Will today reveal IE F4 pricing?

[TomE]

So when do we think the phone calls will start for i4FE 2nd deposits?

I believe some people started getting emails yesterday with their personalised link to configure and pay next deposit.

 

[Matthaus]

I believe some people started getting emails yesterday with their personalised link to configure and pay next deposit.

This is very interesting news, as I put the deposit on pre Goodwood rush one would hope mine would be quite soon.

Would love to know the percentage of pre Goodwood that when v6 but would imagine it was high.

 

[TomE]

I believe around 60% of UK deposits in the first 2-3 months went for V6 FE. The other 40% of course includes some potential V6 Base as well as i4 FE and Base.

 

[Speedluvver]

This is very interesting news, as I put the deposit on pre Goodwood rush one would hope mine would be quite soon.

Would love to know the percentage of pre Goodwood that when v6 but would imagine it was high.

give customer care a ping - I had pinged them the day before asking about the process and they called me yesterday - although my email says V6 and I don't yet have a config code

 

[AGP]

So when do we think the phone calls will start for i4FE 2nd deposits?

This is the reply I had from customer care on Wednesday when I asked about the second deposits for the I4FE

Thank you for your email.

I apologise we have not yet had communication from factory on early depositors proceeding with their configurations however we do expect this to be very soon. This will either be a call or email. Rest assured your orders will remain the priority for production when the time comes.

 

[JimH]

This is the reply I had from customer care on Wednesday when I asked about the second deposits for the I4FE

Thank you for your email.

I apologise we have not yet had communication from factory on early depositors proceeding with their configurations however we do expect this to be very soon. This will either be a call or email. Rest assured your orders will remain the priority for production when the time comes.

I had that one too when enquiring last week…..

 

[TomE]

This is the reply I had from customer care on Wednesday when I asked about the second deposits for the I4FE

Thank you for your email.

I apologise we have not yet had communication from factory on early depositors proceeding with their configurations however we do expect this to be very soon. This will either be a call or email. Rest assured your orders will remain the priority for production when the time comes.

So basically one part of Lotus saying another part of Lotus still haven’t told them what’s going on. “Factory” are supposed to keep Customer Care briefed so they can handle enquiries.

Comms to i4 deposit holders was supposed to be on 8 April. That was trailed weeks ago. Missed again, broken promises again. And this is now the fifth time Lotus have missed the date for contacting i4 depositors.

 

[EM33RA]

So basically one part of Lotus saying another part of Lotus still haven’t told them what’s going on. “Factory” are supposed to keep Customer Care briefed so they can handle enquiries.

Comms to i4 deposit holders was supposed to be on 8 April. That was trailed weeks ago. Missed again, broken promises again. And this is now the fifth time Lotus have missed the date for contacting i4 depositors.

I understand everyone’s point of view. We get on the forum to chat and vent. This is widespread across the whole industry, especially with so many variables at the moment globally.

For example, Tesla has sold a million plus cyber trucks with zero updates. In Australia Tesla have even removed the model X & S from their website, with we will let you know when things change (hence, radio silence). Audi, Mercedes, Porsche etc the same across multiple new models in Australia. In short no big deal, there’s even an 8 months wait on a bloody bog standard Kia at the moment with zero updates, sorry don’t call us we will call you.

You’re getting the car as soon as they can make it, as they are a business and want to sell every single car they can full stop.

The first time I’ll see my Emira is at the dealership and was 100% prepared for that when I bought it sight unseen. Can’t change things and it is what it is…

 

[Eagle7]

I understand everyone’s point of view. We get on the forum to chat and vent. This is widespread across the whole industry, especially with so many variables at the moment globally.

For example, Tesla has sold a million plus cyber trucks with zero updates. In Australia Tesla have even removed the model X & S from their website, with we will let you know when things change (hence, radio silence). Audi, Mercedes, Porsche etc the same across multiple new models in Australia. In short no big deal, there’s even an 8 months wait on a bloody bog standard Kia at the moment with zero updates, sorry don’t call us we will call you.

You’re getting the car as soon as they can make it, as they are a business and want to sell every single car they can full stop.

The first time I’ll see my Emira is at the dealership and was 100% prepared for that when I bought it sight unseen. Can’t change things and it is what it is…

Well put. Rancor and bitterness isn't going to improve the situation or make anything better for anyone. If this were exclusively a Lotus problem, then it would be something to be concerned about, but it's not. Seems to be pretty much the industry norm right now.

