Future of the Evora in the USA

[pharriso]

Will the US car get the CF seats?

I'm thinking not...

[Julian73]

US Sport seats w/air bags weight 44.2 lbs each

[Julian73]

14 hours ago, KG said:

We are not getting the GT430 in the US and hence the specs for the US model are different and it is coming as the Evora GT 2020. 

There are some nice features that come with it and we will see the full specs shortly. With the exception of the front bumper and rear wing, the other GT430 items are offered as dealer options, Öhlins, Jhooks, titanium exhaust, lithium lightweight battery, etc....and the car is not priced where the Euro GT 430 is. 

Tradeoffs thanks to safety regulations here. I plan on adding all of the Euro specs to the car and already purchased the front bumper and rear wing. Other items are on the list for the fall.

Cheers Chaps!

If you are responding me my post, I was trying to point out additional items not on the US GT that were on the euro GT430 limited edition release, or were even standard on the original US release of the Sport 410.  As the initial US 410 buyer, but later a GT bailout  I must warn you that the car will most probably get built up/stripped out from a US based 400 not from a for scratch chassis, thus the in chassis weight savings parts will not be there if the originally is bonded in.  As an owner of the Ti exhaust, I don't think I would do it again, even trusting that the weight savings is there much of the muffler was still in SS and while it does sound nice, it compromised my conversation to a header exhaust system as I was not willing to toss an $8k part.  My Lithium battery is a nice Super B SB12V25P-SC along with an over/under voltage protector, but at $2k for what is still 10 lbs, I will not replace with same when its dies.  Many lithium battery choices at 1/6 to 1/4 the price that are lighter too.  Unless dealer is giving a great installed price on the Öhlins TTX, you should do better  at some of the Lotus aftermarket suppliers and the AP j-hook discs while very sexy were also discontinued from the euro cars for some reason.

[CharlieBrown]

[KG]

US Evora GT is definitely getting carbon seats.......and a few more carbon pieces.... 

and a few more carbon parts! 

Go Lotus! Build those SUVs!

 

[Bibs]

Posts about the potential future Lotus SUV have been moved to the Lotus SUV thread.

 

[ken2020]

On 29/05/2019 at 22:38, KG said:

We are not getting the GT430 in the US and hence the specs for the US model are different and it is coming as the Evora GT 2020. 

There are some nice features that come with it and we will see the full specs shortly. With the exception of the front bumper and rear wing, the other GT430 items are offered as dealer options, Öhlins, Jhooks, titanium exhaust, lithium lightweight battery, etc....and the car is not priced where the Euro GT 430 is. 

Tradeoffs thanks to safety regulations here. I plan on adding all of the Euro specs to the car and already purchased the front bumper and rear wing. Other items are on the list for the fall.

Cheers Chaps!

I wonder what your smoking? I've seen the car in person and the numbers don't jive.  It's a nice 400 but nothing more. Did you buy the front bumper and wing from Lotus or a Malaysian copy?  I ordered a turn key car and not something that had to be pieced together like a kit car.

[KG]

I actually do not smoke anything.

I also ordered and getting a full car. 

I personally wanted the look of the front bumper and wing of the GT430 which I ordered from the U.K. and original Lotus parts which others may not want. You appear to be one of those guys and not sure what numbers you are referring too, not that I care!

Like I posted earlier,  buying a Lotus is a choice. 

I am not sure what you are doing on this forum other than trolling. If you are not a fan, go to another site that you are a fan off and enjoy! 

 

[ken2020]

@KG  Definitely not Trolling this site. If anything I've put the most effort into getting a complete car from Lotus. The car that was on the original order form. Not the downgraded version.  If your changing a front bumper, Adding a Splitter,  Wing,  suspension then it's not a complete car. More of a kit car.  Not what I originally ordered. The cost of those items do not add up to the discount of the newer pricing.  Which in my book is not a fair way of doing business.  Being a fan doesn't mean that I should settle for a lower spec car than what was offered. 

Enjoy your lemonade.

[CharlieBrown]

On 07/06/2019 at 19:05, ken2020 said:

I wonder what your smoking? I've seen the car in person and the numbers don't jive.  It's a nice 400 but nothing more. Did you buy the front bumper and wing from Lotus or a Malaysian copy?  I ordered a turn key car and not something that had to be pieced together like a kit car.

