Deposit paid...now just waiting

[boisecrawfords]

There was no question I wanted an Emira when it was around $70k, but now at around $100k? I am in Boise, ID so no Lotus dealer nearby, which also gives me cold feet. However I was in China last week and they happened to have my exact spec, minus the tan interior. After sitting in it and seeing it in person, I am sure I made the right choice. Am I irritated about the price increase, lack of communication, poor order management, and so much more? Yes! But do I still want one? Yes...

Full disclosure, I think the C8 is actually a far better value, but it is so BIG. My garage is not large, nor am I, so something smaller has more appeal. Also, C8s are EVERYWHERE around here, and I'm interested in something a bit different.

So....last week I finalized my order and got the order confirmation from Lotus yesterday. I selected the i4 because I believe it is WAY detuned for the Emira and there will be all kinds of options to dial it up, if desired. Time will tell if I screwed up. I figure if nothing else I should be able to sell it shortly after purchase for close to what I paid for it, as there are some people out there who are just tired of waiting and will pay extra to have it now.

 

[DJManc]

There was no question I wanted an Emira when it was around $70k, but now at around $100k? I am in Boise, ID so no Lotus dealer nearby, which also gives me cold feet. However I was in China last week and they happened to have my exact spec, minus the tan interior. After sitting in it and seeing it in person, I am sure I made the right choice. Am I irritated about the price increase, lack of communication, poor order management, and so much more? Yes! But do I still want one? Yes...

Full disclosure, I think the C8 is actually a far better value, but it is so BIG. My garage is not large, nor am I, so something smaller has more appeal. Also, C8s are EVERYWHERE around here, and I'm interested in something a bit different.

So....last week I finalized my order and got the order confirmation from Lotus yesterday. I selected the i4 because I believe it is WAY detuned for the Emira and there will be all kinds of options to dial it up, if desired. Time will tell if I screwed up. I figure if nothing else I should be able to sell it shortly after purchase for close to what I paid for it, as there are some people out there who are just tired of waiting and will pay extra to have it now.

Hi Eric. Congratulations on your order. Did you get to do a test drive in an i4 in China?

 

[boisecrawfords]

Hi Eric. Congratulations on your order. Did you get to do a test drive in an i4 in China?

No, but even if they offered I would have said no. Shenzhen has the craziest drivers I've ever seen, no way I would drive ANYTHING in that city. Based on the reviews it sounds like the i4 has some shifting logic issues, but hoping that will be resolved with a software update by the time I get mine. I've been advised March/April.

 

[PsymonR]

There was no question I wanted an Emira when it was around $70k, but now at around $100k? I am in Boise, ID so no Lotus dealer nearby, which also gives me cold feet. However I was in China last week and they happened to have my exact spec, minus the tan interior. After sitting in it and seeing it in person, I am sure I made the right choice. Am I irritated about the price increase, lack of communication, poor order management, and so much more? Yes! But do I still want one? Yes...

Full disclosure, I think the C8 is actually a far better value, but it is so BIG. My garage is not large, nor am I, so something smaller has more appeal. Also, C8s are EVERYWHERE around here, and I'm interested in something a bit different.

So....last week I finalized my order and got the order confirmation from Lotus yesterday. I selected the i4 because I believe it is WAY detuned for the Emira and there will be all kinds of options to dial it up, if desired. Time will tell if I screwed up. I figure if nothing else I should be able to sell it shortly after purchase for close to what I paid for it, as there are some people out there who are just tired of waiting and will pay extra to have it now.

Hi @boisecrawfords welcome to the madness that is the wait for an I4! And good choice with DV

If I were you though, I'd remove the order confirmation picture (or at least obscure some of the details and replace), you're giving away a fair amount of personal information on an open forum there!

 

[Aero]

No, but even if they offered I would have said no. Shenzhen has the craziest drivers I've ever seen, no way I would drive ANYTHING in that city. Based on the reviews it sounds like the i4 has some shifting logic issues, but hoping that will be resolved with a software update by the time I get mine. I've been advised March/April.