 

[digilotus]

Well put. Rancor and bitterness isn't going to improve the situation or make anything better for anyone. If this were exclusively a Lotus problem, then it would be something to be concerned about, but it's not. Seems to be pretty much the industry norm right now.

Agree, but that doesn't make it right.

If Geely are positioning Lotus as the premium brand then you'd expect above average customer service. At the moment we would get much better customer service from Volvo, Geely's 'mid tier' brand.

 

[Eagle7]

Agree, but that doesn't make it right.

If Geely are positioning Lotus as the premium brand then you'd expect above average customer service. At the moment we would get much better customer service from Volvo, Geely's 'mid tier' brand.

No it isn't right, and as is often the case, adversity provides opportunity. Just as Lotus has shown the world you can make a car with supercar looks without supercar prices, this is a great opportunity to show the world how to provide excellent customer service in the face of everything that's going on. Just takes someone with the authority to make the decision and set it in motion.

Give me a chat Lotus. For a consultant fee, I can work up a winning strategy and get you on the right track.

 

[TomE]

I’d be more forgiving of Lotus if it was just radio silence like many other marques.

But they’ve repeatedly made promises about the timing of next updates and then missed them. And not reset expectations.

I’ve spoken about it twice with Matt and other senior Lotus directors and they’ve acknowledged they need to get better. Then nothing changes.

They even undertook to sort out the missed updates to i4 deposit holders back in January with “a simple email”. Still not done.

I’m happy to buy my car unseen and based on limited info. Many others aren’t.

 

[AGP]

I’d be more forgiving of Lotus if it was just radio silence like many other marques.

But they’ve repeatedly made promises about the timing of next updates and then missed them. And not reset expectations.

I’ve spoken about it twice with Matt and other senior Lotus directors and they’ve acknowledged they need to get better. Then nothing changes.

They even undertook to sort out the missed updates to i4 deposit holders back in January with “a simple email”. Still not done.

I’m happy to buy my car unseen and based on limited info. Many others aren’t.

^^This 100%, I haven't got a problem with delays, but there's no excuse for giving endless time lines that don't happen with no communication updates whatsoever, unless we make contact with Lotus.

 

[Singularity]

^^This 100%, I haven't got a problem with delays, but there's no excuse for giving endless time lines that don't happen with no communication updates whatsoever, unless we make contact with Lotus.

I second this point of view. I don't mind delays (stuff happens), I don't even mind an e-mail when promised say 'Sorry, we promised to let you know blah blah .. but due to X or Y or Z we can't do that just now, but we will update you again on .... '. An apology is understandable and goes a long way to securing ongoing loyalty.

The thing that really irks is the silence or a deflecting e-mail like the contract options - if they leave a communications vacuum then we will naturally fill it ourselves.

Seriously, this is basic, professional comms skills - it's not even marketing specific!

 

[VulcanGrey]

I see a lot of people complaining about due dates, and demanding specific information about aspects of the cars that might not have eve passed validation yet.

I'm not sure people know how difficult the situation in manufacturing is right now, all over the world, and has been during covid!

It's insane out there! I work in design engineering for a manufacturing company in the US. We use steel, stainless steel, high strength aluminum alloys, high strength steel alloys, bearings, electronics, motors, switches, LEDs, valves, belts... It's all almost impossible to get, and if you can get some, then the lead times are like 52 weeks! We have a sheet metal supplier that asked us if we would accept thicker gauge cold rolled steel instead of the thinner stainless we use, that was a redesign and could potentially rust. We have a major spring vendor ask if we would accept stainless steel springs instead of the normal spring steel, even though they would be half as strong as we need. We might have to entirely redesign the electronics for the PLC and HMI to some thing else that we might not be able to get! We can't get belts, we use a custom belt, and they have probably decided to focus on the non-custom stuff to keep as many customers as happy as possible..

Any planning and forecasting of stock and therefore sales and deliveries to customers is extremely difficult, and that's for an existing product. Not to mention how hard it would be to bring a new product to market that has to undergo 3rd party testing and validation, regulatory acceptance and all that!

I'm on the list, I could have a V6 FE in the fall, but I wanted a 4cyl, then I see they won't be available in the US until winter 2023-2024! Complain all you want, but it won't make the car come any sooner!

