said the decision may not be up to Lotus since Toyota will have to decide if it's worth it to keep the V6 in low volume production. We all know that the only reason the i4 was detuned is to keep a line between the V6 manual and i4 models and the i4 is certainly capable or out performing the V6 which we'll probably see in the 400hp i4 for China. Also, with ICE production coming to a close, there's just no incentive to develop a manual transmission for the i4. The only reason I want a V6 manual Final Edition is more for collector's value rather than having a manul daily use car. I may even forego the V6 and get a Final Editional i4 as my daily ride when the time comes.

Well, yes the V6 is mature technology, yet it seems that Toyota is still selling about 5000+ V6 Camrys each month in 2023 so I'm not sure its "low volume".

You are correct that Toyota could decide to stop suppling the V6 to Lotus, which would be a shame, as the V6 has a very different performance profile than the AMG Turbo i4. I disagree that the i4 will "out perform" the V6. Performance is not only about the Peak Power or Torque, its more about where that Torque is available. Even with a better "tune" for the i4, it lacks the low end torque of the V6 and can feel underwhelming in the low to mid RPM range before the turbo kicks in. Thus the need for the 8 speed DCT with close gear ratios in the low end to keep the RPMS high. A manual Tranny would not be a good fit with the i4.

Lots of unknowns in the future regarding this topic. Yet I hope the V6/manual hangs around a while......

 

[981KMAN]

Stupid question but does anyone have a definitive answer to all the above other than speculation.
I am totally confused at this point.

I don't think Lotus has a definitive answer...... and they are also totally confused.

With no information coming from Lotus, it's all speculation until it happens!

 

[Nova]

The M139 at 400HP has significantly more torque than the V6. It should have no issue outperforming the V6. The M139, like other small MB turbo engines, hits peak torque output very early and starts to trend down significantly after about 5500 rpm, thus reducing peak HP to a deceptively low level. As a result, it has much more "area" under the HP curve, which is why it will handily outperform other engines with similar peak HP output.

 

[Wiz33]

Well, yes the V6 is mature technology, yet it seems that Toyota is still selling about 5000+ V6 Camrys each month in 2023 so I'm not sure its "low volume".

You are correct that Toyota could decide to stop suppling the V6 to Lotus, which would be a shame, as the V6 has a very different performance profile than the AMG Turbo i4. I disagree that the i4 will "out perform" the V6. Performance is not only about the Peak Power or Torque, its more about where that Torque is available. Even with a better "tune" for the i4, it lacks the low end torque of the V6 and can feel underwhelming in the low to mid RPM range before the turbo kicks in. Thus the need for the 8 speed DCT with close gear ratios in the low end to keep the RPMS high. A manual Tranny would not be a good fit with the i4.

Lots of unknowns in the future regarding this topic. Yet I hope the V6/manual hangs around a while......

Yes the V6 manual is unique. That's why I'm considering getting one for collection purpose but it won't be my daily ride with SF Bay Area traffic even though I don't commute at peak hours. I also like that the i4 seems to be more nimble, have a better F/R weight ratio and a lower COG by all accounts which is why I want an Emira in the first place. Otherwise my RS5 is probably better and handles corner just as well but it lack lightness and feelings.

I may also just go with a Final V6 manual for collection and trade in my FE i4 for a Final i4 for daily use.

 

[morphious]

The V6 from Toyota is quite an amazing power house. I had this same engine in my wife's 2012 Limited Rav4 and flooring it would put you back in the seat. Could it keep up with my vette at the time, of course not, but now it is super charged to 400hp and packaged so beautifully. Personally, I jumped at the chance to get a V6 FE, if all they had was i4, it maybe a hard pass for me.

 

[Maurice R]

I don't think Lotus has a definitive answer...... and they are also totally confused.

With no information coming from Lotus, it's all speculation until it happens!

Thanks. I know Lotus has no answer and even if they did they won’t disclose it to us.
So why is everyone speculating about all the reasons why certification for NA has not been approved.
My 2 pennies/cents worth is that Lotus screwed up on the initial application submitted. That was then thrown out and they had to resubmit the correct documentation.
Lotus may know how to build fantastic sports cars but that’s about all.
Imho they need a complete reshuffle from the top down in senior management to get things moving and keeping current future customers in the loop.
No one did their homework before they announced the Emira. Yes they were caught off guard by the shear numbers of people wanting the car. But at that point they should have Re thought how they were going to handle things.
They did not and still 2 plus years later they have still not figured it out.
Even though I am saying this I am a diehard Lotus fan and have been since a teenager. I still want my car no matter what and will carry on waiting.
EDIT this forum is fantastic so is everyone’s opinions.
I am thankful for it as it has helped take my mind off some serious personal issues

 

[morphious]

My 2 pennies/cents worth is that Lotus screwed up on the initial application submitted. That was then thrown out and they had to resubmit the correct documentation.

I may believe that, but they have other cars approved?