Which PH'ers have placed a deposit on an Emira?
Discussion
bcr5784 said:
A combination of reasons
Recession and interest rates
Delivery delays
Price hikes
Dreadful Lotus comms
Lotus showing woefully flawed prototypes to customers far too early
Lotus giving flawed pre-production cars to the press
Lotus delivering cars to customers with far too many faults
The wider realisation that the V6 really was just an Evora in a posh frock (to be fair a posh frock was all the Evora needed, it's a terrific car) - but people expected more.
The i4 wasn't the great engine and gearbox people hoped
The direct selling option made rejection easy
Reduced number of dealers
The car's supercar looks would probably have made buyers overlook some of these issues - but the combination has clearly been too much for many.
As a fan of the brand and previous owner it's saddening - but maddening that Lotus have rather blown it when there is a good car in there.
One important one I would add to that is that people have realised they aren't flipping them that's been a huge factor in people I was speaking to early in the year. Nice to have a new car with equity in it but for all the reasons you mentioned that's not happening. Recession and interest rates
Delivery delays
Price hikes
Dreadful Lotus comms
Lotus showing woefully flawed prototypes to customers far too early
Lotus giving flawed pre-production cars to the press
Lotus delivering cars to customers with far too many faults
The wider realisation that the V6 really was just an Evora in a posh frock (to be fair a posh frock was all the Evora needed, it's a terrific car) - but people expected more.
The i4 wasn't the great engine and gearbox people hoped
The direct selling option made rejection easy
Reduced number of dealers
The car's supercar looks would probably have made buyers overlook some of these issues - but the combination has clearly been too much for many.
As a fan of the brand and previous owner it's saddening - but maddening that Lotus have rather blown it when there is a good car in there.
Edited by bcr5784 on Tuesday 15th August 16:02
Will be interesting to see if the timetable for the fruity versions its pulled forward but as mentioned previously I think I have moved from a take my money position to just "meh" I think it would take a really well resolved 500BHP Auto AMG Cup car to get 100k out of me for one now.
Too many potential buyers thought they were getting a nice looking car with free motoring for 12/18 months but hadn’t seen the warning signs of the end of cheap money with interest rates rising to more normal levels. This type of middle market sports car which you can do without is in for a hammering. Lotus also never read the market odd business model. They thought the few thousand who bunged a few quid in at the outset were all real customers who would go through with an order
Can’t see this market coming back for 2/3 years whilst a massive adjustment takes place. Someone will take a bath. Recent buyers of luxury cars sitting on large to very large book loss. Manufacturers can switch away from U.K. but this years allocation committed for dealers to take. A lot of salaries need paying in these luxury dealerships but the customers have disappeared. Manufacturers dumb to think they can pass on massive price increases into this type of market. Taking customers as fools wanting each individual to pick up part of their potential loss
Stay out of market let the dealers and manufacturers pick up the pain. In the good times they hardly want to know you but suddenly they are on the phone to come to a sales event etc!!
Can’t see this market coming back for 2/3 years whilst a massive adjustment takes place. Someone will take a bath. Recent buyers of luxury cars sitting on large to very large book loss. Manufacturers can switch away from U.K. but this years allocation committed for dealers to take. A lot of salaries need paying in these luxury dealerships but the customers have disappeared. Manufacturers dumb to think they can pass on massive price increases into this type of market. Taking customers as fools wanting each individual to pick up part of their potential loss
Stay out of market let the dealers and manufacturers pick up the pain. In the good times they hardly want to know you but suddenly they are on the phone to come to a sales event etc!!
bcr5784 said:
A combination of reasons
Recession and interest rates
Delivery delays
Price hikes
Dreadful Lotus comms
Lotus showing woefully flawed prototypes to customers far too early
Lotus giving flawed pre-production cars to the press
Lotus delivering cars to customers with far too many faults
The wider realisation that the V6 really was just an Evora in a posh frock (to be fair a posh frock was all the Evora needed, it's a terrific car) - but people expected more.
The i4 wasn't the great engine and gearbox people hoped
The direct selling option made rejection easy
Reduced number of dealers
The car's supercar looks would probably have made buyers overlook some of these issues - but the combination has clearly been too much for many.
As a fan of the brand and previous owner it's saddening - but maddening that Lotus have rather blown it when there is a good car in there.
I would also add an underwhelming drive for a lot of people.Recession and interest rates
Delivery delays
Price hikes
Dreadful Lotus comms
Lotus showing woefully flawed prototypes to customers far too early
Lotus giving flawed pre-production cars to the press
Lotus delivering cars to customers with far too many faults
The wider realisation that the V6 really was just an Evora in a posh frock (to be fair a posh frock was all the Evora needed, it's a terrific car) - but people expected more.