 

[Jonhklee]

I see a lot of people complaining about due dates, and demanding specific information about aspects of the cars that might not have eve passed validation yet.

I'm not sure people know how difficult the situation in manufacturing is right now, all over the world, and has been during covid!

It's insane out there! I work in design engineering for a manufacturing company in the US. We use steel, stainless steel, high strength aluminum alloys, high strength steel alloys, bearings, electronics, motors, switches, LEDs, valves, belts... It's all almost impossible to get, and if you can get some, then the lead times are like 52 weeks! We have a sheet metal supplier that asked us if we would accept thicker gauge cold rolled steel instead of the thinner stainless we use, that was a redesign and could potentially rust. We have a major spring vendor ask if we would accept stainless steel springs instead of the normal spring steel, even though they would be half as strong as we need. We might have to entirely redesign the electronics for the PLC and HMI to some thing else that we might not be able to get! We can't get belts, we use a custom belt, and they have probably decided to focus on the non-custom stuff to keep as many customers as happy as possible..

Any planning and forecasting of stock and therefore sales and deliveries to customers is extremely difficult, and that's for an existing product. Not to mention how hard it would be to bring a new product to market that has to undergo 3rd party testing and validation, regulatory acceptance and all that!

I'm on the list, I could have a V6 FE in the fall, but I wanted a 4cyl, then I see they won't be available in the US until winter 2023-2024! Complain all you want, but it won't make the car come any sooner!

I’m totally in the “I will get it when it is ready” camp…..
Good things come to those who wait.

 

[AGP]

I see a lot of people complaining about due dates, and demanding specific information about aspects of the cars that might not have eve passed validation yet.

I'm not sure people know how difficult the situation in manufacturing is right now, all over the world, and has been during covid!

It's insane out there! I work in design engineering for a manufacturing company in the US. We use steel, stainless steel, high strength aluminum alloys, high strength steel alloys, bearings, electronics, motors, switches, LEDs, valves, belts... It's all almost impossible to get, and if you can get some, then the lead times are like 52 weeks! We have a sheet metal supplier that asked us if we would accept thicker gauge cold rolled steel instead of the thinner stainless we use, that was a redesign and could potentially rust. We have a major spring vendor ask if we would accept stainless steel springs instead of the normal spring steel, even though they would be half as strong as we need. We might have to entirely redesign the electronics for the PLC and HMI to some thing else that we might not be able to get! We can't get belts, we use a custom belt, and they have probably decided to focus on the non-custom stuff to keep as many customers as happy as possible..

Any planning and forecasting of stock and therefore sales and deliveries to customers is extremely difficult, and that's for an existing product. Not to mention how hard it would be to bring a new product to market that has to undergo 3rd party testing and validation, regulatory acceptance and all that!

I'm on the list, I could have a V6 FE in the fall, but I wanted a 4cyl, then I see they won't be available in the US until winter 2023-2024! Complain all you want, but it won't make the car come any sooner!

With all due respect, you're missing what most of us have said. We fully understand the complications regarding the sourcing and manufacturing and we are not expecting a delivery date for the I4FE at this point. We are awaiting to configure the car and pay the second deposit. Lotus told us by email on the 16th March (only 3 weeks ago) that this was going to be on the 8th April.
We received no further communication, once again.
I work for an Electronic design house and look after the manufacturing side of the business,
It's been a very tough 2 years but we have just had a record year.
This has been done by good planning and excellent communication with suppliers and customers alike.
I'm sorry but the lack of communication can't be excused.
Its terrible customer service.

 

[Jonhklee]

Feast on this excellent video of AMG M139 tech explained and some interior engine sounds at full throttle….
Seriously looking forward to it in an Lotus!

 

[Rudolph]

* * * * *
Re: ......Feast on this excellent video of AMG M139 tech explained and some interior engine sounds at full throttle….

Very impressive engine indeed..........
Direct injection........and no fear of carbonisation of the valves..........?
Let's see.

 

[Watstone]

* * * * *
Re: ......Feast on this excellent video of AMG M139 tech explained and some interior engine sounds at full throttle….

Very impressive engine indeed..........
Direct injection........and no fear of carbonisation of the valves..........?
Let's see.

Who in they're right mind would pick a antiquated, heavy V6 over the M139. Probably the most technologically advanced engine in the mainstream automotive world.