What the hell is the "deal"???

[Autocross7]

Once again the ol' USA 'conf-uses' me. I am joyfully reading (again) about the new Europa... dreaming and drooling as I tend to do when dealing with great cars... esp. great cars that are getting "brought back"... and I get to the part about how it will be sold every place Lotus currently markets EXCEPT the USA! What the hell? What gives this time? Anyone know for sure? Some emission crap or above 70mph crash failure?

Thanks for any replys!
Drive topless!!!
Cameron

[ErnestM]

Lotus is subject to all NHTSA safety regs now (since they became a non low volume manufacturer) and now must crash test a few dozen cars in order to pass muster.

IIRC, the Europa is a new car and they haven't even built a few dozen yet, never mind crash test them.

Persoanlly, I think that they plan to sell it in Europe first to see if there is a decent ROI to be had by bringing it to the States.

Of course, I could be wrong.

ErnestM

[Autocross7]

Hmmm... I guess that is as good a thought as any. Sometimes I get bothered with the politics of importing. We had to wait 'forever' for the Elise, longer for the Nissan Skyline (slotted for next year being held up by regs in Cali), and if they build it we never see the new AH 5000...
Then there is my dad reminding me how "back in the day" most of the cool cars were built for Cali!

Drive topless!!!
Cameron

[Paula&Marcus]

Autocross7 said:

Once again the ol' USA 'conf-uses' me. I am joyfully reading (again) about the new Europa... dreaming and drooling as I tend to do when dealing with great cars... esp. great cars that are getting "brought back"... and I get to the part about how it will be sold every place Lotus currently markets EXCEPT the USA! What the hell? What gives this time? Anyone know for sure? Some emission crap or above 70mph crash failure? Thanks for any replys! Drive topless!!! Cameron

Hi All,
If I see this correctly the new Europa S is based on a modified Vauxhall/Opel VX chassis (this Opel/Vauxhall car was built by Lotus alongside the Elise/Exige line). It also shares the same engine (= Opel/Vauxhall 2 litre engine).

If you look at the Elise it took more than 7 years to get this little car pass your US-bureaucratic-concrete-heads (safety features changed, engine changed, a lot of wheight added ...) ... actually it became a different car if you look at the initial concept.

I doubt that you will ever see the Europe S coming across the pond ... There is just too much involved

I sometimes ask myself why there is that much restriction over there ... maybe they just dont like to get some fun ?

Marcus

[Autocross7]

Yea I wonder myself... with enough bucks you can do anything and the "powers that be" want it that way. But, sometimes the buracracy gets tooooo thik to be useful to the powers!

For example, I know of a Porsche 917 with a tag... DMV did not do the homework, tag was paid for... so in that case the buracracy worked against the powers that be! Chalk one for the drivers out there !

Remeber, the oposite of Pro is Con... so Progress? Nope. Congress.

Drive topless!!!
Cameron

[mikelr]

I don't know Cameron,
During Group Lotus CEO Kim Ogaard-Nielsen's speech at LOG 25 this passed August, he stated that any new models that would be coming out in the future would be "world wide" released. He said "no longer will the US be left out".
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.


Mike R.
94'S4 NY/NJ LEO

[ErnestM]

Mike:

See here:
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=227421&f=14&h=0

Apparently, the Europa was slated for release prior to his watch...

ErnestM

[toyroom]

America ? I'd emigrate there tonight if I got the chance ! Absolutely top country and people. At last ! There is something we get in the UK BEFORE it gets sold in the US. I mean, Monty Python's Flying Circus ? Five out of six members are British, educated in England and yet how long did we wait for the Life of Brian on DVD ? The States got it straight away ! Oh for a world ruled by common sense and not senseless beaurocracy !!!

[Autocross7]

Not really bashing any country... just senseless beaurocracy in general. We all have it. It is everyplace I go in some form or another... A place ruled by common sence is a place with little to no government and 3 or maybe 4 people (hahaha)...

Drive topless!!!

Cameron

and, oh yea... China got Flying Circus before we did... always a faster (car, release, bike, runner, whatever... out there)


>> Edited by Autocross7 on Tuesday 13th December 15:48

[Dr.Hess]

It has actually been my observation that we (in the U.S.) get most things 1-2 years _after_ the rest of the world. Back when I was a sailor, I did quite a bit of traveling, you could say. Things that I saw overseas way before they came to the US:

* Those windshield sun screens. All over the middle east in '85. The Captain said "Sparky, you wanna make some money? Bring these things back to Texas."
* "Game boy" type toys in Singapore around '82. Pre-cartridge, but still pretty interesting.
* Latest style computer hardware in Singapore generally 1 year before it showed up in the US.
* Juice and Drink "boxes" or bags with a straw that punctured the container in Isreal around '83.
* PDW (Purified Drinking Water) 1L bottles in Brazil around 86.

None of these things were readily available, if available at all in the U.S. at that time and have become big sellers here since. I have maintained that someone could make a decent living traveling the world and observing the new stuff that was catching on and importing it to the U.S. way ahead of any competition.

Dr.Hess