Base model configurator?

[Ronin]

Hi Everyone,

I was just curious if anyone has an idea as to when the configurator for the base model will be available? I think currently it is saying the base will be made available to order in Autumn of 2023. I would think we would be able to use the configurator by now or sometime soon.

Thanks!!

 

[TomE]

When Lotus announced the i4 First Edition pricing in April, they said Base Edition options pricing would be published in September.

In light of the two lots of delays to start of production since April, I asked them last week if Base info was still coming in September and Lotus couldn’t confirm timing.

My guess is they’d like to get the order book open and take specs and deposits sooner rather than later. That would help with parts ordering, given supply chain issues. But with the delays and increases to energy and materials costs I suspect they’re worried about pricing for 2023 and may delay publication.

I don’t think we’ll see first Base Edition cars being delivered until mid 2023. That may mean options pricing and configurator not being published until as late as December.

 

[Ronin]

When Lotus announced the i4 First Edition pricing in April, they said Base Edition options pricing would be published in September.

In light of the two lots of delays to start of production since April, I asked them last week if Base info was still coming in September and Lotus couldn’t confirm timing.

My guess is they’d like to get the order book open and take specs and deposits sooner rather than later. That would help with parts ordering, given supply chain issues. But with the delays and increases to energy and materials costs I suspect they’re worried about pricing for 2023 and may delay publication.

I don’t think we’ll see first Base Edition cars being delivered until mid 2023. That may mean options pricing and configurator not being published until as late as December.

Thank you very much for the reply. I appreciate it!

 

[Captain.Kirk]

When Lotus announced the i4 First Edition pricing in April, they said Base Edition options pricing would be published in September.

In light of the two lots of delays to start of production since April, I asked them last week if Base info was still coming in September and Lotus couldn’t confirm timing.

My guess is they’d like to get the order book open and take specs and deposits sooner rather than later. That would help with parts ordering, given supply chain issues. But with the delays and increases to energy and materials costs I suspect they’re worried about pricing for 2023 and may delay publication.

I don’t think we’ll see first Base Edition cars being delivered until mid 2023. That may mean options pricing and configurator not being published until as late as December.

When I talked to my dealer last week (on the phone actually!) he said that I would be able to spec my base V6 in the next month so based on what he knows it sounds as though the autumn target will be met (hopefully). I was hoping originally for a FE V6 but since he said I wouldn’t be able to get one he told me about the base V6 configurator being available soon. So hopefully by the end of September as we’re then into autumn on September 22nd. For what it’s worth. 🤞

 

[BaseM139Waiter]

I am refreshing the web everyday, hopefully will see it before 2023…

 

[Lotustoronto]

My guess is end of September/first week of October. Gives first base orders a couple months to decide options. Order Lock dates start jan 2023. I would imagine they need a min. of 6 months prior to a Base unit production start. Exception if the F/E's are delayed any further.

 

[Lotustoronto]

Considering FE cars don’t start delivering stateside until March at the earliest, I would think base models won’t start delivering until the end of the year!

delivery yes... But production starts in January (assuming no further delays), As per Gator Motorsport they are "locking" base V6 orders starting January '23 for May/June production. First delivery would probably be July/Aug. I would think they need to know what amount of parts to order for the first run well in advance given the current parts shortage.

 

[Lotustoronto]

Well let's see... first FE orders for the States were due last March... first deliveries are targeted March next year (if we are lucky). All I'm saying is what they say and what actually happens is not the same thing. Time will tell, but if history is anything to go by, don't get your hopes up. Peeps in the UK know this all too well.

You're probably right.

 

[TomE]

Well let's see... first FE orders for the States were due last March... first deliveries are targeted March next year (if we are lucky). All I'm saying is what they say and what actually happens is not the same thing. Time will tell, but if history is anything to go by, don't get your hopes up. Peeps in the UK know this all too well.

I don't think it was ever the case the first FEs would be in the US for March. At the reveal in July 2021 it was intended for first customer FEs to be delivered in the UK in April/May (May more likely). First EU and US cars were due to start being built 2-3 months after that. The EU cars would therefore have started being delivered around July. The US cars would have needed to be shipped and go through customs and logistics, so I doubt there would have been any in customer hands until September or maybe August.

Was it a US dealer who said March 2022 for first US deliveries?

 

[Eagle7]

I don't think it was ever the case the first FEs would be in the US for March. At the reveal in July 2021 it was intended for first customer FEs to be delivered in the UK in April/May (May more likely). First EU and US cars were due to start being built 2-3 months after that. The EU cars would therefore have started being delivered around July. The US cars would have needed to be shipped and go through customs and logistics, so I doubt there would have been any in customer hands until September or maybe August.

Was it a US dealer who said March 2022 for first US deliveries?

 

[Captain.Kirk]

delivery yes... But production starts in January (assuming no further delays), As per Gator Motorsport they are "locking" base V6 orders starting January '23 for May/June production. First delivery would probably be July/Aug. I would think they need to know what amount of parts to order for the first run well in advance given the current parts shortage.

