Only allowed to choose body-color

[note89]

Hello, all nice to be joining the forums!

I have put down a 15 000 euro deposit with Lotus in Bilbao, Spain.
They have told me that the only thing I can configure on the car is the body color and engine.
No black pack, no wheel options, no interior, etc.

Does anyone else have the same experience?

I have chosen the Dark Verdant, and I'm sure it's gonna be great no matter the other options but
feels a bit strange after watching videos of people doing options in the UK with color samples in the store.

 

[donskibeat]

That sounds a bit odd to me, why should it be any different than what UK (and I assume US etc) customers can choose

 

[Vetracer]

Hello, all nice to be joining the forums!

I have put down a 15 000 euro deposit with Lotus in Bilbao, Spain.
They have told me that the only thing I can configure on the car is the body color and engine.
No black pack, no wheel options, no interior, etc.

Does anyone else have the same experience?

I have chosen the Dark Verdant, and I'm sure it's gonna be great no matter the other options but
feels a bit strange after watching videos of people doing options in the UK with color samples in the store.

Hello

When the car first launched, I called my local Lotus dealer and reserved a spot by paying a £2000 deposit. After about two weeks, they contacted me, refunded my deposit and requested that I configure and pay a deposit via the Lotus website. They promised me that if I forwarded them the reference number, I would not lose my place in the queue.

I was called to configure and pay my second deposit (£3000) last Monday. Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[AlexB]

Hey @note89 - welcome. That really doesn’t sound right at all, but I have we no idea how things are being handled in the rest of Europe. Hopefully someone with a bit more experience can help.

An email to Lotus UK customer care might help if you haven’t already done that?

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

Hello, all nice to be joining the forums!

I have put down a 15 000 euro deposit with Lotus in Bilbao, Spain.
They have told me that the only thing I can configure on the car is the body color and engine.
No black pack, no wheel options, no interior, etc.

Does anyone else have the same experience?

I have chosen the Dark Verdant, and I'm sure it's gonna be great no matter the other options but
feels a bit strange after watching videos of people doing options in the UK with color samples in the store.

hi there , welcome, me new to forum too.

I placed my order in July in same dealership, very convenient for me since I live in Bilbao .
As I was told by the dealership (I trust them since buying a few Land Rover from them over the years) here it doesn't work like in the UK, we don't go straight to Lotus UK deposit but through the dealer.
As I heard up to now themselves don't get updates from Lotus as fast as dealers in UK do.
Example, they don't even have the price for the cost options.
Guess we down here will have to be a little patient until Lotus clears up the big amount of FE deposits in UK and they will inform us then.
I already told the dealership about the deadline 5th nov, see if we spec same as the have done in uk, or at a later stage?
As soon as I find out something will post.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

That's certainly not how they are running the process in Australia, but perhaps your dealer means that you only have to lock in those elements now and can choose the rest later? We have to lock in engine, gearbox, suspension and wheels now but have until mid-January for the colour, etc.

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

That's certainly not how they are running the process in Australia, but perhaps your dealer means that you only have to lock in those elements now and can choose the rest later? We have to lock in engine, gearbox, suspension and wheels now but have until mid-January for the colour, etc.

