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To be fair, Lotus has been staggeringly unlucky since the Emira launch: COVID pandemic, Ukraine war, US and European tariffs on Chinese EVs, and now the tariff war. They just can't catch a break. Unfortunately they compounded this bad luck with a couple of major strategic blunders and...

I agree. I'm afraid they're in real trouble and totally reliant on Li Shufu's willingness to keep funding their massive losses so his automotive empire can include a prestige sportscar brand with racing heritage.

Not for cars. 25% on cars.

They can't keep all the workers if the US market is closed to Lotus for the foreseeable future. US has been accounting for about one-third of Emira sales, so it's a major blow to the business. Sadly, they've also lost several of the key Emira design team since merging the Hethel team in with...

They also pulled out because Lotus took 2+ years to deliver on some of those deposits!

Current UK government EV policy is that "small volume car maker" means manufacturing less than 2,500 cars a year. Perhaps this will change given events, but at the moment Lotus Cars doesn't qualify because Emira volumes are well above this. On the other hand, if the US market is no longer...

But the US is a LHD market and the UK is RHD?

No, the reciprocal tariff doesn't stack on top of the 25% auto tariff. Here's the official policy statement from the White House: Some goods will not be subject to the Reciprocal Tariff. These include: (1) articles subject to 50 USC 1702(b); (2) steel/aluminum articles and autos/auto parts...

I think that's just a special exception for Canada and Mexico because of the CUSMA agreement. AFAIK, it does not apply to cars made in Europe, UK, China, Korea, etc. But who knows? Trump could easily change his mind if he wakes up in a good mood tomorrow.

Don't think that's the way the tariff works. If the car is imported, it is taxed 25%, regardless of whether or not it contains some US-sourced parts. The parts only matter for cars built in the USA.

I struggle to see how Lotus can continue selling the Emira in the United States. The 25% tariff can only be absorbed by three potential parties: Lotus, the car dealers, or the American consumer. In the investor calls, Lotus has indicated that margins on the Emira are already unacceptably...

Eagle, you are destroying a thread that is supposed to be about discussing the impact of possible tariffs on the Lotus Emira. Please just stop.

This video about McLaren paint issues is interesting from an Emira POV. Having visited Hethel, I've always wondered whether poor storage of the Teijin panels could be the cause of the blistering paint.

Can we talk about cars again?

I'm pretty sure they're also composite, but they are supplied by a different company, not Teijin. The Teijing panels have been suffering the issues with osmosis.

This is consistent with what Lotus has said since the early days of Emira. They've always indicated that the V6 would be around for just a few years and that the AMG engine would bridge them to an electric sports car. For this reason I've always assumed that models like the R would be based on...

Supercar has become so overused as a term. I don't think even an entry-level Ferrari or Lambo is a "supercar". It's just a great sports car. Surely to be a genuine supercar you have to be talking about something extraordinary like an F40, 918 or the P1. The term has been misused so often...

That's just not true. Lotus themselves have only ever set a target of 5,000 Emiras per year and the Hethel factory is only designed to build that many. They hit that number last year, but I suspect they won't be able to sustain it in 2025.

Most of the EV makers had a nice pump after Trump hinted at softer tariffs. BTW, Geely is clearly running out of patience, having just parachuted in two senior Polestar execs to try and turn around terrible Chinese sales.

Just some masking tape stuck to the unpainted back of the door? Should be able to carefully remove it.

In some ways it's good news--- you got your blisters while you're still covered by the warranty!

I can help with your confusion. Meridian is very nice, but Nimbus is the best color. :D

Good effort!

Are you mixing up recalls and TSBs? AFAIK, Australian TSBs aren't public information?

Not much left, I'm afraid. I'm expecting the next financial results update to be a train wreck. Even if Emira is still selling at 5,000 units per year (which it probably isn't), the other two vehicles are an absolute and utter failure. And I'm not sure that sticking a hybrid engine into them...

Yes and no. Lotus Cars Ltd is still an independent company and not owned by Lotus Technology, but: 1. Lotus Technology has an option to acquire Lotus Cars whenever it wants 2. Lotus Technology has the exclusive rights to market and distribute all cars made by Hethel worldwide 3. I'm 90%...

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the Geely or L Catterton board room! Lotus Technology shares closed yesterday at a new 52-week low of $1.48. Over the past year, the share price is down -82%. On the day of the Nasdaq SPAC, the shares closed at $13.80, so Lotus has lost about 90% of its...

My conspiracy theory is that Lotus's attempted change in warranty is linked to the compensation they negotiated with Teijin Automotive, the body panel provider.

Buick, Cadillac, Chevy, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Jeep, Lincoln, Lucid, Ram, Rivian, Tesla. Nope, just don't agree with you. In Europe, Ford is a shadow of what it was 20 years ago but is still well-regarded and "part of the fabric" in countries like the UK. Tesla has done an amazing job in...

Agree, that's an odd one. Most reviews praise the hydraulic steering.

Big price difference! As tested, the 911 was £145,000 and the Aston was £165,000. I'll happily accept 4th place against that group. I wonder if the Turbo SE would have done worse or better?

Correct. I recognise several of the names.

Shocking good, I hope?

Validates the theory that this is a batch issue, rather than all cars being impacted. Matching doors come from the same "bad batch" so might as well replace them both

Feels a bit "Ferrari wannabe" to me.

That's a dealer extended warranty though, not a genuine Lotus warranty. TBH, unless they're from a manufacturer like the Porsche Approved Warranty, most extended car warranties are close to worthless. You have to drill into the details of the exclusions and maintenance requirements to find...

Agree. It's hideous.

Color is incredibly subjective. You may hate it, but other people will love it.