USA/Canada Delivery Thread

[VL3X]

That is encouraging for a portion of our mates, but would involve US certification to be completed/granted.

Exactly this. One can estimate build and delivery time, but who knows how long the certification process will take. And if these last couple years have taught me anything, I must assume the certification won't go smoothly and Lotus will be required to tweak some things.

I'm 92% confident that zero US customer cars will actually be delivered until 2024 now.

 

[EspritGuy]

I'm expecting Base Edition info will be announced earlier than that, probably in the next month (at least for the UK) - before or at Goodwood Festival of Speed. My hunch is the last date for placing UK FE deposits will be announced at the same time.

The first UK Base Edition deliveries are from Q1 2024 so they need to get options, pricing and configurator up so people can choose and be locked into production by mid/late Q3 2023.

Base Edition news there of any type in the next month,
Including configurator, will help sooth my distress at again missing the NA FE 2.0 cut.
Then I can guesstimate my unbundled Base cost savings and further aging in looking at delivery perhaps in 4Q 2024.
#WaitingMoreandEnjoyingitLess

 

[Silver Storm]

I think Lotus will announce when the order books are going to close in each country, rather than tell some depositors afterwards that they won't get a car. I know that's how they are going to do it in the UK. They may not be much notice, maybe only a few weeks. I suspect it will be from late 2023 or early 2024.

When I went for my test drive, the Lotus rep said they would close deposits/wait list in summer of 2024 (at the latest I believe). So definitely possible close late 2023.

 

[Lotustoronto]

I'm expecting Base Edition info will be announced earlier than that, probably in the next month (at least for the UK) - before or at Goodwood Festival of Speed. My hunch is the last date for placing UK FE deposits will be announced at the same time.

The first UK Base Edition deliveries are from Q1 2024 so they need to get options, pricing and configurator up so people can choose and be locked into production by mid/late Q3 2023.

Well, I don't know how many people from North America go to Goodwood.... But I'll tell ya Tom I'm going to be grilling them for some answer about base spec for N/A while I'm there haha....

 

[eriegz]

Well, I don't know how many people from North America go to Goodwood.... But I'll tell ya Tom I'm going to be grilling them for some answer about base spec for N/A while I'm there haha....

Can you please also grill / sear / flambé them for an answer on when customers can finally place an order for a bespoke Emira, just like Lotus announced almost a year & a half ago? 😬

 

[Lowtush]

So, I was wondering the same thing, and I'm in the same boat as you, i.e. only received one email from Lotus Cars USA on Aug 11 '22 announcing production delays, with a 6-digit reference number at the bottom.

Well, I was at my dealership this past Saturday to check out their new demo Emira, and I asked if I they'd received any emails from Lotus indicating that they've received my order, and a number to track it with. He said that the reference number at the bottom of the Aug 11th delay announcement is my order ID.

I'm there again this Tuesday for a test drive, so maybe I'll ask him why some depositors got a "Approved entry for ID ######" email and others didn't.

Let me know what you find out!

 

[Nova]

Just saw a post in the Lotus Emira USA Facebook group where the author went on a recent factory tour, with points/observations summarized below. I'll delete this if the OP turns up to post the information first hand:

• Emira is still waiting for approval of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
• Supply chain issues mostly no longer a problem
• Takt time of 23 minutes, two shifts a day of 6 hours each. This translates into a theoretical estimate of 7800 cars per year assuming 260 production days. 5-6000 is probably more realistic.
• There are about 15000 open orders/deposits worldwide
• Q4 US delivery is still the target for FE 1.0 cars assuming FMVSS approval

 

[Eagle7]

Just saw a post in the Lotus Emira USA Facebook group where the author went on a recent factory tour, with points/observations summarized below. I'll delete this if the OP turns up to post the information first hand:

• Emira is still waiting for approval of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
• Supply chain issues mostly no longer a problem
• Takt time of 23 minutes, two shifts a day of 6 hours each. This translates into a theoretical estimate of 7800 cars per year assuming 260 production days. 5-6000 is probably more realistic.
• There are about 15000 open orders/deposits worldwide
• Q4 US delivery is still the target for FE 1.0 cars assuming FMVSS approval

Wow, 15k. And that's before the cars have even shown up on the roads in the U.S. or China.

 

[Nova]

Wow, 15k. And that's before the cars have even shown up on the roads in the U.S. or China.

I know… that's 1.5 billion USD in revenue if the cars end up being 100k on average over the years.

 

[Lotustoronto]

Just saw a post in the Lotus Emira USA Facebook group where the author went on a recent factory tour, with points/observations summarized below. I'll delete this if the OP turns up to post the information first hand:

• Emira is still waiting for approval of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
• Supply chain issues mostly no longer a problem
• Takt time of 23 minutes, two shifts a day of 6 hours each. This translates into a theoretical estimate of 7800 cars per year assuming 260 production days. 5-6000 is probably more realistic.
• There are about 15000 open orders/deposits worldwide
• Q4 US delivery is still the target for FE 1.0 cars assuming FMVSS approval

Great info, surely the takt time will edge higher with the introduction of the i4 and introduction of the base spec following. Also new options will again probably impact this. On another note, they could add a third shift. But I think manpower is a bigger issue these days than supply chain.

15K deposits is a good three years worth sold out. With them rolling out more dealerships worldwide over the next couple years I imagine this number is going to continue to grow.

 

[Concept24]

Great info, surely the takt time will edge higher with the introduction of the i4 and introduction of the base spec following. Also new options will again probably impact this. On another note, they could add a third shift. But I think manpower is a bigger issue these days than supply chain.

15K deposits is a good three years worth sold out. With them rolling out more dealerships worldwide over the next couple years I imagine this number is going to continue to grow.

