Well I think I've noticed one difference in the infotainment system update I recently got. I used to be able to change the destination at any point while driving the car and now I get a nag screen that I can't do that while driving or moving. However I'm not sure if that was the infotainment system doing that or an update to Android Auto but I'm thinking it's most likely the Lotus change. It makes me wonder if I should be more careful about what updates I allow and take the risk of losing current functionality
Rant about Emira software quality
- Thread starter OppositeLock
- Start date
It's become pretty standard across the industry for many infotainment system settings changes to be disabled while vehicles are in motion for safety reasons. The above is true in our current Porsche, Toyota, Corvette, Mazda, and Subaru. It's also the case in our '26 Emira. Otherwise, it is functionally the same as texting on your cell phone while driving, which is illegal in most jurisdictions.
If that was a recent Lotus software change, it's not related to US prohibitions on Chinese tech.
No. That's not a thing. These are approvals for an entire model year of sales, they have nothing to do with the cars that are already sold/existing.
These are model year type approval changes for MY2027, they have nothing to do with cars already sold here or pending-sale up through MY2026.
Don't freak out, it doesn't apply to you.
@Porter
What you say in the 2 preceding posts is historically true, but theoretically, the US National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) could force Lotus to issue a "recall," which in this case would be a software update.
A national security reason for a recall would normally be outside of NHTSA's purview, but the lines defining US federal agency jurisdictions have gotten very blurry and very unpredictable under the current US administration.
If such an unusual thing were to happen, an owner of a current Emira could simply not have the software update done without repercussions. That's why I suggested above that I will carefully scrutinize any new software updates released to dealers by Lotus.
There is no precedent for requiring owners to comply with NHTSA recalls, but unfortunately, there is no precedent for a lot of things happening in the US gov lately. Lotus could satisfy its obligation to the US government and remain compliant simply by issuing the software update.
I don't expect such a thing to happen, but I have also said the same thing about a number of things that have happened during the current admin.
What you say in the 2 preceding posts is historically true, but theoretically, the US National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) could force Lotus to issue a "recall," which in this case would be a software update.
A national security reason for a recall would normally be outside of NHTSA's purview, but the lines defining US federal agency jurisdictions have gotten very blurry and very unpredictable under the current US administration.
If such an unusual thing were to happen, an owner of a current Emira could simply not have the software update done without repercussions. That's why I suggested above that I will carefully scrutinize any new software updates released to dealers by Lotus.
There is no precedent for requiring owners to comply with NHTSA recalls, but unfortunately, there is no precedent for a lot of things happening in the US gov lately. Lotus could satisfy its obligation to the US government and remain compliant simply by issuing the software update.
I don't expect such a thing to happen, but I have also said the same thing about a number of things that have happened during the current admin.
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That's not what's being suggested and isn't a reasonable articulation of risk. By that standard of alarm, one could make a short jump to a concern about agents of the government tracking us all down and coming in the night to seize our contraband vehicles.
I get that we live in unprecedented times, but we can also make a set of reasonable assumptions about possible real-world outcomes that may occur. And I say this as someone who shares your alarm about a great many things (outside the automotive sphere).
I don't disagree that it is unlikely, and you're absolutely correct in saying that it isn't a reasonable articulation of risk, but neither are the '27MY requirements. Moreover, many of my reasonable assumptions pertaining to US government policy have proven to be incorrect over the last 18 months.
It is not a short jump to a concern about vehicle seizure. That is a VERY large one. It could appear to be a fairly reasonable request of Lotus to issue a software revision removing certain features from the older cars because they are not compliant with current US policy on Chinese telematics. Sometimes, things like that can happen with a simple phone call from NHTSA suggesting such a step, and Lotus agreeing to stay on the good side of US NHTSA.
As I also said, current US policy does not force individual owners to comply with either voluntary or mandated "recalls" or bulletins, including software updates. There is no enforcement authority to do something like that. NHTSA enforcement authority ends with the manufacturer, and Lotus issuance of a software update for the pre '27MY cars would comply.
I'm not an armchair speculator with no knowledge of how US gov regulatory policy works. I was a senior executive during part of my career at a US government safety agency. It wasn't NHTSA, but we operated under the same rules for regulatory oversight and enforcement. Many of our interventions simply started with a phone call or email to a regulated entity, which resulted in their voluntary agreement to take action. In those cases, no official regulatory action was ever undertaken.
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lol, well, I'd hardly call my reaction "freaking out"... but my point, and the overall theme of my post, was the risk of an overall lowered bar for customer service (not just software) in a region where they end up (potentially) abandoning.
People already struggle a bit with the "customer service" side of Lotus and Geely itself doesn't seem to hold the highest of bars for obsessing over customer happiness. So if they WERE to pull out of what is becoming an increasingly hostile US market (due to geopolitical tensions, among other things), I can't exactly see that encouraging good or better support of the dealer networks who are in turn serving us.
...or maybe everything will be "just fine"
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