You are right Nick, what happened in the specific case of note89 is exactly what happened to me with the dealer 3 weeks ago. Then I told them that in the UK they were locking those elements as I read in this forum, and I gave them my specs.
note89, You should call the dealer and let them know your preferences so that they update your request in the system. I guess that's how it goes here.
I wonder whether in the rest of the countries of Continental Europe is the same?
In any case, my feeling is that there is not a clear policy from Lotus and that they keep on changing, at least for Spain, for example, a couple of weeks ago they updated partially the Configurator, where it showed the price for FE V6 manual was around 107K Euros. As of yesterday the price has disappeared from Lotus Spain web page.
On top of that, when you spec in the Configurator in UK version, as you add cost options the price is updated automatically on the top right of the screen. This has never happened in the Spain version.
Furthermore, I called the dealer and they told me that Lotus has not even provided them yet with the cost of the options.
As stated in this Forum many times from others, I wish there was a more transparent / organized communication.
I guess they are overwhelmed and trying to get their act together, so patience is the only way to go.
I'm still going on with the purchase, my final spec which I did two weeks ago and hopefully the dealer introduced in Lotus internal system is:
FE V6 Auto
Nimbus Grey, Sports, Cup2, Black Pack, Yellow Callipers, Alcantara w/yellow stitching, V Shaped Black Rims.
Just my guess, final cost in Spain with this spec is going to be around 115k Euros if they stick wit what showed up in the Configurator 2 weeks ago.
It's just a little annoying not to know the final price at this stage.
Now let's focus on changing the color 200 times more until we have to block it definitely, around January/Feb next Year

 

[TomE]

It's frustrating Lotus can't communicate better, either direct or at least to the dealers.

My understanding is the blue show car currently finishing off the UK dealer tour is then scheduled to go on a tour of European dealers. I don't have any information on locations and dates (come on Lotus, you should publish this!) but expect that means late November and into December.

For other countries, the configurator update and pricing details have been announced shortly before tours start, so maybe that's the approach Lotus will take for Spain.

And let's secretly be thankful there are only 6 colours to keep changing our minds between

 

[note89]

Thanks all for the answers, I will try to communicate with lotus UK, see if they have answers.

When talking to the Bilbao dealer they explicitly told me that I could only choose the color and that the rest would be"something special". I have also asked if there is a date where I can come to the store in Bilbao to look at the car or at least color samples but I got this reply.

At the moment we only have what is seen on the page.

We do not have samples, nor are they going to send us a sample car before May surely.

If I wanted to be able to make any options other than body color and engine I would have to way
until 2023 for delivery.

They have not told us anything, other than what I have explained to you.

Yes, we can choose the exterior color, so if we could configure it in green as you indicate.

And if we can choose the v6 engine, but we do not know which tire or interior it will bring.

They are special units that have been kept quite secret, so that it is something very exclusive for customers who order these units.

However, I already said that if you want it in a very specific way, we wait for it to be configured to your liking, since the quota of the special units is about to close because many more orders have been made than they imagined.

In case you want one of those units, tell me and we will shape it before they close that production.

I rather take the car one year earlier. so I ordered anyway.

Not super impressed with the service so far, my first new car buy.

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

Thanks all for the answers, I will try to communicate with lotus UK, see if they have answers.

When talking to the Bilbao dealer they explicitly told me that I could only choose the color and that the rest would be"something special". I have also asked if there is a date where I can come to the store in Bilbao to look at the car or at least color samples but I got this reply.


If I wanted to be able to make any options other than body color and engine I would have to way
until 2023 for delivery.


I rather take the car one year earlier. so I ordered anyway.

Not super impressed with the service so far, my first new car buy.

Dear note89,
I just had a conversation with the dealership in Bilbao to try to understand:

There seems to be part of misunderstanding:

The explanations you are referring to, might reflect different stages of the info, August, September, October, etc., same as what they said to me during those months, very confusing indeed.

At the beginning, July, the dealers were told by Lotus that there will be a "First Launch" model, not even "First Edition" called at that time for which customers would be able to have an option for buying without being able to choose anything. For that batch, Lotus asked the dealer to say how many the wanted for allocation. I was the first stupid in that list!
Around August they moved to "First Edition", and for that allocation we could choose color and engine only.
September, we could additionally choose transmission.
October, until now:
We shall choose all specs available for FE as per the updated Configurator, including the color, being the color the only thing we will be able to change until 2 or 3 months before production. At this stage, there is no obligation yet as to deadline for configuration. This is only if we opt for "First Edition", what they also tell lately is that FE V6 for Spain will be as the rest of Continental Europe, supposedly one or two months after beginning delivery of UK units (scheduled end of April so far) Therefore , you and me should be expecting our units around June, July if everything goes according to this unsure plan.
Regarding samples, we must distinguish between color and materials samples, Road Show for Europe and Sample car.
For the material samples, the dealer has not received them yet, and they will inform us when they arrive.
For the Road show, they have no information on when it's going to take place, and they don't even know whether this is going to arrive in Spain or not.
For Sample Car to see in the dealership, they expect receiving it not before May 22.
If when they request us to choose between FE V6 or 4cyl AMG, we opt for AMG, we will not be able to expect delivery until 2023.