Wow that's quick for delivery (Told similar delivery time and been waiting over 2 years for V6). Guess its in line for an i4 since they were advertising immediate order availability for i4s. Did they happen to say what wait it wouldve been for a v6?

 

[boisecrawfords]

Wow that's quick for delivery (Told similar delivery time and been waiting over 2 years for V6). Guess its in line for an i4 since they were advertising immediate order availability for i4s. Did they happen to say what wait it wouldve been for a v6?

To clarify, I paid my initial $5k back in November 2022, which put me as #203 on their list. When I spoke with them about two weeks ago they had submitted through #150, and were opening up a couple slots for the i4, which is how I moved up about 30 slots. I do know that the i4 has a shorter lead time, it sounded like if I wanted the v6 my order would go in around March for a June delivery.

 

[Nova]

There was no question I wanted an Emira when it was around $70k, but now at around $100k? I am in Boise, ID so no Lotus dealer nearby, which also gives me cold feet. However I was in China last week and they happened to have my exact spec, minus the tan interior. After sitting in it and seeing it in person, I am sure I made the right choice. Am I irritated about the price increase, lack of communication, poor order management, and so much more? Yes! But do I still want one? Yes...

Full disclosure, I think the C8 is actually a far better value, but it is so BIG. My garage is not large, nor am I, so something smaller has more appeal. Also, C8s are EVERYWHERE around here, and I'm interested in something a bit different.

So....last week I finalized my order and got the order confirmation from Lotus yesterday. I selected the i4 because I believe it is WAY detuned for the Emira and there will be all kinds of options to dial it up, if desired. Time will tell if I screwed up. I figure if nothing else I should be able to sell it shortly after purchase for close to what I paid for it, as there are some people out there who are just tired of waiting and will pay extra to have it now.

I don't think the Emira was ever $70k... When the Emira was *FIRST* announced, the Base I4 was supposed to start at $60k GBP, which was equivalent to about $83K *at the time*. You also can't ignore the fact that $100k is for a highly optioned FE model, and not a base model with no options. There was never any pricing information for the Base V6 although people expected it to be higher than the Base I4, and not lower.

I would also caution about making any type of predictions on the I4 resale value - very few people want it because it's detuned, which is why you can get an allocation today without waiting. If you are counting on being able to sell it for not much less than what you paid for it... I would reassess that assumption. Why would anyone pay close to the new cost for a used one when they can just order a new one and have it delivered fairly quickly? The long wait is for the V6.

 

[boisecrawfords]

I don't think the Emira was ever $70k... When the Emira was *FIRST* announced, the Base I4 was supposed to start at $60k GBP, which was equivalent to about $83K *at the time*. You also can't ignore the fact that $100k is for a highly optioned FE model, and not a base model with no options. There was never any pricing information for the Base V6 although people expected it to be higher than the Base I4, and not lower.

I would also caution about making any type of predictions on the I4 resale value - very few people want it because it's detuned, which is why you can get an allocation today without waiting. If you are counting on being able to sell it for not much less than what you paid for it... I would reassess that assumption. Why would anyone pay close to the new cost for a used one when they can just order a new one and have it delivered fairly quickly? The long wait is for the V6.

Nova - Are you saying there is no wait for an i4 at your local dealer? Per my dealer the only reason I was able to submit an order was because I have been on the list since Nov 2022. If I wanted to get on the list now he said my order would be about 6-8 months out for an i4. I also find it interesting that you say people don't want the i4 because it is detuned. My experience is just the opposite...the fact that it is detuned and still produces almost the same horsepower as the V6 shows that there is lots of room of improvement if desired.

 

[DerTheDer]

Nova - Are you saying there is no wait for an i4 at your local dealer? Per my dealer the only reason I was able to submit an order was because I have been on the list since Nov 2022. If I wanted to get on the list now he said my order would be about 6-8 months out for an i4. I also find it interesting that you say people don't want the i4 because it is detuned. My experience is just the opposite...the fact that it is detuned and still produces almost the same horsepower as the V6 shows that there is lots of room of improvement if desired.

