New Emira Video | Including a bombshell

[Bibs]

The plan is 5k a year. UK is usually 15-20% of their market so I'd expect 750-1000 sales in the UK annually.

[duncx]

5K per year with a single shift though isn't it Bibs? Now I know you can't just nip outside and drag a few people off the street for a second shift, but presumably within a year or so you could get one up and running to almost double production?

Hmm, not sure what I think about seeing Lotus on every street corner.....

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, bosshog said:

2-3k a year !? 🤔

I believe that's the goal once they get up to capacity.  no issue with that all and it is what Lotus needs to do to survive and thrive.

However, as lotus goes more mainstream in appeal then Lotus owners will undoubtedly go more mainstream in what they look at to compare it with.

To me Lotus charm, brand and value was that it was the plucky underdog that did amazing things with so little.  You cannot help but be blown away with what Lotus has done - design, development, manufacturing etc over the years with the resources they had available to them. it is a testament to the quality of, and the passion of, the people who have worked for Lotus to date. Each and every one of them has played a major role in keeping Lotus going and fuelling our, the customers, desires and dreams.

However, as they move more mainstream then a large part of the aura around them will start to be eroded. The trick will be for Lotus to balance the need for commercial success (all companies exist to make a profit first and foremost after all) with keeping passionate fans of the brand and cars onside.

It was easy (well it was for me) to forgive Lotus niggles re build quality (though I have to say my Evora Sport 410 and my NA before it are exemplary) and delays with spares availability, as lotus was the plucky local manufacturer who still delivered DESPITE everything that had been thrown against them. I could forgive the variable Dealer experience. The lack of proper marketing support for dealers and the lack of a real strategy to engage with the customer base (after all, being a member of TLF provides a real experience of being engaged with the brand to me) etc.

However, mainstream customers are a lot more fickle and demanding.  So lotus will need to walk a fine line to keep traditional customers feeling loved, but meet the new higher demands and expectations of mainstream car drivers.  I for one hopes Lotus will achieve this balance and reap the rewards and success she deserves.  But the market she is moving into is NOT going to forgive or accept the ways of the past.

 

 

 

[blindside]

All very valid points Andy and I believe you’ve hit the spot with two observations in particular: Nurturing and cosseting ‘hard core’ enthusiast customers as an integral element in building & sustaining the brand. (Even though these customers may not provide the volume of sales required to make big money). And having a marketing and service support effort that is genuinely inquisitive & competitive; actively seeking to acquire plus retain customers at every opportunity.  
In my limited experience thus far with the GT4; Porsche have ‘industrialised’ both aspects. Despite not buying the car from an authorised Porsche dealer I have already had a detailed interaction with the local Porsche centre in Belfast. In short I’ve very politely been asked all the right questions in terms of feedback, verbal and in comprehensive online survey format. This is not just sales, but technical support. I already know the names of the sales and service managers who I will deal with in future. They’ve clearly been well trained! All this in the space of around 4 weeks. Frankly it is light years ahead of anything that I experienced with Lotus having bought 3 new cars (400, 410 & 430) from different authorised dealers in the past 5 years. All contact was largely reactive and dealer support is patchy. Especially as you get further away from Hethel in the far flung reaches of the Empire.

How long will it take Lotus to bring out some really competitive track oriented cars to at least match the Porsche GT2,3,4 performance & price point equivalents?
How long will it take for industrialised marketing, sales and service support functions to be in place in the “Lotus playing with the big boys” brave new world?

I really wish them the best of good fortune, the Emira looks fantastic visually, but there’s a pile of interesting track oriented cars out there to experience and life is comparatively short. And sorry but I really really don’t want an electric or hybrid until there’s no other option available in the marketplace. Just a personal choice!

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Blindside I see what you are saying and agree plenty, but I fear you are asking too much, too soon from Lotus. Why do you need to know the names of the sales and service managers who might be involved with your Cayman GT4? To be honest, who cares? I have had loads of Lotus approved services on my cars and I cannot remember the name of any of the staff who carried this out. Why is this important?

[duncx]

I get it.

What @blindside is saying is that he wants Lotus to recognise that he has just spend a wedge of cash on one of their products and they damn well should treat him like a valued customer.