Unless is crack ...Probably just prescription medicine. 😂 

[KG]

So let’s be clear, you are upset that Lotus is required to comply with US safety requirements and cannot therefore make available the CF front bumper and as a result had to remove the rear wing for stability issues as it is not compatible with the standard front bumper? So they are just terrible in your opinion, is that right? Buckle the system say you?

And as far as the Öhlins, they are a dealer option which you don’t want to pay for because after all, you are a special human being and deserve at $12000 set of dampers and springs and for good measure the $10000stainless exhaust just because it’s coming to the US, never mind the Eurospec limited edition is listed at $150k Euro and let me do the currency conversion for you mate as I know math is not apparently your strongest area, that equates to $170,000.00.

And thus, your choice to troll Lotus because after all they should just ship those vehicles because they are a sovereign auto manufacturer and can ignore local laws and safety requirements!

You really believe Lotus did not want or intend to bring the full spec car here? Really?

Did they mishandle communications and marketing? Yes they did! Did they announce specs ahead of formal US approval? Yes they did! Did they piss off lots of potential customers? Yes they did! 

So stop trolling, be an adult, understand where the requirements came from to alter the plans of the US GT spec car! 

Buy it or move on and stop the bs complaining! 

Enjoy the pics of my 2020 US Evora GT version, full car!

Coming stateside August!

 

[ken2020]

@KG  I wonder if your a real customer.  Sounds more like a pro-downgrade troll to me.  Maybe a friend of someone that caused this screw up.  Maybe you work for CNN and your life is about fake news?   First, You have some information and pricing wrong. If you were such an enthusiast then you would know the proper information and pricing. As a consumer and someone who has had money in escrow this whole waiting period. I do believe that they should deliver what they promised. Plain and simple.  

So a few points. The front bumper that is on the car is not a Evora GT model bumper. It is a Evora 400 bumper. So it is no longer a "GT" spec car and shouldn't be sold as such.  They could have tried the Federal test with a Polycarbonate front bumper but at some point it was deemed good enough to sell to America. Just throw on a different model front bumper. 

The Wing was on the order sheet.  Very simple. It was promised in writing. 

I was listening to the phone conversation where the head of US sales for Lotus. Told my dealer that in fact the car came with Öhlins suspension.  I would have never ordered the car without such a valid confirmation of suspension. If you have ever driven on Öhlins shocks then you would know how great they ride. As for the Bilstein.  The low speed circuit of the Bilstein just isn't a great ride. It's not the same.  For your math: Öhlins do not cost $12000 for the Evora.  If you pay that then your getting ripped off. Dealer must see you coming and think $$$. Here again you probably haven't even looked into it. 

Stainless exhaust  for $10,000? Once again your lack of pricing details. Ti Exhaust is only $8k 

If you are a real customer and I don't believe that you are. Then you can thank me. Thank me for traveling all the way to Hethel.  Figuring out that they were hiding the downgrade to customers and IMO just going to ship the first 30 cars without notifying the customers or dealers.  The cars were in production before anyone in the states was notified.  After I called them out on the cars being the wrong spec in person. Then they released the information within 48hrs. That's where Lotus has messed up.  

Your car is coming stateside in August. Wow, Late to the party!  Mine should be here any week now. It's been build since the middle of May. The wrong color and exhaust was a human error. The person at Lotus actually called me and admitted his fault. It happens. He admitted it. Unlike the others at Lotus who hid the downgrade.  If I don't like the color then I will have another one in September. 

As for one thing your right. I chose not to buy a 400 and build a kit car. I chose to buy a turnkey complete GT Lotus.  The cost doesn't matter.  It's the point. I could have taken the Rebates and free service (if I was worried about cost). Then ordered up the parts needed and had the ECU reflashed.  But Why? When Lotus was offering the correct package. The car the way that I wanted it when they handed me the keys.  

Now we are forced to build a kit car. They sent out order sheets and asked for deposits and nowhere on it does say that the car would be a kit car. It never said "Some parts and assembly required"

The picture of your car is the same one on the downgrade email notification.Great to know that you can copy and paste. It's not a real picture. It's photoshop.  I have pictures of the first US Evora that were taken at Hethel. 

As far as your other statement. I'm sure Lotus gave it a good try on one crash test vehicle.  But what they are so proud of saying at Hethel is " We are a engineering company". Yet, they couldn't engineer a front bumper that would pass a safety test? Why give up so easily? Oh probably because it's just for America.

