USA/Canada Delivery Thread

[kin]

Apologies in advance for my likely perceived laziness but I've been traveling and haven't had time to check this forum. Are we looking at continued delays for NA deliveries based on reliable sources? I was really hoping for a December delivery. Is that now a pipe dream?

NA production was supposed to start in September - until this past Friday, we had no sign of NA production taking place in Lotus’s factories.

Is it still possible for Lotus to hit December? Maybe, but at this point it’s highly unlikely.

I would very much temper your expectations - it’s possible deliveries start in Jan/Feb at the very very earliest. Given lotus’s track record at this point and the holidays, it’s probable that deliveries will take place in Spring 2024.

Keep in mind this is all best guess, nobody really has any clue, least of all Lotus.

 

[Maurice R]

We are in last week of September and no information as to whether Lotus has started NA production.
Has anyone head from their dealership what is happening.
Or are we just waiting for another delay announcement from Lotus
Or are we going to be told that Lotus is not going to build cars for NA

 

[Davebeats]

No mention of carb approval or NA production being started anywhere, assuming we will have another delay, likely announced in December 😔

 

[Nova]

No mention of carb approval or NA production being started anywhere, assuming we will have another delay, likely announced in December 😔

Let's start a pool on when the delay will be announced. I vote for December 23.

 

[Davebeats]

Let's start a pool on when the delay will be announced. I vote for December 23.

Wondering if it will be preceded by another all NA dealer meeting

 

[EZcheezy]

my deposit was in July 2023 so this will be my first Lotus Delay Experience.

oh boy 😐

 

[kitkat]

Why even announce delays? Just delay the delay.

 

[Porter]

Let's start a pool on when the delay will be announced. I vote for December 23.

What do you mean "announced"? They haven't announced any of the previous delays either.

Here's every email I've ever received from Lotus Cars. I placed my deposit on July 10, 2021. The last time I received anything directly related to my order was in October of 2021, and the last time I received an email that even mentioned that I was a customer was in November of that year. That's 23 months now without any meaningful contact from Lotus UK about the order that I have pending.

They literally haven't sent anything other than marketing fluff since, and mostly not about Emira.

There has been ZERO direct meaningful communication to the end customer about status from Lotus in all of 2022 and 2023 so far. And I've only received unsolicited email from my own dealer twice since placing my hard order through to the factory in April of 2022, and one of those was to give me an update in March of 2023 describing the delays that we had all known about for ~3-4 months. But I get why... the dealers are as much in the dark as the end customers, because Lotus doesn't really communicate with them either, at least not in any way that is remotely informative or empowering.

The utter lack of proactive communication by Lotus to their paying, deposited customers remains shocking to me. I literally don't understand why they are so committed to damaging their own brand.

 

[kitkat]

Yeah I've never seen a delay announced either - a singular video on youtube I had to find out about from this forum doesn't really count for an announcement if it wasn't even directed at me.

 

[Nova]

What do you mean "announced"? They haven't announced any of the previous delays either.

Here's every email I've ever received from Lotus Cars. I placed my deposit on July 10, 2021. The last time I received anything directly related to my order was in October of 2021, and the last time I received an email that even mentioned that I was a customer was in November of that year. That's 23 months now without any meaningful contact from Lotus UK about the order that I have pending.

View attachment 31596

They literally haven't sent anything other than marketing fluff since, and mostly not about Emira.

There has been ZERO direct meaningful communication to the end customer about status from Lotus in all of 2022 and 2023 so far. And I've only received unsolicited email from my own dealer twice since placing my hard order through to the factory in April of 2022, and one of those was to give me an update in March of 2023 describing the delays that we had all known about for ~3-4 months. But I get why... the dealers are as much in the dark as the end customers, because Lotus doesn't really communicate with them either, at least not in any way that is remotely informative or empowering.

The utter lack of proactive communication by Lotus to their paying, deposited customers remains shocking to me. I literally don't understand why they are so committed to damaging their own brand.

Yea, by announced, I mean we hear corroborating communications from multiple dealers, including Gator.

To be honest, I have seen this type of behavior from other manufacturers. They think that as long as there is a distributor/dealer network involved, they no longer need to communicate or market directly to those customers. It takes them a long time to convince them otherwise, and some just gives up on the market altogether - it's just not in their DNA to do that type of communications. Lotus clearly can communicate with end users. They just need to do so for US customers.

 

[azlambo]

I have emailed every email address I have for Lotus Corporate (4 different ones), with a request for truthful information about U.S. car production/certification approval status. I assume it will go unanswered. If I get any info, I’ll pass it on. My dealer is clueless.

 

[KAR120C]

I have emailed every email address I have for Lotus Corporate (4 different ones), with a request for truthful information about U.S. car production/certification approval status. I assume it will go unanswered. If I get any info, I’ll pass it on. My dealer is clueless.

I admire your effort, but if two years of brow-beating from other customers hasn't gotten their attention then your emails might not either.

 

[ClaytonB]

I placed a deposit Oct 3 2022 and haven't gotten any emails at all from lotus or dealer or anyone.

 

[dgrace]

I placed a deposit Oct 3 2023 and haven't gotten any emails at all from lotus or dealer or anyone.

I don't think we can expect Lotus to send emails into the future. I'll give them a pass on that one.

 

[EZcheezy]

I just got off the phone with the Dallas Lotus dealer. they said they would get their demo cars (one i4 and one v6) and 7 FE1.0 for customers in just 2 weeks! (maybe that 7 is including the demos)

sounded so soon I had to ask a 2nd time to make sure. he seems to be really sure!

I am now #118 and even still he thinks I will get my car Q4 of 2024

 

[Aero]

I just got off the phone with the Dallas Lotus dealer. they said they would get their demo cars and 7 FE1.0 for customers in just 2 weeks! (maybe that 7 is including the demos)

sounded so soon I had to ask a 2nd time to make sure. he seems to be really sure!

I am now #118 and even still he thinks I will get my car Q4 of 2024

Dealers only know what Lotus and Lotus USA tells them they know...which is usually nothing and never right. I believe nothing my dealer tells me about timelines. If they were getting cars in 2 weeks they would be at the port or on the boat already.

 

[Maurice R]

Let's start a pool on when the delay will be announced. I vote for December 23.

December 25

 

[benjh1028]

I just got off the phone with the Dallas Lotus dealer. they said they would get their demo cars (one i4 and one v6) and 7 FE1.0 for customers in just 2 weeks! (maybe that 7 is including the demos)

sounded so soon I had to ask a 2nd time to make sure. he seems to be really sure!

I am now #118 and even still he thinks I will get my car Q4 of 2024

All of us so badly hope your dealer is right, but most would also bet their next five paychecks that it won’t happen.

 

[KCMO68_510]

I placed a deposit Oct 3 2023 and haven't gotten any emails at all from lotus or dealer or anyone.

 

[Porter]

I just got off the phone with the Dallas Lotus dealer. they said they would get their demo cars (one i4 and one v6) and 7 FE1.0 for customers in just 2 weeks! (maybe that 7 is including the demos)

sounded so soon I had to ask a 2nd time to make sure. he seems to be really sure!

I am now #118 and even still he thinks I will get my car Q4 of 2024