New member from UK - Emira on order

[Nick P]

Hi.

I've had an Emira on order since last August (2023)

As a first post this is probably not a particularly positive one but I suspect I'm not alone in my experience. Here's my timeline:

Order placed August '23 (V6 Auto, Nimbus Grey, Black pack)

Received an email from Lotus in September stating that my car build would start in Q1 2023...which was slightly odd as that was in the past ;-)
Customer service confirmed that this was an error and should have been Q1 2024.

Received a text at the end of October with a link to finalize my spec. Unfortunately the link was incorrect. A few exchanges with customer service sorted this and I confirmed my spec (precisely as I had ordered in August) on 5th November.

In January '24 I contacted customer service to see if they had any news on my car's production date. They didn't.

I did the same again in late March. Customer service have yet to reply.

In hindsight I (rather foolishly) moved money around and even removed a private number plate from another car (to eventually go on to the Emira) so that I was absolutely 100% ready to go at the end of March ie the end or 1Q when Lotus said the car was being built.

On Tuesday this week I did the factory tour (which was absolutely fantastic)...but would have been even better had I known that my car was soon to be making its way along the line! The factory tour guide attempted to find a production date for my car but, unfortunately, was unable to find anything....tbh, I wasn't looking for a date...just a month or even a quarter would have helped.

The most recent annoyance is that I can no longer get to my order on the My Lotus website. Up until a few weeks ago there was a special link on the page for anyone who had placed their order prior to November '23. That link appears to have been removed. I have contacted customer support about this but have yet to receive a reply. I'll try a live chat tomorrow.

Today I paid a visit to my local dealer - Hendy Performance, Southampton. I have used them for test drives and planned to collect the car from them. The sales manager kindly agreed to do some chasing on my behalf so I'll see how he gets on shortly.

Apologies for this being a rather negative first posting! I still love the car and can't wait for mine to arrive but, eight months since ordering and, having had that 1Q 2024 date dangled in front of me, it would be great to get some idea of the production date.

Nick

 

[Superman]

Hi Nick, welcome to the forum... Unfortunately your story is not dissimilar to lots of others - unfortunately Lotus seems incapable of communicating at an appropriate level, let alone with accurate information.

Fingers crossed you get an accurate update 'soon' (Trademarked by Lotus!!).

Stick around on here though, there are lots of friendly & knowledgeable people.

 

[Go Kart]

Have you thought of buying second hand? I thought there were loads of different spec on the market in the UK?

 

[Nick Sticks]

Something changed this last week with the Lotus website and how you look at your order.
I placed my order in January and the My Lotus login is now taking me to a different page than it used to.
The previous page had Order, Personal details and price explanation as well as the ability to download the invoices on it but the "new" page is a 01 pay reservation fee (ticked), 02 Confirm configuration (ticked, but I've never done this other than the initial order) and then 03 In production and highlighted in yellow.
04 Complete checkout is greyed out.
The funny thing is I did occasionally get the new page but usually the other one.
It initially also stated Winter 2023-2024 as the delivery window which would have been amazingly quick as it was already 2024.
I always take plenty of screen grabs when I do orders like this to be able to refer to them later.
Anyway I'm patiently waiting as I'm not expecting it anytime soon.

 

[webfoot]

Very very similar position for me. Also chasing CS.

Try this link to the "older orders" page which still works for me.

Lotus Cars Official Site

www.lotuscars.com

 

[Verdi]

Hi Nick, welcome to the forum... Unfortunately your story is not dissimilar to lots of others - unfortunately Lotus seems incapable of communicating at an appropriate level, let alone with accurate information.

Fingers crossed you get an accurate update 'soon' (Trademarked by Lotus!!).

Stick around on here though, there are lots of friendly & knowledgeable people.

Can I add ‘hopefully’ to your trademarked by Lotus list 😁

 

[Nick P]

Very very similar position for me. Also chasing CS.

Try this link to the "older orders" page which still works for me.

Lotus Cars Official Site

www.lotuscars.com

Thank you. That link worked and I can, once again, see my order.

 

[Nick P]

Have you thought of buying second hand? I thought there were loads of different spec on the market in the UK?

Hi. Not really. Up until a couple of years ago I've always driven older, cheap cars and maintained them myself. I'm at a stage in life now where I have the option to buy new and, illogical though it may be, in my mind there's still something special about having a car made specifically for you.