As for your concerns on price and exchange. Different distribution systems, taxes, etc. Determine a retail price for any given country.  Comparing the price of a house in London and the same house in Chicago will never be the same. However, The original price was not ever a question.  It's about getting what you agreed upon and getting what they offered.  In this case. The two are not the same. 

 

 

 

 

[KG]

Very proud Lotus Evora owner since 2012.

Stop pontificating! And get off the pedestal, air is thin up there mate!

Enjoy the pic!

I will send pics when I get my real Evora GT, apparently you missed the A panels, CF package, CF door sills, CF seats, CF rear bumper...... and.....

I hope you can move on as I have!

 

 

[Champale]

Can we put KG in a timeout please?  This is absurd.

[ramjet]

I have just read this.

KG and ken2020. Be civil to each other. Bibs has worked hard to establish TLF where we all try to get along as amicably as we can. Other sites might get into the he said/she said tirades. We work hard to avoid it here.

If the bickering keeps up, well we'll see how that goes won't we?

[KG]

I have been and will continue to be civil. It makes no sense to attack a car manufacturer for having to comply to in country regulations and personal attacks are also unwarranted.

i hope Lotus succeeds!

[ramjet]

On 08/06/2019 at 10:31, KG said:

I am not sure what you are doing on this forum other than trolling. If you are not a fan, go to another site that you are a fan off and enjoy! 

I do not consider this to be a civil comment.

Reread my post. I said to both of you to be civil.

[ken2020]

I'm completely civil. With a little fun thrown in because of the demeanor that was used toward me.  The pompous replies are a good chuckle. Stiff upper lip and all.  Pointing out the manufactures failure to comply to a expressed contract is not a attack. 

I will heed your request and leave KG out of my replies. 

 

[KG]

Got it guys! Passionate about Lotus.....perhaps a little too much spice.....enjoy your new Lotus @ken2020

[ramjet]

6 hours ago, ken2020 said:

I wonder if your a real customer.  Sounds more like a pro-downgrade troll to me.  Maybe a friend of someone that caused this screw up.  Maybe you work for CNN and your life is about fake news?   First, You have some information and pricing wrong. If you were such an enthusiast then you would know the proper information and pricing.

 

1 hour ago, ken2020 said:

I'm completely civil.

We're done here.

[Julian73]

18 hours ago, ken2020 said:

@KG  I wonder if your a real customer.  Sounds more like a pro-downgrade troll to me.  Maybe a friend of someone that caused this screw up.  Maybe you work for CNN and your life is about fake news?   First, You have some information and pricing wrong. If you were such an enthusiast then you would know the proper information and pricing. As a consumer and someone who has had money in escrow this whole waiting period. I do believe that they should deliver what they promised. Plain and simple.  

......

 

 

 

I knew before the first formal ordering date that the Ohlins had been removed, as they had also been removed in Europe as they were causing too much of a warranty problem, have you read the service schedule for removing them and sending back in for rebuilds. They are not street grade Ohlins as were the J-hooks removal and optioning of cf roof, but while also giving us first hopes of getting the cf bumper and carbon backed space seats.

[Ccd]

I do not fault Lotus for changes that the company made for the US market.  Just about all manufacturers vary what options are in their car (and prices) for different markets.  I DO fault Lotus for lack of transparency.  The only car Lotus is offering for the US market STILL is not on the US website and that is inexcusable, particularly as the website was recently revamped.

Also, what kind of website revamp leaves potential customers unable to build and price their car?????

[name_bran]

After reading through this thread, I have to say that I'm saddened to see the overall negative tone being set regarding the new GT...but I get it. @ken2020 it sounds like you've really been put through the wringer on your car. After reading everything I totally get why you're upset by this whole process. You were under the assumption you were ordering a US model GT430 essentially, but instead months later come to find out that it's more of some hodgepodge parts add-on to what's essentially the US spec 17-18MY 400 albeit with +22hp. Hopefully when your GT arrives you're more satisfied with it than you seem to think you'll be.

