USA/Canada Delivery Thread

[Bigred911s1]

Lotus has done a horrible job on the Emira rollout through delivery. I cancelled my order 4 months ago. Dealer told me I would get my car in April here it is July and nothing. I knew the disaster Lotus is that’s why I cancelled my order and got my $2,500 back. Good luck to the rest of you.

 

[eriegz]

Lotus has done a horrible job on the Emira rollout through delivery. I cancelled my order 4 months ago. Dealer told me I would get my car in April here it is July and nothing. I knew the disaster Lotus is that’s why I cancelled my order and got my $2,500 back. Good luck to the rest of you.

You guys already have a dedicated thread to play in: https://www.emiraforum.com/threads/im-out-the-cancellations-thread.1640/

 

[TXEMIRA]

Car looks 9.9

Rumors and truths about crap going on with the car 0.9

Lotus communication 0.0009

Awful

Good news:
More time to work out the bugs
Maybe better weather for delivery
More after market options available
More stories and pics of positive stuff

 

[DerTheDer]

I just had the Elise out and tired of telling people the Emira is coming....Soon (TM). People probably think I am pulling their legs at this point. Keep up the content @VL3X. Always nice to see new photos on your IG.

 

[Cachaco131]

You guys already have a dedicated thread to play in: https://www.emiraforum.com/threads/im-out-the-cancellations-thread.1640/

Hilarious, I'm still laughing. And moderators can't complain either @VL3X

 

[VL3X]

Hilarious, I'm still laughing. And moderators can't complain either @VL3X

Ha! I'm not on Lotus payroll! I'm just here to keep the conversations civilized and organized for us enthusiasts to connect and learn from one another.

 

[nfollin]

Maybe they'll work out more kinks, while I'm excited for it, delays just means more money available for a house.

I'd be more upset if I didn't have a sports car already in the garage for the summer.

 

[kitkat]

I’m actually totally fine with waiting longer at this point. Don’t send me a car that needs a tech randomly replacing ECUs, O2 sensors, power steering units for the first 6 months or more of ownership. I’d like to drive the car when I get it, not tow it in.

 

[Porter]

I’m actually totally fine with waiting longer at this point. Don’t send me a car that needs a tech randomly replacing ECUs, O2 sensors, power steering units for the first 6 months or more of ownership. I’d like to drive the car when I get it, not tow it in.

This 100%.

US buyers have statistically MUCH farther to travel to reach a Lotus dealer. If they keep sending out cars with issues that consume/destroy expensive components, or continue their blind "replace and let's see" strategy they've been employing in the UK, Lotus will eat their profit margin to zero just keeping up with the cost of repair and they'll erode the entirety of public goodwill in the first 60 days of release.

Also, consumer protections regarding warranty are stronger in the US, so they need to start getting it right before they ship product or they'll double their trouble... expensive repairs on new cars AND legal troubles at extreme expense in dozens of different jurisdictions.

 

[KAR120C]

This 100%.

US buyers have statistically MUCH farther to travel to reach a Lotus dealer. If they keep sending out cars with issues that consume/destroy expensive components, or continue their blind "replace and let's see" strategy they've been employing in the UK, Lotus will eat their profit margin to zero just keeping up with the cost of repair and they'll erode the entirety of public goodwill in the first 60 days of release.

Also, consumer protections regarding warranty are stronger in the US, so they need to start getting it right before they ship product or they'll double their trouble... expensive repairs on new cars AND legal troubles at extreme expense in dozens of different jurisdictions.

I agree with this completely. Another US issue that I'm concerned about is parts supply. If there are failing components, will the US have an on-hand supply of those components? If we have to wait for shipments from the UK it'll make the service times even more painful. At this stage, just get the car's issues ironed out so that doesn't become a problem. A March delivery isn't much different from a November delivery in my part of the country.

 

[benjh1028]

I’m actually totally fine with waiting longer at this point. Don’t send me a car that needs a tech randomly replacing ECUs, O2 sensors, power steering units for the first 6 months or more of ownership. I’d like to drive the car when I get it, not tow it in.

I agree with this as well just want significantly better communication from Lotus and the dealerships.

 

[Porter]

I agree with this completely. Another US issue that I'm concerned about is parts supply. If there are failing components, will the US have an on-hand supply of those components? If we have to wait for shipments from the UK it'll make the service times even more painful. At this stage, just get the car's issues ironed out so that doesn't become a problem. A March delivery isn't much different from a November delivery in my part of the country.

Lotus USA hasn't seemed to have a fully baked domestic parts distribution channel in the past. I know historically they have kept some parts on hand in a warehouse, but not in the volume that I think most US consumers would assume a major brand would do if they were serious about supporting a product in the marketplace.

Maybe this is changing or has changed, and I'm just out of the loop.

In a way, that lack of parts availability and channel might be a symptom of past design success. There may have been a lower need for such volume parts support in the older models (Elise through Evora) because they were electronically fairly simple and mechanically quite reliable. With the Emira the electronic complexity has increased substantially, particularly where human interface and life safety systems are concerned.

An old salty engineer once told me that for every new circuit (or feature) you add to a complex system, it can create a dozen new failure modes. Even just minor parts spec variability (creating additive deviation from nominal spec) can wreck a viable manufacturing BOM in the absence of any clear individual defect. It gets complicated.

I really hope they work out the majority of these early unforeseen challenges before laying their necks on the dual altars of US market expectations and consumer protection law.

 

[nfollin]

I agree with this as well just want significantly better communication from Lotus and the dealerships.

My dealer comms have been okay given I've received nothing from Lotus (unless adverts to by the new Eletre count, because I have gotten more of those than Emira updates).