Its safe to say NO Emira of any edition or engine has hit the US yet. Nova is right in the regards that Americans (not all but alot) want bigger engines. I myself would not ever get a I4, my reason? I don't have one, I just wouldn't. I also stay away from Turbo motors after I popped a few engines with them. You will have to time the market PERFECTLY to make money on this. The US will be saturated here in a few years with better versions and more reliability.

 

[Nova]

Nova - Are you saying there is no wait for an i4 at your local dealer? Per my dealer the only reason I was able to submit an order was because I have been on the list since Nov 2022. If I wanted to get on the list now he said my order would be about 6-8 months out for an i4. I also find it interesting that you say people don't want the i4 because it is detuned. My experience is just the opposite...the fact that it is detuned and still produces almost the same horsepower as the V6 shows that there is lots of room of improvement if desired.

That I don't know... different dealers have different situations, but there were posts on here and on Facebook groups a couple of weeks ago indicating that dealers had available I4 FE spots to anyone who wants them. It was pretty clear that the I4 was not as popular. Otherwise, you wouldn't have full queues for the V6 FE 1.0 and 2.0, but open spots for the I4.

The I4 doesn't produce "almost the same" horsepower as the V6. It produces 40HP less. It does have a fatter HP curve, however, so the end performance is similar. There is no doubt that later I4 versions will provide faster acceleration compared to the V6, and marginally better chassis dynamics due to lighter weight and better weight placement, but the biggest draw of the V6 is the availability of a manual transmission and the availability of 400HP. Some big unknowns about the I4 include whether the 360HP version can be updated to 400HP - not many people are willing to do such mods without warranty protection and it's questionable whether Lotus would do this on their own. Why would they? What's in it for them? They could sell it as an after-sales performance update, I guess, but has Lotus ever done this for past versions of their cars? Aftermarket tuning also has a narrow appeal to customers - many of us are not willing to mess with ECUs on something as complex as the M139. Another big unknown about the I4 is the responsiveness of the DCT transmission that's mentioned in the reviews. Lotus mentions that this has been addressed, but there are doubts... and the doubts will remain until trusted reviews show that it has been resolved.

 

[dgrace]

I selected the i4 because I believe it is WAY detuned for the Emira and there will be all kinds of options to dial it up, if desired.

$100k is a lot to wager on a motor with no warranty. Good luck!

 

[DerTheDer]

$100k is a lot to wager on a motor with no warranty. Good luck!

The I4 has no warranty?

Edit: Ah ok if modded or tuned up.

 

[EyeFour Eemeerah!]

Nova - Are you saying there is no wait for an i4 at your local dealer? Per my dealer the only reason I was able to submit an order was because I have been on the list since Nov 2022. If I wanted to get on the list now he said my order would be about 6-8 months out for an i4. I also find it interesting that you say people don't want the i4 because it is detuned. My experience is just the opposite...the fact that it is detuned and still produces almost the same horsepower as the V6 shows that there is lots of room of improvement if desired.

I bailed on my allocation for a plethora of reasons, but I still get emails from the dealer with offers for i4 allocations…no wait. There are many who have jumped from the list. Perhaps he meant that the i4 might hit these shores in 6-8 months? Who knows at this point, as they have moved the goalposts so many times at this point, it’s comical.

 

[benjh1028]

Its safe to say NO Emira of any edition or engine has hit the US yet. Nova is right in the regards that Americans (not all but alot) want bigger engines. I myself would not ever get a I4, my reason? I don't have one, I just wouldn't. I also stay away from Turbo motors after I popped a few engines with them. You will have to time the market PERFECTLY to make money on this. The US will be saturated here in a few years with better versions and more reliability.

The primary reason for many here -including me - in choosing the V6 over I4 is the manual transmission.