Approx 5 years ago I bought a spanking new Exige 350 from a Lotus main dealer. It was an underwhelming experience, the car was grubby and poorly presented, parked in a dingy warehouse in the middle of a load of other cars (not even Lotus), the paperwork wasn't ready and there was no manual or service book. There was no follow-up from the dealer or Lotus, I doubt it even registered with them that I existed.

Compare that to when I bought a s/h Exige 350 from a Mercedes dealer, so nothing to do with Lotus. When I arrived I was immediately treated as a customer should be, offered a drink, introduced to the manager, and taken to the car. It was parked on it's own in the showroom, in a special presentation area under sparkling halogen lighting, tantalisingly hidden under a black silk (maybe nylon, who knows ) cover. The cover was whisked off to reveal an immaculate car, gleaming under the lights. I was invited to check every detail of the car before acceptance and then photos were taken (by the dealer) of the handover/handshake. When I got home a few hours later there was an email waiting for me with the photos attached and some pleasant words to thank me for my custom and to assure me that they were there for me if needed. I still get emails from that Merc dealer to this day - obviously telling me about their Mercedes products though, not Lotus. In contrast I have never had any contact from Lotus whatsoever

OK so this may be a bit silly, at the end of the day it's the car I'm interested in, not being pampered by slick sales techniques. However, I'm willing to be ignored because I'm an enthuisiast and frankly there have been no alternatives for me to choose from. Lotus are aiming for a different market now, they are aiming for people who rightly expect to be treated with respect, and the daft thing is that most of this stuff costs next to nothing to put in place.

You're playing with the big boys now Lotus - GET IT SORTED!

 

[bosshog]

I dunno - can’t see how Lotus can really control a different commercial entity and tell them how to behave. The revenue generated at this stage is just not big enough. Maybe in 5-10 years time but definitely not now. 
 

It does make a difference how you are treated from a dealer so I get it, but I think it’s unfair to moan at Lotus directly. 

Edited July 17, 2021 by bosshog

[blindside]

8 hours ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

Blindside I see what you are saying and agree plenty, but I fear you are asking too much, too soon from Lotus. Why do you need to know the names of the sales and service managers who might be involved with your Cayman GT4? To be honest, who cares? I have had loads of Lotus approved services on my cars and I cannot remember the name of any of the staff who carried this out. Why is this important?

It indicates a level of professionalism and that they have a good understanding of consultative and solution sales techniques. Seeking to establish a personal relationship with a discerning customer is key to understanding their wants and needs; particularly if you are selling high value products & services. This is not rocket science. 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

I guess we’re all different, but personally I detest all that patronising Business School Sales jargon. I actively avoid using any company that references “solutions”. I don’t have a problem: I just want to buy a car from you and then get it serviced by you. That’s not rocket science either.

[blindside]

Presumably you’ve avoided any dealings with the tech industry where the whole premise is based on providing “solutions” 😉

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

No I refer those problems to our IT department. As I see it, half of the tech industry seems to be offering solutions to problems that either don’t exist at all, or that have been caused by the other half.

[Matt W]

9 hours ago, duncx said:

I get it.

What @blindside is saying is that he wants Lotus to recognise that he has just spend a wedge of cash on one of their products and they damn well should treat him like a valued customer.

Approx 5 years ago I bought a spanking new Exige 350 from a Lotus main dealer. It was an underwhelming experience, the car was grubby and poorly presented, parked in a dingy warehouse in the middle of a load of other cars (not even Lotus), the paperwork wasn't ready and there was no manual or service book. There was no follow-up from the dealer or Lotus, I doubt it even registered with them that I existed.

Compare that to when I bought a s/h Exige 350 from a Mercedes dealer, so nothing to do with Lotus. When I arrived I was immediately treated as a customer should be, offered a drink, introduced to the manager, and taken to the car. It was parked on it's own in the showroom, in a special presentation area under sparkling halogen lighting, tantalisingly hidden under a black silk (maybe nylon, who knows ) cover. The cover was whisked off to reveal an immaculate car, gleaming under the lights. I was invited to check every detail of the car before acceptance and then photos were taken (by the dealer) of the handover/handshake. When I got home a few hours later there was an email waiting for me with the photos attached and some pleasant words to thank me for my custom and to assure me that they were there for me if needed. I still get emails from that Merc dealer to this day - obviously telling me about their Mercedes products though, not Lotus. In contrast I have never had any contact from Lotus whatsoever

OK so this may be a bit silly, at the end of the day it's the car I'm interested in, not being pampered by slick sales techniques. However, I'm willing to be ignored because I'm an enthuisiast and frankly there have been no alternatives for me to choose from. Lotus are aiming for a different market now, they are aiming for people who rightly expect to be treated with respect, and the daft thing is that most of this stuff costs next to nothing to put in place.