If you manage to get a more accurate answer form Lotus Customer Service, please share.

I again suggest, not that you need to do it right now, they assure me that when Lotus asks them for the specifics they will contact us, but what I did for my peace of mind is supplying the dealer with my personal configuration. In my case I did it because knowing that I am not going to be able to see the real thing right now, and if I wait for that, I will probably loose the delivery for 2022, which is in my plans and I had clear for myself the V6 anyway.

Please be sure that I am not trying to defend the dealer at all, I am on the same boat as all of us here, but I truly believe that the dealer is struggling with the lack of info from Lotus in proper time.

Bottomline, no need to panic, we have time to configure, to wait for the final price including the options, the dealer will approach us when needed extra info from us, and we will not loose our spot in the List, which is separate from the UK list.

IMHO, I wish Lotus organization would have been more effective, but I guess they are also going through a lot of changes, basically changing the whole business model. Unfortunately, they are not quite ready for the new Global approach. Hope they get their shit together and we can enjoy that beautiful car.

Regards,
Javier

 

[note89]

@Bilbao-Emira Thank you very much for taking the time to give that detailed answer.

> If when they request us to choose between FE V6 or 4cyl AMG, we opt for AMG, we will not be able to expect delivery until 2023.

This I need to double-check with them, I was told I could have an AMG in 2022.
If not I would choose a v6 instead.

Hehe, I did first send them my full spec, that is when they started telling me it was too much info.
I'm 100% sure that would spec if differently now, need to check what I sent in.

But I hope they reach out again before they go ahead with the final details when that time comes around.
Because at that time I would have changed my mind again.

I feel like just flying to the UK for a weekend to look at the car and the colors in person.

Kind Regards
Nils

 

[TomE]

First AMG deliveries were due to be late 2022 but V6 FE demand is high, so Lotus are now suggesting early 2023 for first AMGs.

The grey prototype is in the US and the blue show car is about to start a European tour, so don't fly to the UK as we'll have no viewable cars here after 10 Nov!

The European tour doesn't include Spain but you might fancy a trip somewhere else:

Lotus blog: globe-trotting with the Emira

Latest media release from Lotus. No new info about the car but indications of the countries on the European dealer tour. Anyone spot themselves in the pictures? :) https://media.lotuscars.com/en/blog/globetrotting-with-the-lotus-emira.html

www.emiraforum.com

 

[Leonard]

Surely the misunderstanding here is that bar colour exterior and interior there are no options to speak of.
I am sure that you will be able to spec the colour of the body, wheel, caliper and interior at a future date. The good thing about the First Edition is that it has ALL the options already added. Just as well as choosing a colour is too much for most on here

 

[note89]

@Leonard haha I was actually not too displeased when I could only choose body color.
At least then I don't have to go through an existential crisis choosing black-pack or not or what interior to have XD
but i guess that will be back on at a later date now!

@TomE Hmm okay, I wonder why Lotus have not themselves reached out about that so I would have a chance to change the engine to get the car earlier. But even without any additional cost which I guess the V6 will have, the tax bill will be 12 000 euros more when importing to Portugal.

Thanks for the EU tour, I will have a look where I could go.

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

@Bilbao-Emira Thank you very much for taking the time to give that detailed answer.

> If when they request us to choose between FE V6 or 4cyl AMG, we opt for AMG, we will not be able to expect delivery until 2023.

This I need to double-check with them, I was told I could have an AMG in 2022.
If not I would choose a v6 instead.