Yes, I was told by my dealer last week the same thing that I would have to lock down my final spec by early January ‘23 for a late summer build. Seems a long way off now but life seems to move at a crazy pace and all of a sudden your car is ready for delivery. I always think on the positive side of things.

 

[ksegg]

I would think they need to know what amount of parts to order for the first run well in advance given the current parts shortage.

Why can't they just figure this part out, then order 5x what they need?

Supply chain isn't rocket science.

 

[Lotustoronto]

Why can't they just figure this part out, then order 5x what they need?

Supply chain isn't rocket science.

I would think storage is big issue, plus most manufacturers adopt "just in time" manufacturing... for Toyota it's like 3 days worth of parts storage at factory, for other manufacturers could be weeks...I agree lotus should look into parts storage going forward, but I don't think that is how modern factories/purchase ordering/logistics works these days unfortunately.

 

[ksegg]

I would think storage is big issue, plus most manufacturers adopt "just in time" manufacturing... for Toyota it's like 3 days worth of parts storage at factory, for other manufacturers could be weeks...I agree lotus should look into parts storage going forward, but I don't think that is how modern factories/purchase ordering/logistics works these days unfortunately.

They have billions of investment money from Geely, and they didn't think to build a large storage facility for cataloging parts inventory?

The pandemic has taught us JIT no longer applies. Hell, it was BECAUSE of JIT that started this entire mess.

We now live very much in a "hoard parts when you can" world now.

So start hoarding.

The more I learn about Lotus, the more I'm learning they have entire departments and processes missing.

If they want to make it big, then start playing like the big boys. Scale, and scale aggressively.

To me, organizational delays = we are missing:

1.) New Staff
2.) Departmental Processes
3.) Existing Software Systems Tech Debt
3a.) New Software Systems needed but require implementation.
4.) Workflow Inefficiences
5.) Existing Staff/Labor Issues.
6.) Vendor Inefficiencies
7.) Contract Issues.

 

[Clam]

Why can't they just figure this part out, then order 5x what they need?

Supply chain isn't rocket science.

Agree - work a contract to stagger parts deliveries across the production years so Lotus pays less up-front and inventory management costs. They have more than enough data to make informed decisions.

Since I'm missing the FE train, I need the Base v6 configurator to go live already... to maintain sanity. 🙏

 

[ksegg]

Agree - work a contract to stagger parts deliveries across the production years so Lotus pays less up-front and inventory management costs. They have more than enough data to make informed decisions.

Since I'm missing the FE train, I need the Base v6 configurator to go live already... to maintain sanity. 🙏

IMO, any and all deficiencies/inefficiencies needed to have been pre-emptively identified and planned prior to launch, so fast-tracking could be put into place if the demand and interest soared above initial expectations - which is what happened.

They clearly did not do this.

 

[TomE]

Well let's see... first FE orders for the States were due last March... first deliveries are targeted March next year (if we are lucky). All I'm saying is what they say and what actually happens is not the same thing. Time will tell, but if history is anything to go by, don't get your hopes up. Peeps in the UK know this all too well.

I don't think it was ever the case the first FEs would be in the US for March [2022]. At the reveal in July 2021 it was intended for first customer FEs to be delivered in the UK in April/May (May more likely) [2022]. First EU and US cars were due to start being built 2-3 months after that. The EU cars would therefore have started being delivered around July [2022]. The US cars would have needed to be shipped and go through customs and logistics, so I doubt there would have been any in customer hands until September or maybe August [2022].

Was it a US dealer who said March 2022 for first US deliveries?

View attachment 8354

I don't see anywhere in that letter where it says original US deliveries were going to be in March 2022, which is what was said in the post I was replying to. I've annotated my post in the quote above to clarify the dates are 2022.

 

[EspritGuy]

I don't see anywhere in that letter where it says original US deliveries were going to be in March 2022, which is what was said in the post I was replying to. I've annotated my post in the quote above to clarify the dates are 2022.

Whatever the calendar was, was blown to bits.
Expectations were collateral damage.
Triage is now underway.

The statement 'worth the wait' is being stress-tested.
Sorry, I meant depositors.

 

[Eagle7]

I don't see anywhere in that letter where it says original US deliveries were going to be in March 2022, which is what was said in the post I was replying to. I've annotated my post in the quote above to clarify the dates are 2022.

Oh, that was just the latest letter for March 2023. The earliest I recall any car was originally supposed to arrive in the U.S. was October of this year, but that letter shows it's all been pushed into 2023. My dealer originally told me way back when, that U.S. production was supposed to start in September 2022, and go through November, with first cars being delivered in October 2022, and all U.S. cars were to be delivered by the end of December 2022.

The order months in the U.S. for the V6 FE were March, April and May of this year, and that's when I was told this. My order went in in April.

 

[Beady]

looking forward to this going live in uk 1st September as previously indicated … oh hang on ….