Unfortunately, if Lotus doesn't permanently fix most of the drivability issues, many of those on the lists will drop out. I am one who is "on the fence".

 

[motorpool]

I've gone through all the ups and downs with everyone over the past couple of years but my Z06 allocation came up about 9mo earlier than I expected. Then when someone posted that Lotus (or ??) said Mar/Apr '24 was more likely for delivering I was at peace as I really didn't want to buy two new cars so close together plus picking up in the winter only to sit for several months until weather improves. Who knows when it will actually happen but I do hope they are continually improving the process/product so less issues when the cars arrive in the US especially given that a high % people don't live real nearby a dealer if issues arise. #ForTheWaiters

I think this should be a case study for MBA on launching/managing a new product and how the excellent communication keeps everyone actively engaged

 

[FlyNavy01]

Why do so many here not drive their cars in the winter? Always found that very strange. I'd hate spending six figures on a hobby just to enjoy it a few months out of the year. What a waste! In my experience, the delayed gratification of being forced to wait for something you want is almost always a good thing and often helps you appreciate whatever it is much more than if it was fast and easy. Maybe others disagree.

Are the continuous delays and nearly non-existent comms irritating? Definitely. Fortunately for me, I've got plenty of other great people and things in life to be grateful for and spend my time and effort enjoying while we wait. I'd hope everyone else does too. The car will arrive when it arrives, don't forget to stop and smell the roses from time to time and not take life too seriously. Hopefully by this time next year most of us will be shredding some twisty roads somewhere!

 

[NicolasB]

Why do so many here not drive their cars in the winter? Always found that very strange. I'd hate spending six figures on a hobby just to enjoy it a few months out of the year. What a waste! In my experience, the delayed gratification of being forced to wait for something you want is almost always a good thing and often helps you appreciate whatever it is much more than if it was fast and easy. Maybe others disagree.

Are the continuous delays and nearly non-existent comms irritating? Definitely. Fortunately for me, I've got plenty of other great people and things in life to be grateful for and spend my time and effort enjoying while we wait. I'd hope everyone else does too. The car will arrive when it arrives, don't forget to stop and smell the roses from time to time and not take life too seriously. Hopefully by this time next year most of us will be shredding some twisty roads somewhere!

In Northern NY they salt the roads endlessly in the winter, and it is very corrosive to cars.

 

[adefeatedman]

In Northern NY they salt the roads endlessly in the winter, and it is very corrosive to cars.

I lived in Rockland County until I was married 8 years ago and even down here the roads are salted enough to chew through a car in less than 10 years. In fairness, I'm also not very good at cleaning cars.

That said though, my Emira will get daily driven. Just not during the road salting months.

 

[KAR120C]

Why do so many here not drive their cars in the winter? Always found that very strange. I'd hate spending six figures on a hobby just to enjoy it a few months out of the year. What a waste! In my experience, the delayed gratification of being forced to wait for something you want is almost always a good thing and often helps you appreciate whatever it is much more than if it was fast and easy. Maybe others disagree.

Are the continuous delays and nearly non-existent comms irritating? Definitely. Fortunately for me, I've got plenty of other great people and things in life to be grateful for and spend my time and effort enjoying while we wait. I'd hope everyone else does too. The car will arrive when it arrives, don't forget to stop and smell the roses from time to time and not take life too seriously. Hopefully by this time next year most of us will be shredding some twisty roads somewhere!

I will mount performance all-seasons and drive on decent winter days. Otherwise, it's location, location , location.

A few reasons not to drive in my location:

Snow
Ice
Salt and other chemicals
Difficulty in washing car in freezing temperatures
Potholes
Temperatures render stock tires useless

I have other cars to withstand that abuse.

 

[eriegz]

Let me know what you find out!

So I showed my salesperson the screenshot of "the other" order confirmation email and he echoed what others here have said, i.e. that the latter is a dealership-specific email which some dealerships then forward on to their depositors, while others don't (and my dealership is one of those that don't).

So it looks safe to say, if you've received an email from Lotus USA with a reference number at the bottom, you have an order.

 

[Eagle7]

Why do so many here not drive their cars in the winter? Always found that very strange. I'd hate spending six figures on a hobby just to enjoy it a few months out of the year. What a waste! In my experience, the delayed gratification of being forced to wait for something you want is almost always a good thing and often helps you appreciate whatever it is much more than if it was fast and easy. Maybe others disagree.

Are the continuous delays and nearly non-existent comms irritating? Definitely. Fortunately for me, I've got plenty of other great people and things in life to be grateful for and spend my time and effort enjoying while we wait. I'd hope everyone else does too. The car will arrive when it arrives, don't forget to stop and smell the roses from time to time and not take life too seriously. Hopefully by this time next year most of us will be shredding some twisty roads somewhere!

I won't drive my Emira during the winter due to the fact that I can't use it's performance in snow and icy conditions, and I don't want to risk getting it damaged because of either weather conditions, or someone else losing it on an icy road and hitting me. It also doesn't have all-wheel drive which makes it more likely to lose traction. I have an AWD Alfa Romeo that's a champ in those kinds of conditions.

 

[Nova]

I will probably drive the Emira as much as possible even during cold months, but avoiding snow/ice/salt, and temperatures below 5C/41F degrees.

 

[Eagle7]

I will probably drive the Emira as much as possible even during cold months, but avoiding snow/ice/salt, and temperatures below 5C/41F degrees.

Yeah, since mine is probably going to be delivered to my house in the winter, I'm guessing Jan or Feb, if the roads are clear and dry, I'll probably take it out and drive it as long as the weather forecast is favorable for at least a few hours. I'll just have to be careful where I drive. Everybody around here has pickups and SUV's, and I don't want snow on top of somebody's vehicle sliding off and walloping my car.