You're playing with the big boys now Lotus - GET IT SORTED!

 

That's interesting about the Mercedes service you've had. I bought a C63 new in 2017, the whole purchasing experience was a mess and collection day more like how you collected your Exige. I had no feedback from them and had to push and push for a driving day which was included. So I think service quality is very much dealer specific, but totally agree Lotus need to pull a finger out. I've had a very mixed experience so far, with my closest dealer being one ill never walk into again, and along with several others I've spoken to, I'm waiting for a delayed Exige delivery with no information on when anything will arrive or what's actually going on. As you say, Lotus is going mainstream with what are expensive products and if they want to retain purchasers they will need to look after them.

[DarrylV8]

7 hours ago, blindside said:

Presumably you’ve avoided any dealings with the tech industry where the whole premise is based on providing “solutions” 😉

I thought the standard answer from technical persons was; have you tried switching it off and then on again.

having purchased 5 brand new Lotus from four different main dealers (in the last eleven years) have only had one issue, when picking up one of the Exiges fuel tank was only half full, we have always been treated as I would expect to treat someone if they had spent their hard earned money with me

@Matt WI assume you are referring to jct600 never bought a new Lotus from them but had both Exiges serviced with them at both service centres, and won’t be using their service dept. again 

[Evotion]

This is  interesting reading and I see all the sides.

As I represent that 'New Lotus Buying Persona' so well,  I will add my thoughts.

Before I had heard of the Emira and was looking at other marques, my belief was that Lotus was a another Morgan,/TVR/small time niche car builder/part-time track car company and I would have had the opposite expectations that I have when dealing with Bentley, as a example. I would have been very reticent buying a Lotus product - indeed I never did.

Now, however, things have changed. My mentality regarding the Lotus brand has now pivoted.

• I am buying a brand new car/s and this should be the latest and greatest
• I hear they invested £100million
• There has been a couple of years of designing,  making and testing
• They are clearly not rushing this
• There is a LOT of positive talk about how great they will be, how they have changed for the better.
• This is Lotus acting like a German car company, getting it right from the start.
• My expectation level is now highly elevated.

This means I will be holding them up to the heights of buying a new German prestige car from a great dealer. Yes, I am brave getting the first run of a brand new model but if there are any issues I will be al over them.  

I have convinced myself it will be a great buying and ownership experience. Failures will now not be tolerated as mentioned in an  previous post.

[TomE]

Improving the buying and owning experience was one of the things I was pleased to hear in the Lotus company update a few months ago and Bibs' interview with Matt Windle.  They've got to make a step change here, and it's positive that they have a key strategic initiative focused on a new retailing proposition.  I guess Lotus taking over control of Emira deposits from dealers is one early part of that.  We need to see more about what's planned and some tangible progress.

There were some posts a while back about the variable handling of comms with deposit holders, current owners and prospects by dealers and the lack of direction from Lotus on a coordinated approach to the reveal.  We can make some allowances for things still being done the "old way" but I'd like to see more evidence of the new way, or at least the plans on what the new way will be.

Some of this sales and car collection stuff may feel a bit unnecessary to some.  My local VAG dealer can do it for the purchase of my daughter's sub-£10k used VW, so why can't Lotus?   They need to define what they want it to be from a buyer perspective (a "customer experience proposition" if we're going to get all business-speak) and then put the training, info, comms mechanisms, materials, processes in place.  My hope is that's already being done.

[Evotion]

Yep. Now there is a huge amount of interest, and deposits, it would be nice to see Lotus give out more information about the processes.  I don't really want to wait until the Autumn.

The main thing for me is actually how much the final 'I am buying it' deposit will be.

[Frickin_idiot]

On 17/07/2021 at 08:28, bosshog said:

I dunno - can’t see how Lotus can really control a different commercial entity and tell them how to behave. The revenue generated at this stage is just not big enough. Maybe in 5-10 years time but definitely not now. 
 

It does make a difference how you are treated from a dealer so I get it, but I think it’s unfair to moan at Lotus directly. 

Lotus shouldn't have to, this should be a natural state of affairs for any reasonably competent dealer.