The i4 wasn't the great engine and gearbox people hoped
The direct selling option made rejection easy
Reduced number of dealers
The car's supercar looks would probably have made buyers overlook some of these issues - but the combination has clearly been too much for many.
As a fan of the brand and previous owner it's saddening - but maddening that Lotus have rather blown it when there is a good car in there.
Edited by bcr5784 on Tuesday 15th August 16:02
It's really just not that exciting to drive, I can't quite put my finger on why though.
It's how I'd imagine a supercharged MR2 would drive.
86 said:
Too many potential buyers thought they were getting a nice looking car with free motoring for 12/18 months but hadn’t seen the warning signs of the end of cheap money with interest rates rising to more normal levels. This type of middle market sports car which you can do without is in for a hammering. Lotus also never read the market odd business model. They thought the few thousand who bunged a few quid in at the outset were all real customers who would go through with an order
Can’t see this market coming back for 2/3 years whilst a massive adjustment takes place. Someone will take a bath. Recent buyers of luxury cars sitting on large to very large book loss. Manufacturers can switch away from U.K. but this years allocation committed for dealers to take. A lot of salaries need paying in these luxury dealerships but the customers have disappeared. Manufacturers dumb to think they can pass on massive price increases into this type of market. Taking customers as fools wanting each individual to pick up part of their potential loss
Stay out of market let the dealers and manufacturers pick up the pain. In the good times they hardly want to know you but suddenly they are on the phone to come to a sales event etc!!
Just for clarity, there aren't any lotus dealers committed to taking stock. The few that are left must've found a non-new-lotus way of staying alive with no new lotuses over the last couple of years and the fact that they aren't involved in selling new lotuses.Can’t see this market coming back for 2/3 years whilst a massive adjustment takes place. Someone will take a bath. Recent buyers of luxury cars sitting on large to very large book loss. Manufacturers can switch away from U.K. but this years allocation committed for dealers to take. A lot of salaries need paying in these luxury dealerships but the customers have disappeared. Manufacturers dumb to think they can pass on massive price increases into this type of market. Taking customers as fools wanting each individual to pick up part of their potential loss
Stay out of market let the dealers and manufacturers pick up the pain. In the good times they hardly want to know you but suddenly they are on the phone to come to a sales event etc!!
A lot of the long established dealers saw sense and came out of the franchise. There were businesses that had supported Lotus and made their cars more bearable for customers. Rebranding requirements pushed a lot of the smaller businesses and service centers out.
How some of the dealers have stuck by Lotus is incoprehendable really I guess some of them have taken a gamble that the new cars will take off and it will take their business in a new direction. Sportscars have been a dying hobby for years now as costs increase it's becoming a rich man's hobby so there's guys have to think of something to give them a longer term future.
Dealers in almost all circumstances don't own the Emiras even the stock cars that are dotted about are factory owned. The dealers were able to buy the de fleeted demos but not even at a respectable discount. You would think making their franchisees have over 18 months with no new stock would result in the factory owing the dealers a favour but no it's just not good they work. It's a bizarre relationship and not one I've ever really understood.
How some of the dealers have stuck by Lotus is incoprehendable really I guess some of them have taken a gamble that the new cars will take off and it will take their business in a new direction. Sportscars have been a dying hobby for years now as costs increase it's becoming a rich man's hobby so there's guys have to think of something to give them a longer term future.
Dealers in almost all circumstances don't own the Emiras even the stock cars that are dotted about are factory owned. The dealers were able to buy the de fleeted demos but not even at a respectable discount. You would think making their franchisees have over 18 months with no new stock would result in the factory owing the dealers a favour but no it's just not good they work. It's a bizarre relationship and not one I've ever really understood.
AlexNJ89 said:
I would also add an underwhelming drive for a lot of people.
It's really just not that exciting to drive, I can't quite put my finger on why though.
It's how I'd imagine a supercharged MR2 would drive.
This is it really. It seems quite a nice car that's quite good. Noone is really whooping and saying that Lotus have nailed it in any way (apart from the looks I guess). I came away from the test drive thinking that was "nice".It's really just not that exciting to drive, I can't quite put my finger on why though.
It's how I'd imagine a supercharged MR2 would drive.
BertBert said:
This is it really. It seems quite a nice car that's quite good. Noone is really whooping and saying that Lotus have nailed it in any way (apart from the looks I guess). I came away from the test drive thinking that was "nice".
