USA/Canada Delivery Thread

[Time2Fly]

Trying to see my car getting built is getting harder. On the other hand it moved up one day to 9am on 14th so I'm even closer!

 

[vdr]

Trying to see my car getting built is getting harder. On the other hand it moved up one day to 9am on 14th so I'm even closer!

Nice! Can your source confirm that US automatics are currently being built?

 

[brainf18]

Trying to see my car getting built is getting harder. On the other hand it moved up one day to 9am on 14th so I'm even closer!

How are you getting that information?

 

[Time2Fly]

Nice! Can your source confirm that US automatics are currently being built?

I don't know. Maybe? I hadn't asked. When I was there they did show us both transmissions.

How are you getting that information?

I know a guy at the factory.

 

[SSJAR]

Whoa - did you hear directly from Kyle/Tom?

I got my VIN from them last weekend but can't find it in any tracking sheet, so not sure whether I'm days, weeks, or months away...

Out of curiosity, when did you finalize your order?

 

[Porter]

Life changes. Some people just cant go thru w it financially. Why cancel preemptively when you hope things may improve for you. But when car arrives and it's time to pony up they will have to. Plus in Calif you can put a deposit down amd get a full refund at any time. Some may have gotten caught up in the moment but back out upon arrival. My prediction is we will see a little inventory sitting on lots selling for 2.0 MSRP

That stuff happens, sure. But most of those people figure it out and cancel gracefully before being confronted with the need to deliver $100k to a dealer for a vehicle they don't have the intention or ability to own.

 

[Haffway]

Did anyone else receive an email from Lotus regarding customer experience?

 

[sidepieceracing]

I don't understand what you're trying to say here. The "take rate"?

Every single car arriving is tied to a depositor that has had money tied up in this for literally years now. The idea that people would walk away after the car arrives when they could have done so at any point in the last 2+ years doesn't make any sense at all.

The few people that have seen doing that are either throwing a little adult tantrum, or have such a level of absurd money that they threw a deposit on a car years ago and then forgot about it and are now too busy driving their GT3 RS or 812 Superfast or whatever.

if all of these cars were already spoken for then my local dealer wouldn't of been calling me 3 times in the last two weeks to try and raise my FOMO. the initial offer was a $116K price. that is either a +$21K or + $14K mark up. unlike many, i'm in zero rush.

 

[KAR120C]

Did anyone else receive an email from Lotus regarding customer experience?View attachment 41452

Yes, a few days ago. I was careful to separate my comments from Lotus US, the car itself and the dealership. If they read my comments, they'll get the message!

 

[brainf18]

Did anyone else receive an email from Lotus regarding customer experience?View attachment 41452

I’d tell Lotus, Be careful asking questions you don't want the answers to….

Also can’t they read the forums. It’s pretty clear what their customers are saying? (Rhetorical question)

 

[DF_Toronto]

Do we have info on the next boat leaving Liverpool? I had been told the next shipment will be the largest yet, but I wouldn’t count on the dealers finding out that boat is en route until a few days later or even reaches the US…

 

[Dr.JDK]

Another data point for the NW folks:

Park Place in Bellevue just emailed 20 minutes ago informing me my FE2.0 was on a truck enroute to WA and should arrive next week. Ironically, I STILL haven't been given a VIN, so I asked them (for the third time) now that they can't deny my car exists...

They also offered XPEL and ceramic coatings for those interested.

Deposit: Dec 1st, 2021
Order: Aug 10th, 2023

Congrats!
I just don't understand the logistics of Lotus USA. My car arrived earlier on March 29th, and it is a FE 1.0. Somehow people on the April 6th boat got their cars earlier than the March 29th batch.
Cannot wrap my head around this. I am going to my best friend's wedding next week and won't be back until May. Not sure if I can see the car when I come back from the trip. Oh.. my.. Ltus....

 

[FlyNavy01]

Congrats!
I just don't understand the logistics of Lotus USA. My car arrived earlier on March 29th, and it is a FE 1.0. Somehow people on the April 6th boat got their cars earlier than the March 29th batch.
Cannot wrap my head around this. I am going to my best friend's wedding next week and won't be back until May. Not sure if I can see the car when I come back from the trip. Oh.. my.. Ltus....

Thanks! I agree, it is total chaos. This was the first positive communication I've had since I placed my order and as of 2 days ago I still had no idea if my car was even built yet, let alone enroute to Washington already. Your time will come very soon, I'm sure it's at the port just waiting for the next truck driver to randomly load it up if it hasn't been already.

 

[Rupes]

I'm not one for generalizations, but don't you think at our core, all Lotus drivers must share the same ability to prolong immediate gratification for long term reward, or find some thrill in the chase? Most normal people would never tolerate what we so willingly accept (even if we complain about it too).

If I'm being candid, I'm going to miss some of the delay stories once this all gets sorted out. Guess we'll move on to maintenance challenges/solutions next.

This group certainly makes it worth it, imo.

 

[Porter]

if all of these cars were already spoken for then my local dealer wouldn't of been calling me 3 times in the last two weeks to try and raise my FOMO. the initial offer was a $116K price. that is either a +$21K or + $14K mark up. unlike many, i'm in zero rush.

They had depositors back out at some point in the past and they kept the allocation live in order to receive and sell the unit. Makes perfect sense to me. I mean, ethically they should have bumped to others in their waiting deposit queue, but it does seem that dealers are free to screw over their own waiting customers in the pursuit of recovering some of their very large long-term investment in the brand's quite expensive showroom remodel requirements.

The current FE MSRP in 2024 is I think $105,400 for the lowest FE V6 spec. And one with upper black pack and Alcantara steering wheel bumps the MSRP to $107,330. And then there's a $2350 delivery charge from Lotus on any car. So that brings the more optioned car up to $109,680 at absolute minimum. Not including dealer doc fees, taxes, reg, etc.

You obviously didn't have a deposit in for the last 3 years like many of us did, so you missed the boat. Do you really think you should get the 2021 pricing on a 2024 vehicle? I'm not on the dealer's side here at all, but I'm trying to understand your specific complaint.

 

[scc.131.fe]

I'm not one for generalizations, but don't you think at our core, all Lotus drivers must share the same ability to prolong immediate gratification for long term reward, or find some thrill in the chase? Most normal people would never tolerate what we so willingly accept (even if we complain about it too).

If I'm being candid, I'm going to miss some of the delay stories once this all gets sorted out. Guess we'll move on to maintenance challenges/solutions next.

This group certainly makes it worth it, imo.

I think Telsa drivers put up with a lot of issues, but they lie to themselves and call them "features". We're equally as tolerant with shortcomings, but we Lotus fans at least call 'em what they are!

 

[dgrace]

Some more new arrivals at Bellevue:

 

[B r I a n]

I picked up my Lotus Emira from Lotus of DC this afternoon - Love it!
I am going to miss this thread

 

[WindJunkie]

Strangely the Honda accord manual is pretty good!

The Civic Type R has the best manual gear box, with rev match, I have ever driven. When I test drove the Emira, the gearbox was fine and precise, but no where close to as good as my CTR LE that I sold to raise cash for the Emira.

Granted, I haven't driven that many different brands of manuals to say I've driven them all, but IMO you would have a hard time finding a better manual gearbox than the 10th or 11th gen CTR...or Accord for that matter. Honda can make a damn good 6 speed all the way down to their base model Civics

 

[Balboa]

The Civic Type R has the best manual gear box, with rev match, I have ever driven. When I test drove the Emira, the gearbox was fine and precise, but no where close to as good as my CTR LE that I sold to raise cash for the Emira.

Granted, I haven't driven that many different brands of manuals to say I've driven them all, but IMO you would have a hard time finding a better manual gearbox than the 10th or 11th gen CTR...or Accord for that matter. Honda can make a damn good 6 speed all the way down to their base model Civics

I still love a 5 speed. Old school