I however came at this from the completely opposite end of the buying spectrum. I read a review earlier this year that mentioned the MY18 Evoras came with Apple CarPlay - one of the requirements of a new car for me, and that's what got me to start looking into these more seriously (crazy as that sounds). So, after searching new/used Evora 400s for months I finally committed to take the first steps necessary to inquire about ordering one. Since I noticed there were no 19MYs for sale I got curious as to why, so I joined a Lotus group on Facebook which led me to finding out about this new GT. Coming from a Nismo Z, any Evora 400 is a decent upgrade and a heck of a lot more price wise (my original budget for my next car was $70K-$80K). I wouldn't spend $130K+ you and some of the other people on this thread planned to pay for this car (that price is too close to a manual 911 GT3 imo). But I'm also a firm believer that when you purchase a new car you should get exactly what you want - i.e. don't get a WRX when you want an STI, don't get a 370Z sport package when you want a Nismo, don't get a Cayman S when you want a GT4 etc. etc. you get my point. And, if I bought an Evora 400, I was already planning to do GT430 bumper swaps and power upgrades. Therefore, when I found out that this GT was coming, I got super excited. (I had already figured we weren't getting the GT430 over here-I figured that car went the same route as the Evora Roadster.) I got even more excited when I was told the pricing - $97K, not even $4K more than the MY18 Evora 400 MSRP AND way more equipment as standard. No cost for cruise control ($450), premium infotainment ($1,400), black pack ($2,000)... there's your $4k right there, and those were all must-have options for me. Not to mention this GT has 22 more horsepower, will be lighter, has the GT430 rear, A panel, front clam air ducts, stone guard, wheels, and interior. The only way to get a leather or alcantara dash/seats with colored stitching in the 400 was by paying $3,400 for the leather/alcantara packs. The double-stitched GT430 interior is standard on this car...all for $97K. That's not bad at all. 

I added the $10K carbon pack and the $500 sub & amp. The only big downside/poorly priced options are the paint choices. I shelled out $5,900 for Essex... that one hurt... all for a paint color. But that's really the only thing worth complaining about. And when you take into account all the other features this GT has over the 400 as standard...even that isn't too terrible. I would never spend $8K for a titanium exhaust, I have Top Speed on my Nismo and I would go with them again for this car as they sell multiple exhausts (stainless and titanium) for the 400s all for under $2K. I could care less about J-Hooks, and the Öhlins would have been nice...but I won't miss them. All-in: $115K for a bespoke car, a Lotus, a mid-engine sports car...in manual. I'm happy AF. I put my deposit down a few weeks ago. A few months ago dealers were asking well over that for heavily optioned MY18 400s. In fact, as I write this, there is a "new" 2018 Copper Fire Red Metallic Evora 400 in Ohio listed at $123K...so when you look at the new GT from this perspective... it's actually almost a bargain. I feel sorry for the poor guy who buys that one in Ohio only to discover this new GT announced soon after.  

Eventually I'll purchase the GT430 front bumper and splitter. I may or may not purchase the wing or the titanium exhaust. But even if I end up buying those items that's still less than I would have had to buy with a 400 base. I do hope my enthusiasm doesn't end up with me being disappointed though. I'm hoping the cars aren't delayed, and I'd really like to get some more official information on the full specifications of this car soon. A full-on press release from Lotus would be nice as well. Either way, when you look at this car as an upgraded 400 at a better price than the 400... you can't help but be excited for it as I am. My car could be here as late as December; I'm really not sure - I got in on this car pretty late. At the time I ordered I was told there were only 44 allocations left. That said if anyone here's of anything more about official specs more than what's listed on that pricing guide please share the info! 

[andyj007]

17 hours ago, KG said:

i like your alternating stripes..and what looks like matt roof.. what did you do at the boot rear light cluster area?

 

 

 

[Ccd]

Name_Brand,

Congrats on your car.  My issues are as follows:

1) Unless you are on a Lotus forum or happen to be talking with a Lotus dealer, you would never know the GT existed for the US market

2) You would not know the price for the car or option prices without talking with a Lotus dealer

3) You would not know how many were coming to the US without talking with a Lotus dealer

Why all the secrecy???  If US dealers know the car price and the options, a press release should already have been issued.  Contrast the way the GT is being handled in the US with the way Lotus advertised the 430 in Europe.  There was a press release at the very beginning, the press release gave the changes in the 430 from the 400 and the allocation number was given.  And the car was listed on their website.  This is not hard.  Lotus did this with the 430 in Europe.  

This is not rocket science