Hehe, I did first send them my full spec, that is when they started telling me it was too much info.
I'm 100% sure that would spec if differently now, need to check what I sent in.

But I hope they reach out again before they go ahead with the final details when that time comes around.
Because at that time I would have changed my mind again.

I feel like just flying to the UK for a weekend to look at the car and the colors in person.

Kind Regards
Nils

You are very welcome .
As TomE just replied, his info is more up to date than our dealer.
The only good news so far, is that we don't loose any slot yet since we don't have to make the engine decision until our dealer asks for it, and probably will not have to make that decision until the end of the year.
Since Lotus does not seem to include Spain in the Roadshow, I am thinking wether I can join the roadshow somewhere in France before the end of the year. I will let you know when I find out about locations and/dates.
Regards,
Javier

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

@Leonard haha I was actually not too displeased when I could only choose body color.
At least then I don't have to go through an existential crisis choosing black-pack or not or what interior to have XD
but i guess that will be back on at a later date now!

@TomE Hmm okay, I wonder why Lotus have not themselves reached out about that so I would have a chance to change the engine to get the car earlier. But even without any additional cost which I guess the V6 will have, the tax bill will be 12 000 euros more when importing to Portugal.

Thanks for the EU tour, I will have a look where I could go.

About tax in Spain, definitely only because of the Emissions tax there is a difference of around 4/5.000 Euros on top for the V6 compared to the 4cyl. I was told that in France is even bigger the difference and the percentage of V6 sold will be much less than 4 cyl.

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

@Leonard haha I was actually not too displeased when I could only choose body color.
At least then I don't have to go through an existential crisis choosing black-pack or not or what interior to have XD
but i guess that will be back on at a later date now!

@TomE Hmm okay, I wonder why Lotus have not themselves reached out about that so I would have a chance to change the engine to get the car earlier. But even without any additional cost which I guess the V6 will have, the tax bill will be 12 000 euros more when importing to Portugal.

Thanks for the EU tour, I will have a look where I could go.

Maybe we should move to Gibraltar to save taxes, but then we might be generating a problem for parking space

 

[Rufy]

I noticed also in the italian or german lotus websites, prices disappeared. Should we expect any surprise? or they are just updating the site to have also the options prices?

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

I noticed also in the italian or german lotus websites, prices disappeared. Should we expect any surprise? or they are just updating the site to have also the options prices?

yes all countries in continental Europe hace dissappeared more than week ago.
I hope they don't decide to increase the price 107K euros in Spain for FE V6 manual without extra cost options was already enough penalizing thanks to our taxes. As usual, we'll wait and see, does your dealer have any clue or like mine here totally lost?

 

[Rufy]

yes all countries in continental Europe hace dissappeared more than week ago.
I hope they don't decide to increase the price 107K euros in Spain for FE V6 manual without extra cost options was already enough penalizing thanks to our taxes. As usual, we'll wait and see, does your dealer have any clue or like mine here totally lost?

honestly, almost everyday I reconfigure the car with the hope to see the "final price" with optionals like in the UK or US
I didn't notice that the price indicated for the BASE and FE disappeared!

My hope is the price will go down! As it was even higher than expected or firstly announced! I think many people were surprised for the final price in some countries.
I'm sure many people gave up and retired their deposit after the price was announced. Just because expectations were really different.
To give you an example: expectations in august: 85k for FE. My thoughts was that I would have had probably to select some options, I didn't expect an almost full optional FE! So I tounght to spend at least 90k for the options I would have add.
final official price here: 99k! I kept my deposit as I reasoned that probably 85k was referred to the i4, not the V6.. add more 5k, to my expectations!
final price I thought would have been 95k for FE v6? I said ok, it's not 4-5k€ that change my mind on this car. Furthermore, I'm not thinking at another car! I like the car, if I could afford it, I would buy it also for 200k! the problem is that the 100k barrier is my budget limit, if they will raise the price, unfortunately I must have to give up.

Hope my english was clear