World's first Emira customer delivery?

[eriegz]

Shouldn't "Condition" now say "Used"?

Haha, I know you're joking, but I actually bought a brand new Triumph (guess I have a thing for British brands!) Daytona 675 sportbike some years ago, and on collection day I got really excited to start the bike up and see the odometer reading "0 km", indicating that this brand new bike was mine, all mine.

Instead, to my slight dismay, I put the key in, turned on the ignition, and the LCD display came to life reading "1 km". I asked the salesman why the bike already had 1 km on it, I thought I was buying a brand new bike? etc., and he chuckled and explained to me that some bikes will easily rollover their first kilometer just by being pushed back and forth across the dealership floor during unpacking & delivery! I would've never thought of that, but it made total sense to me after he explained it.

I figure the above is a similar situation.

 

[DJS]

Looks like we just hit another major achievement: first mile driven in a production vehicle!!

View attachment 8684
Source: Lotus Antwerp

#ForTheDesperateToFeelSomethingAnything

At 1 mile it definitely hasn’t had a full PDI

 

[DJS]

Shouldn't "Condition" now say "Used"?

What would you go up to for delivery miles?

Some say anything over 45 miles and the car isnt new, that still seems high to me.

 

[virtualmacho]

Must dig deeper. WHO drove that 1st mile? Check the drivers seat for DNA. We have questions.

And which mode was it driven in?

 

[Scruff111S]

If it's who I think, then at least one of them was a long way pre-reveal

Even before 5th October 2019, which was when i paid my first deposit.

 

[TomE]

Haha, I know you're joking, but I actually bought a brand new Triumph (guess I have a thing for British brands!) Daytona 675 sportbike some years ago, and on collection day I got really excited to start the bike up and see the odometer reading "0 km", indicating that this brand new bike was mine, all mine.

Instead, to my slight dismay, I put the key in, turned on the ignition, and the LCD display came to life reading "1 km". I asked the salesman why the bike already had 1 km on it, I thought I was buying a brand new bike? etc., and he chuckled and explained to me that some bikes will easily rollover their first kilometer just by being pushed back and forth across the dealership floor during unpacking & delivery! I would've never thought of that, but it made total sense to me after he explained it.

I figure the above is a similar situation.

All the Emiras have been driven round the test track at Hethel before final sign off, so they’ve all done more than 1 mile before we get them.

I agree moving them on and off transporters and around the dealership can easily tip them from 0 to 1.

 

[TomE]

Even before 5th October 2019, which was when i paid my first deposit.

Not sure of exact date but it was a long time before the reveal. Certainly not a post Goodwood deposit, as some have been speculating.

Delivering in deposit date order sadly isn’t applying anymore.

 

[Scruff111S]

Not sure of exact date but it was a long time before the reveal. Certainly not a post Goodwood deposit, as some have been speculating.

Delivering in deposit date order sadly isn’t applying anymore.

So in reality, a very early deposit means nothing. So clearly it is not a first come first served system. As i have said before, it now seems to be a names out of the hat system. In that sense, someone could order today and get it first week in October. Yet some early/ pre launch depositors will be lucky if there's is a pre Christmas delivery. I have to admit that this system seems somewhat unfair.

 

[Magicman]

So in reality, a very early deposit means nothing. So clearly it is not a first come first served system. As i have said before, it now seems to be a names out of the hat system. In that sense, someone could order today and get it first week in October. Yet some early/ pre launch depositors will be lucky if there's is a pre Christmas delivery. I have to admit that this system seems somewhat unfair.

I don't think that's quite the case, I think it's more that they're in batches and it's whatever they have the parts to build and what makes sense to batch down the line

 

[ADC]

All the Emiras have been driven round the test track at Hethel before final sign off, so they’ve all done more than 1 mile before we get them.

I agree moving them on and off transporters and around the dealership can easily tip them from 0 to 1.

This is getting shadier by the minute... so you're saying not only do they clock the cars, they rag it beforehand! The very nerve of it!

 

[frazzer]

This is getting shadier by the minute... so you're saying not only do they clock the cars, they rag it beforehand! The very nerve of it!

I know a guy who worked at the Dubai international airport in the 00's, his job was to drive every imported car 1 mile up and down the runway, Bugattis, Ferraris, Lambos and everything you can imagine, he got prima drivea rights

 

[EspritGuy]

Looks like we just hit another major achievement: first mile driven in a production vehicle!!

View attachment 8684
Source: Lotus Antwerp

#ForTheDesperateToFeelSomethingAnything

With cars now going to certain dealers, have key specs previously 'estimated' been formalized:
0-to-60, braking distance, HP?
Can anyone confirm?

 

[eriegz]

Maybe if I keep sharing all of Lotus Antwerp's posts here, it will speed up production and deliveries...

 

[TomE]

So in reality, a very early deposit means nothing. So clearly it is not a first come first served system. As i have said before, it now seems to be a names out of the hat system. In that sense, someone could order today and get it first week in October. Yet some early/ pre launch depositors will be lucky if there's is a pre Christmas delivery. I have to admit that this system seems somewhat unfair.

You’re right that the principle of delivery based on deposit date has been compromised.