I'm surprized you say "quite nice". Not driven one but I would have said an Evora was far better than quite nice. What have they done to take the soul out of the Emira?PorkInsider said:
av185 said:
Do we know where this one ended?
It was at £60,500 last I saw but I forgot to look at the end.
It didn't sell, anyway.
Equates to £75k or just over including fees to the purchaser. Which is way too much.
bcr5784 said:
I'm surprized you say "quite nice". Not driven one but I would have said an Evora was far better than quite nice. What have they done to take the soul out of the Emira?
That's a really good question. It was all ok, but for me nothing inside was better than my Evora and the drive was more "sporty golf" than "Lotus have nailed it again". It may not be a fair comparison as it was just the test drive around the B&C test drive route. But I got out and thought that was nice, not that was excellent.av185 said:
I watched it to the close it finished at £70k which I thought was too expensive bearing in mind it was a 72 not 23 plate the 600 miles and rather niche colour scheme. No tracker either and several recalls required.
Equates to £75k or just over including fees to the purchaser. Which is way too much.
It went higher than I'd have thought, then.Equates to £75k or just over including fees to the purchaser. Which is way too much.
Yes, £75k does look too much now when you consider there's nearly 50 on Autotrader with several under that price already.
BertBert said:
That's a really good question. It was all ok, but for me nothing inside was better than my Evora and the drive was more "sporty golf" than "Lotus have nailed it again". It may not be a fair comparison as it was just the test drive around the B&C test drive route. But I got out and thought that was nice, not that was excellent.
Agreed, drove one at Birmingham, the Emira felt quite boring to me (compared to my Exige)BertBert said:
bcr5784 said:
I'm surprized you say "quite nice". Not driven one but I would have said an Evora was far better than quite nice. What have they done to take the soul out of the Emira?
That's a really good question. It was all ok, but for me nothing inside was better than my Evora and the drive was more "sporty golf" than "Lotus have nailed it again". It may not be a fair comparison as it was just the test drive around the B&C test drive route. But I got out and thought that was nice, not that was excellent.markiii said:
taking the dissapointment aside did it drive any worse than the Evora?
Yes, I think it did. Less defined and less flowing in its responses to driving inputs. Dulled down as it were, it didn't suck you in to what it was doing like the Evora did. One difference though is that I had the carbon buckets in the Evora which always makes a difference to how direct a car feels.markiii said:
BertBert said:
bcr5784 said:
I'm surprized you say "quite nice". Not driven one but I would have said an Evora was far better than quite nice. What have they done to take the soul out of the Emira?
That's a really good question. It was all ok, but for me nothing inside was better than my Evora and the drive was more "sporty golf" than "Lotus have nailed it again". It may not be a fair comparison as it was just the test drive around the B&C test drive route. But I got out and thought that was nice, not that was excellent.Lotus would pull their hair out if they ever read this comment... but I was willing to give the Evora more of a pass on some things because it was a bit of a rebellious car, it was the anti-Porsche. This is the car that was meant to equal the Porsche.
LordOfTheManor said:
I wonder who did the HR work when recruiting the staff ?
I suspect it was all done through a marketing agency. The design felt a lot like the stand at Goodwood. We are at an inflection point in the move from petrol to electric and brands like Tesla, Kia, and Hyundai are taking over from the Stellantis brands, Ford and VW.This could be a threat or an opportunity for Lotus and screaming heritage would be a great tool. As the showroom is on my way home from work I'll leave it a bit and pop in again. I think the site used to be a Saab showroom.
AlexNJ89 said:
More and more brand new Emira's are hitting AutoTrader and I find it so confusing why dealers are still taking delivery of their order.
I'm not sure what you mean by dealers taking delivery of their orders? Dealers don't have orders surely? For an emira to be delivered, doesn't it have to have been paid for by the owner?BertBert said:
I'm not sure what you mean by dealers taking delivery of their orders? Dealers don't have orders surely? For an emira to be delivered, doesn't it have to have been paid for by the owner?
Nope, I learned this from the Behind The Glass podcast. Dealers like Hilton & Moss and Redline will order a new model which they can flip quickly because buyers are willing to pay a little bit more to skip the waiting time.They aren't just getting taken is as part-ex
AlexNJ89 said:
BertBert said:
I'm not sure what you mean by dealers taking delivery of their orders? Dealers don't have orders surely? For an emira to be delivered, doesn't it have to have been paid for by the owner?
Nope, I learned this from the Behind The Glass podcast. Dealers like Hilton & Moss and Redline will order a new model which they can flip quickly because buyers are willing to pay a little bit more to skip the waiting time.They aren't just getting taken is as part-ex
Gassing Station | Emira | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff