USA/Canada Delivery Thread

[dgrace]

It kinda feels like the cars will only be delivered once we have all given up all hope.

 

[kitkat]

It kinda feels like the cars will only be delivered once we have all given up all hope.

Alright, everyone give up hope all at once!

 

[Hell4Leather]

Alright, everyone give up hope all at once!

Worked for the Elise in ~2004

 

[CHEESE]

Just a data point... Emirahep collected his car last week... asked for him to search for any USA spec cars. He said he did not see any while on his tour. So looks like USA production has not started. Funny how last official info said April start, but when Gators update went out they said production was starting as planned in May... just had to squeeze that extra month in there didn't they!

Soon after the latest US delay, there was a thread about some European customers getting notifications that their cars would be delivered earlier than expected. I suspect the US build slots were replaced with Euro builds.

 

[Hell4Leather]

Soon after the latest US delay, there was a thread about some European customers getting notifications that their cars would be delivered earlier than expected. I suspect the US build slots were replaced with Euro builds.

Makes sense. Personally I feel it’s advantageous to be last as the gremlins should be sorted. Should be anyway. Most recent software etc…

 

[EspritGuy]

I was told delivery Nov - Dec in the top 5 at the dealer ship.

Along with the infamous wheel gap topic, add the Credibility gap factor. It's sorta like the wind chill effect. And you get the same 'Feels like' effect.

 

[Hell4Leather]

Along with the infamous wheel gap topic, add the Credibility gap factor. It's sorta like the wind chill effect. And you get the same 'Feels like' effect.

There really isn’t a credibility gap per se. Lotus always does this with new model releases. This, what we all are experiencing right now: frustration, envy, disappointment; all part of the Lotus buying experience. Every time it happens we all collectively say “Never again” until Lotus releases yet another work of mechanical art and, like a lover from ages past, we dive headfirst back into ecstasy and pain.

 

[Emirahep]

Just a data point... Emirahep collected his car last week... asked for him to search for any USA spec cars. He said he did not see any while on his tour. So looks like USA production has not started. Funny how last official info said April start, but when Gators update went out they said production was starting as planned in May... just had to squeeze that extra month in there didn't they!

I looked but couldn’t get close to the many cars parked outside and as I said most of those were right hand drive anyway. Pretty sure there were no US cars in the factory itself. And no i4s.

BUT health warning - I didn’t get close and may have missed some.

 

[MPD]

While I'm fortunate enough that have other cars in the mean time and my frustrations for delays have long since gone ... the only down side for me is having to pick up the car in the winter and hauling it home 600+ miles likely through bad weather. Definitley worse things in life but I would be happier to have deliveries start in the early spring next year at this point. Funny thing I was checking insurance with my provider just to get an idea .... the Z06 is $2.20/mo more than my C8 and the Emira is estimated at $116/mo more

 

[Eagle7]

If the recent reports of the outputs of the double shifts are reliable, it looks like they're producing roughly 30 cars a day. Assuming a 4 day work week, that's 120 cars a week. At that rate, they could produce all the North American FE's in 2 months. I'm assuming they'll want to pay for only one trans-Atlantic shipping fee, so we'll probably see an extended run of N/A cars here soon.

This has to be a cost decision though, because they'll have to pay to build those hundreds of cars up front, and won't get paid until the N/A dealers pay them. The dealers aren't going to pay until they receive the cars, so will Lotus warehouse them at the POE until certifications arrive? Or will they try to get the dealers to warehouse each of their allocations so Lotus can get paid? I don't know if I'd prefer Lotus to warehouse them or the dealer. My dealer is supposed to be getting 45 cars. I doubt they'll want to pay for a warehouse to house them inside, so they'd probably just park them outside on their lot like regular inventory cars. Now that I'm thinking about it, I think I'll contact my dealer and find out what the plan is. I don't want my car to sit outside in the fall going into winter in Seattle. I'm going to request it be housed inside until it can be delivered.

 

[eriegz]

If the recent reports of the outputs of the double shifts are reliable, it looks like they're producing roughly 30 cars a day. Assuming a 4 day work week, that's 120 cars a week. At that rate, they could produce all the North American FE's in 2 months. I'm assuming they'll want to pay for only one trans-Atlantic shipping fee, so we'll probably see an extended run of N/A cars here soon.