There does seem to be an element of batching, still based roughly on deposit date, but it’s not clustered by exact date and appears to depend on some aspects of spec and parts supply. Pre-reveal UK deposits are mostly Oct build, with about 10 in Sept and several in Nov. There’s no obvious pattern and Lotus refuse to explain.

Across countries, it looks like the problems with RHD parts supply mean LHD cars are being delivered sooner but are still mostly based on deposit date. Not clear what the time stagger now is between first LHD and first RHD.

There are also some cancellations and these are being offered to people down the queue with a similar spec, so some people are moving up.

At least within the UK you are still in the first batch. Some of us with pre-reveal deposits are now one or even two months later than people with Goodwood deposits.

 

[TomE]

With cars now going to certain dealers, have key specs previously 'estimated' been formalized:
0-to-60, braking distance, HP?
Can anyone confirm?

The specs for the V6 published on the Lotus website now appear to be the finalised ones. There’s no caveat saying “subject to type approval”, as that’s been obtained.

The emissions figure, for example, has been increased slightly following testing. Lotus confirmed to me this is the final figure, as I noticed the Year 1 VED had increased as a result and queried it. I therefore assume the other figures are also the final ones,, although Lotus refused to confirm that in writing.

 

[Scruff111S]

You’re right that the principle of delivery based on deposit date has been compromised.

There does seem to be an element of batching, still based roughly on deposit date, but it’s not clustered by exact date and appears to depend on some aspects of spec and parts supply. Pre-reveal UK deposits are mostly Oct build, with about 10 in Sept and several in Nov. There’s no obvious pattern and Lotus refuse to explain.

Across countries, it looks like the problems with RHD parts supply mean LHD cars are being delivered sooner but are still mostly based on deposit date. Not clear what the time stagger now is between first LHD and first RHD.

There are also some cancellations and these are being offered to people down the queue with a similar spec, so some people are moving up.

At least within the UK you are still in the first batch. Some of us with pre-reveal deposits are now one or even two months later than people with Goodwood deposits.

In hindsight, perhaps I should have gone to Goodwood 2021 to place my deposit, rather than October 2019. I had thought, and backed up by Lotus, I was the first deposit holder, and therefore was getting the first Emira. Now, it seems, i will be lucky to be in the back end of the first batch. I have to say i am very disappointed with this, and because of this, I will never believe another word from Lotus.

 

[hagen111]

So in reality, a very early deposit means nothing. So clearly it is not a first come first served system. As i have said before, it now seems to be a names out of the hat system. In that sense, someone could order today and get it first week in October. Yet some early/ pre launch depositors will be lucky if there's is a pre Christmas delivery. I have to admit that this system seems somewhat unfair.

I believe it is very 'fair' Emira's get distributed to important markets for Geely in EU and a 'first come first served' principle feels very unfair, if you realize that Emira was also presented at different dates around EU... Also it is common sense for Geely to allocate them to different markets, as that's where the future business is.

It makes no sense to spend all the money to develop a new Lotus Emira to accordingly allocate all first produced cars to an Island, and bet your future on the same island for total EV production. I would actually do it the other way around - ship to international markets first ;-)

 

[TomE]

I believe it is very 'fair' Emira's get distributed to important markets for Geely in EU and a 'first come first served' principle feels very unfair, if you realize that Emira was also presented at different dates around EU... Also it is common sense for Geely to allocate them to different markets, as that's where the future business is.

It makes no sense to spend all the money to develop a new Lotus Emira to accordingly allocate all first produced cars to an Island, and bet your future on the same island for total EV production. I would actually do it the other way around - ship to international markets first ;-)

What’s unfair about first come first served?

The “important markets” in the EU are small for Lotus in comparison to US and UK. EU may be bigger for i4, where emissions taxes heavily penalise the V6.

A region/market based approach would be fair enough if that had been Lotus’ stated intention up front. But they told everyone the deliveries would be broadly in deposit date order, with UK deliveries starting first, then Europe then US then Asia.

The actual delivery sequence we’re now seeing has nothing to do with strategic thinking by Lotus or Geely. It’s entirely based on what parts arrive in what order and therefore what cars they can build and ship.

That’s understandable in the circumstances and driven by the short term desire to generate revenue and keep production staff busy on building saleable product rather than half-built undeliverable stock.

 

[Scruff111S]

I believe it is very 'fair' Emira's get distributed to important markets for Geely in EU and a 'first come first served' principle feels very unfair, if you realize that Emira was also presented at different dates around EU... Also it is common sense for Geely to allocate them to different markets, as that's where the future business is.

It makes no sense to spend all the money to develop a new Lotus Emira to accordingly allocate all first produced cars to an Island, and bet your future on the same island for total EV production. I would actually do it the other way around - ship to international markets first ;-)

Yes, the Emira road show was taken to different parts of the world at different dates. But the launch on the 6th July 2021 from Hethel was live streamed for the whole world to see at the same time. I can only imagine that for Lotus, every market there cars are sold in are important, as it is a world famous brand and needs to have sales in all markets to make the business viable. As an example, if i ordered a new Porsche today, for which I understand there is a 12 month wait, I wouldn't expect to get it before someone who ordered 12 months before me.

 

[kratedisease]

So excited..... just got notification that my Emira will be delivered this week !!

So well worth the wait .... finally !!