I don't really care what they say, some sort of just acknowledgement itself would even be nice.

 

[mforde]

Hi everyone, I just had my second test drive last week. I was fortunate as this one was the tour suspension and the other the sport. I was curious what people will be opting for, Sport or Tour. I didn't find the Sport as "hard" as I imagined, but I was also extremely excited to see and test drive the car and my test was only about 15 minutes the majority on the freeway. This time around, I was still excited, but more calm and thought about the things I missed on the first drive. When I drove the Tour, it wasn't as soft as I imagined it would be. There is a little difference, but it was mentioned that if I'm going to daily it, which I plan, Tour would most likely be the way I want to go. Curious about other people's thoughts/opinions, as I've never tracked a car, but it looks like a lo of fun and something I may want to do when money and time permits. I was originally thinking of going Sport with the Goodyears, but I'm on the fence with Tour now.

A couple of other things to note. I was told that the majority if not all the issues have been sorted, and that Lotus is still shooting for NA FE 1.0 deliveries come Q4 2023, but probably realistically, the end of Q4.

 

[kitkat]

No new info to report here after my second test drive. They’ve had some instances of Lotus messing up orders from submissions mine was okay. The usual for production — unknown — targeting Q4 2023 first deliveries.

My second test drive was very different from my first and I sort of wish I hadn’t driven it a second time. Boardwalk was as friendly as ever and I love their salespeople and dealer group, but this car just felt used and abused from all the test drives, hope this isn’t indicative of long term ownership.

 

[Nova]

No new info to report here after my second test drive. They’ve had some instances of Lotus messing up orders from submissions mine was okay. The usual for production — unknown — targeting Q4 2023 first deliveries.

My second test drive was very different from my first and I sort of wish I hadn’t driven it a second time. Boardwalk was as friendly as ever and I love their salespeople and dealer group, but this car just felt used and abused from all the test drives, hope this isn’t indicative of long term ownership.

In what sense? Noise? Vibration? General sloppiness?

 

[Ft.S]

Hi everyone, I just had my second test drive last week. I was fortunate as this one was the tour suspension and the other the sport. I was curious what people will be opting for, Sport or Tour. I didn't find the Sport as "hard" as I imagined, but I was also extremely excited to see and test drive the car and my test was only about 15 minutes the majority on the freeway. This time around, I was still excited, but more calm and thought about the things I missed on the first drive. When I drove the Tour, it wasn't as soft as I imagined it would be. There is a little difference, but it was mentioned that if I'm going to daily it, which I plan, Tour would most likely be the way I want to go. Curious about other people's thoughts/opinions, as I've never tracked a car, but it looks like a lo of fun and something I may want to do when money and time permits. I was originally thinking of going Sport with the Michellins, but I'm on the fence with Tour now.

A couple of other things to note. I was told that the majority if not all the issues have been sorted, and that Lotus is still shooting for NA FE 1.0 deliveries come Q4 2023, but probably realistically, the end of Q4.

The one I tested had the sport suspension. I was fine with it, I would not call it harsh at all.

I haven't had the chance to drive one with the Tour suspension, but if I were to speculate that you would take the car to the track on an occasional basis for non-competitive events, I cannot think of a reason the Tour suspension would be the wrong choice.

I think many make too much of this decision, the Tour would be the safer bet IMO. If someone is regularly tracking or even competing for time attack events/autox, etc., s/he would likely change out the suspension with aftermarket ones anyways.

Having said all that I am sticking with the sport suspension

 

[kitkat]

In what sense? Noise? Vibration? General sloppiness?

- Seat bolsters basically collapsed on the driver side entry and felt like cheap entry level bolsters from 90s Japanese cars.
- Steering wandered quite a bit and pulled likely out of spec on alignment quite a bit.
- Clutch bite point was inconsistent, had no feedback and I even managed to stall the car which I probably haven’t done in 20 years in a number of manuals.
- Shifter had far more play than the first car I test drove and didn’t quite feel as rewarding.
- Rattles and squeaks made the car feel cheap compared to the first drive which was more refined and almost German like quality.
- Pronounced valve tapping noises that weren’t there prior.

Let’s just say I’m glad I drove the sports yellow Emira back last fall. I’ll chalk this up to being a well used test drive car that has seen better days.

 

[VL3X]

- Seat bolsters basically collapsed on the driver side entry and felt like cheap entry level bolsters from 90s Japanese cars.
- Steering wandered quite a bit and pulled likely out of spec on alignment quite a bit.
- Clutch bite point was inconsistent, had no feedback and I even managed to stall the car which I probably haven’t done in 20 years in a number of manuals.
- Shifter had far more play than the first car I test drove and didn’t quite feel as rewarding.
- Rattles and squeaks made the car feel cheap compared to the first drive which was more refined and almost German like quality.
- Pronounced valve tapping noises that weren’t there prior.

Let’s just say I’m glad I drove the sports yellow Emira back last fall. I’ll chalk this up to being a well used test drive car that has seen better days.

Geeze.. Sounds like inconsistent build quality. I've driven an Emira twice, but it was the same Nimbus/red demo both times. I loved it and it felt solid.. Tons of road noise in the rain though. No other real complaints.

 

[kitkat]

Oh and now that I’ve driven both tour and sports there’s hardly a difference. You can tell there’s a bit more low and mid speed compression damping.

Turn in feels a little bit sharper on sports because the increase in low shock speed damping limits the rate of body roll.

Medium sized bumps or cracks in the road cause some more body movement due to higher mid speed compression but not by a whole lot.

I have a pretty good hand and butt feel for suspension and the memory to go with it and if you blindfold tested me on these suspension options I’d be pretty hard pressed to identify each one.