 

[Nick Sticks]

Have you thought of buying second hand? I thought there were loads of different spec on the market in the UK?

There are quite a few but it's amazing how few options the Emira has can produce so many cars that don't match what I want.
I can only surmise that the people who ordered these didn't have as good a taste when it came to specifying the cars as me.
Oh wait, maybe it's me with really bad taste!

 

[JohnS]

Hi.

I've had an Emira on order since last August (2023)

As a first post this is probably not a particularly positive one but I suspect I'm not alone in my experience. Here's my timeline:

Order placed August '23 (V6 Auto, Nimbus Grey, Black pack)

Received an email from Lotus in September stating that my car build would start in Q1 2023...which was slightly odd as that was in the past ;-)
Customer service confirmed that this was an error and should have been Q1 2024.

Received a text at the end of October with a link to finalize my spec. Unfortunately the link was incorrect. A few exchanges with customer service sorted this and I confirmed my spec (precisely as I had ordered in August) on 5th November.

In January '24 I contacted customer service to see if they had any news on my car's production date. They didn't.

I did the same again in late March. Customer service have yet to reply.

In hindsight I (rather foolishly) moved money around and even removed a private number plate from another car (to eventually go on to the Emira) so that I was absolutely 100% ready to go at the end of March ie the end or 1Q when Lotus said the car was being built.

On Tuesday this week I did the factory tour (which was absolutely fantastic)...but would have been even better had I known that my car was soon to be making its way along the line! The factory tour guide attempted to find a production date for my car but, unfortunately, was unable to find anything....tbh, I wasn't looking for a date...just a month or even a quarter would have helped.

The most recent annoyance is that I can no longer get to my order on the My Lotus website. Up until a few weeks ago there was a special link on the page for anyone who had placed their order prior to November '23. That link appears to have been removed. I have contacted customer support about this but have yet to receive a reply. I'll try a live chat tomorrow.

Today I paid a visit to my local dealer - Hendy Performance, Southampton. I have used them for test drives and planned to collect the car from them. The sales manager kindly agreed to do some chasing on my behalf so I'll see how he gets on shortly.

Apologies for this being a rather negative first posting! I still love the car and can't wait for mine to arrive but, eight months since ordering and, having had that 1Q 2024 date dangled in front of me, it would be great to get some idea of the production date.

Nick

Hello Nick,

Don't loose heart it is worth all the disappointments and setbacks you'll suffer along the way.

The car is an absolute beauty in looks and engineered close to perfection. It handles like no other car I've driven or sat as a passenger. The stylists and engineers have excelled to make this a modern classic in waiting, you will not be disappointed.

The customer service and communication is at the opposite end of the spectrum. How they can get it so wrong just beggars belief. I know this doesn't help but you are getting off lightly with your experience. There are a lot of other forum members who have tales of woe, including myself which could make you laugh with a painfully nervous expression. A word of advice, CS don't reply to emails, always phone and assume their answers are based on their best information of the day, as they are outside the manufacturing loop.

Keep looking for an orphan car close to your spec as one may turn-up and the price may be more acceptable.

By the way, I've just received mine after a 2 year 6 months wait.

I hope this helps, bide you time, all will come right and you will not be disappointed.

John

 

[webfoot]

Hi.

I've had an Emira on order since last August (2023)

As a first post this is probably not a particularly positive one but I suspect I'm not alone in my experience. Here's my timeline:

Order placed August '23 (V6 Auto, Nimbus Grey, Black pack)

Received an email from Lotus in September stating that my car build would start in Q1 2023...which was slightly odd as that was in the past ;-)
Customer service confirmed that this was an error and should have been Q1 2024.

Received a text at the end of October with a link to finalize my spec. Unfortunately the link was incorrect. A few exchanges with customer service sorted this and I confirmed my spec (precisely as I had ordered in August) on 5th November.

In January '24 I contacted customer service to see if they had any news on my car's production date. They didn't.

I did the same again in late March. Customer service have yet to reply.

In hindsight I (rather foolishly) moved money around and even removed a private number plate from another car (to eventually go on to the Emira) so that I was absolutely 100% ready to go at the end of March ie the end or 1Q when Lotus said the car was being built.

On Tuesday this week I did the factory tour (which was absolutely fantastic)...but would have been even better had I known that my car was soon to be making its way along the line! The factory tour guide attempted to find a production date for my car but, unfortunately, was unable to find anything....tbh, I wasn't looking for a date...just a month or even a quarter would have helped.

The most recent annoyance is that I can no longer get to my order on the My Lotus website. Up until a few weeks ago there was a special link on the page for anyone who had placed their order prior to November '23. That link appears to have been removed. I have contacted customer support about this but have yet to receive a reply. I'll try a live chat tomorrow.

Today I paid a visit to my local dealer - Hendy Performance, Southampton. I have used them for test drives and planned to collect the car from them. The sales manager kindly agreed to do some chasing on my behalf so I'll see how he gets on shortly.

Apologies for this being a rather negative first posting! I still love the car and can't wait for mine to arrive but, eight months since ordering and, having had that 1Q 2024 date dangled in front of me, it would be great to get some idea of the production date.

Nick

So as briefly mentioned yesterday, this is very similar to my status.
- V6 Dec 2022 order
- Order confirmed July 2023
- Sept 2023 e-mail stating car will go into production Q1 2023 (sic)
- All other indications Q1 2024 production
- Asked "Lotus Customer Care" six times since February for an update, with no luck so far.
- Was told in in early March 2x Checkout e-mails sent to me (which did not arrive). Checkout option on the "My Lotus" page is still greyed out.

Again here is the link to the "Old Orders" page.

Lotus Cars Official Site

www.lotuscars.com

Noticed this on the Lotus website... are they now concentrating on i4s? If v6 cars go into July will they have to get ADAS?

 

[Nick P]

Hi.

I've had an Emira on order since last August (2023)

As a first post this is probably not a particularly positive one but I suspect I'm not alone in my experience. Here's my timeline:

Order placed August '23 (V6 Auto, Nimbus Grey, Black pack)

Received an email from Lotus in September stating that my car build would start in Q1 2023...which was slightly odd as that was in the past ;-)
Customer service confirmed that this was an error and should have been Q1 2024.

Received a text at the end of October with a link to finalize my spec. Unfortunately the link was incorrect. A few exchanges with customer service sorted this and I confirmed my spec (precisely as I had ordered in August) on 5th November.

In January '24 I contacted customer service to see if they had any news on my car's production date. They didn't.

I did the same again in late March. Customer service have yet to reply.

In hindsight I (rather foolishly) moved money around and even removed a private number plate from another car (to eventually go on to the Emira) so that I was absolutely 100% ready to go at the end of March ie the end or 1Q when Lotus said the car was being built.

On Tuesday this week I did the factory tour (which was absolutely fantastic)...but would have been even better had I known that my car was soon to be making its way along the line! The factory tour guide attempted to find a production date for my car but, unfortunately, was unable to find anything....tbh, I wasn't looking for a date...just a month or even a quarter would have helped.

The most recent annoyance is that I can no longer get to my order on the My Lotus website. Up until a few weeks ago there was a special link on the page for anyone who had placed their order prior to November '23. That link appears to have been removed. I have contacted customer support about this but have yet to receive a reply. I'll try a live chat tomorrow.

Today I paid a visit to my local dealer - Hendy Performance, Southampton. I have used them for test drives and planned to collect the car from them. The sales manager kindly agreed to do some chasing on my behalf so I'll see how he gets on shortly.

Apologies for this being a rather negative first posting! I still love the car and can't wait for mine to arrive but, eight months since ordering and, having had that 1Q 2024 date dangled in front of me, it would be great to get some idea of the production date.

Nick

As an update to the above, I've just had a call from Lotus Online sales to confirm that they still don't have a build date for my car but it's most likely to be towards the end of 2025 than any time soon......yes 2025!....so that will be two and a half years after the order was placed and two years after the date that they had initially said the car would be produced. This is, of course, very disappointing.

 

[peterjr]

I am UK based and it is a bit easier here than further afield to get into an Emira quickly

I have managed to get from initial order to delivery on an Emira Turbo in 4-6 weeks. I have had the car now 3 weeks and have also had a full PPF job (with the roof and A pillar mimicking the black pack), and one trip to service support when the yellow engine light came on, now sorted (earthing problems apparently). It's a great car, and a much more refined ride and experience than my Elise Sport, which I have now sold on.