This has to be a cost decision though, because they'll have to pay to build those hundreds of cars up front, and won't get paid until the N/A dealers pay them. The dealers aren't going to pay until they receive the cars, so will Lotus warehouse them at the POE until certifications arrive? Or will they try to get the dealers to warehouse each of their allocations so Lotus can get paid? I don't know if I'd prefer Lotus to warehouse them or the dealer. My dealer is supposed to be getting 45 cars. I doubt they'll want to pay for a warehouse to house them inside, so they'd probably just park them outside on their lot like regular inventory cars. Now that I'm thinking about it, I think I'll contact my dealer and find out what the plan is. I don't want my car to sit outside in the fall going into winter in Seattle. I'm going to request it be housed inside until it can be delivered.

Let us know what comes of this!

 

[2Lotus]

If the recent reports of the outputs of the double shifts are reliable, it looks like they're producing roughly 30 cars a day. Assuming a 4 day work week, that's 120 cars a week. At that rate, they could produce all the North American FE's in 2 months. I'm assuming they'll want to pay for only one trans-Atlantic shipping fee, so we'll probably see an extended run of N/A cars here soon.

This has to be a cost decision though, because they'll have to pay to build those hundreds of cars up front, and won't get paid until the N/A dealers pay them. The dealers aren't going to pay until they receive the cars, so will Lotus warehouse them at the POE until certifications arrive? Or will they try to get the dealers to warehouse each of their allocations so Lotus can get paid? I don't know if I'd prefer Lotus to warehouse them or the dealer. My dealer is supposed to be getting 45 cars. I doubt they'll want to pay for a warehouse to house them inside, so they'd probably just park them outside on their lot like regular inventory cars. Now that I'm thinking about it, I think I'll contact my dealer and find out what the plan is. I don't want my car to sit outside in the fall going into winter in Seattle. I'm going to request it be housed inside until it can be delivered.

I don't think they can release the cars from port until they are certified.

 

[2Lotus]

I don't think they can release the cars from port until they are certified.

Clarify, from US ports to dealers.

 

[Nova]

Yea, once they decided to deliver all cars together, it made sense for them to condense production for US cars rather than have them spread out and shipped over time.

 

[Maurice R]

I don't think they can release the cars from port until they are certified.

From the little I know. They cannot be realest from the port until certification.
They have to have the window sticker put on vehicle before they can be released to the dealership.
I know this from past experience, that is unless things have changed over last 5 or 6 years

 

[Lotus-USFL]

While I'm fortunate enough that have other cars in the mean time and my frustrations for delays have long since gone ... the only down side for me is having to pick up the car in the winter and hauling it home 600+ miles likely through bad weather. Definitley worse things in life but I would be happier to have deliveries start in the early spring next year at this point. Funny thing I was checking insurance with my provider just to get an idea .... the Z06 is $2.20/mo more than my C8 and the Emira is estimated at $116/mo more

Interesting...this is one of the reasons why I may just end up just keeping my C8 HTC due to relatively low costs of ownership and a much closer dealership if/when service is needed. I also fear missing the convertible aspect of the C8.

BUT, the Emira has the much loved manual transmission! Hence, I'm still waiting on the waiting list (coming up on 2 years like most the rest of us).

 

[Ryder]

I really do not understand the certification process but do know that Lotus shipped multiple Emiras to the USA for customers & potential customers to test drive. How did they get those here without proper certification ? What has happened to the "illegal Lotus batch of cars " floating around the states ?

 

[VL3X]

I really do not understand the certification process but do know that Lotus shipped multiple Emiras to the USA for customers & potential customers to test drive. How did they get those here without proper certification ? What has happened to the "illegal Lotus batch of cars " floating around the states ?

Those demos were Euro spec and not for sale to be registered as permanent US vehicles.

 

[Ryder]

Those demos were Euro spec and not for sale to be registered as permanent US vehicles.

Got it. Thanks

 

[Lotustoronto]

Has anyone confirmed a 2.0 F/E allocation yet? US or CAN... I have heard absolutely nothing from my dealer since sometime last year. Now that the configurator is updated with new colours, I would assume it would be soon....