A few tips - IMO - if you want a v6 then look on line Autotrader or individual major retailer groups etc, and I wouldn't bother waiting for Lotus to make yours in 5 years time - you will grow very old before getting it, plus you will be cocked around by Lotus CS which isn't very good. You will also save money, possibly even £10K on list.

If you want an Emira Turbo (the i4) then look regularly at the cancelled orders that are shown on the Lotus website, which may get close to what you are after. If you get close enough, bingo! Else can you do some things like the black pack or wheels etc yourself. Seats and trim are more difficult.

Or - another tip - keep an eye out for Lotus events at dealerships, where Lotus staff as well as dealer staff might be in attendance, go along and talk to them! Ask them to help you and you never know what can happen....it works. Or as an alternative go to / call the bigger more established Lotus dealerships and get them to find out with Lotus what is in the cancelled stock list that they may be able to get their hands on, which may be close to what you are after.

Just saying that being proactive and keen - that way will possibly get you a car quicker. It does work, or maybe I was just lucky?

...alternatively waiting patiently in a queue - very British, but perhaps then don't moan overly about the wait.

 

[webfoot]

Finally got an update from CS. No current build slot, currently only i4s. Not expecting to build any V6s until 2026.

So my Dec 2022 order with expected build in Q1 2024 has now gone from a 15 months to a 3 year wait. I now wonder will they ever re-start v6 production?

 

[Deeznuss]

Finally got an update from CS. No current build slot, currently only i4s. Not expecting to build any V6s until 2026.

So my Dec 2022 order with expected build in Q1 2024 has now gone from a 15 months to a 3 year wait. I now wonder will they ever re-start v6 production?

What makes you think they won’t restart v6 production?

 

[webfoot]

What makes you think they won’t restart v6 production?

Just speculating. Nearly 2 years is a long time to pause. Lotus CS told me yesterday that production wouldn't be until 2026. But they were also very unsure, and didn't have firm plans.

I always thought that the V6 was to be a shorter life expectancy, with the i4 being for the longer term. 2026 is getting close to the previously announced "end of life" for the Emira.

The indications I received from Lotus was that the 2026 production wouldn't be a First Edition. Which is what I have reserved - not any more...... :-(

 

[JimH]

Just speculating. Nearly 2 years is a long time to pause. Lotus CS told me yesterday that production wouldn't be until 2026. But they were also very unsure, and didn't have firm plans.

I always thought that the V6 was to be a shorter life expectancy, with the i4 being for the longer term. 2026 is getting close to the previously announced "end of life" for the Emira.

The indications I received from Lotus was that the 2026 production wouldn't be a First Edition. Which is what I have reserved - not any more...... :-(

Why wait? Plenty here :

Find Lotus Cars for sale near you | Car Locator | Lotus Cars United Kingdom

View available new or approved used stock from Lotus. Discover what's available near you and drive home your dream Lotus.

www.lotuscars.com

 

[digilotus]

From what I gather there is now a production catchup focus on FE I4s, but V6 manufacturing would be back no later than 2025 not 2026. I expect this will coincide with start of V6 Base model builds.

 

[webfoot]

Why wait? Plenty here :

Find Lotus Cars for sale near you | Car Locator | Lotus Cars United Kingdom

View available new or approved used stock from Lotus. Discover what's available near you and drive home your dream Lotus.

www.lotuscars.com

Thanks yes I have looked there, and considering options.

From what I gather there is now a production catchup focus on FE I4s, but V6 manufacturing would be back no later than 2025 not 2026. I expect this will coincide with start of V6 Base model builds.

I was told yesterday by 2 different Lotus CS staff no V6 delivery until 2026. One did say production would re-start end 2025. But neither knew anything certain. It could very well change backwards or forwards.

 

[PsymonR]

I was told yesterday by 2 different Lotus CS staff no V6 delivery until 2026. One did say production would re-start end 2025. But neither knew anything certain. It could very well change backwards or forwards.

From my experience with the i4 the information that the Lotus CC team get provided with respect to timelines is fairly minimal. For example they were still saying this summer shortly before people started receiving their cars at the end of March! I don't blame the CC team members but they definitely seem to be relatively kept in the dark as to what is happening.