demo cars at dealers ?

[390ja]

Central lotus have just emailed me to say their Emira is now in and available to view, but again, test drives arranged through lotus directly.

 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

My Evora GTE is booked in to Lotus Silverstone for its annual service on Tuesday morning while I wait. It’ll be interesting to see if they’ve got their demo Emira in. I’ll let you all know. 

[a7esk]

4 hours ago, 390ja said:

Central lotus have just emailed me to say their Emira is now in and available to view, but again, test drives arranged through lotus directly.

 

I’m on the understanding they bought that themselves so it’s not a test drive one .

[390ja]

I have no idea, this is cut directly from their email.

 

”Please note that test drives will not be available on the day as this will have to be booked on a separate system through Lotus direct.  Give us a call us today for more information on this.”

[MPx]

18 hours ago, Rambo said:

Tempted Mike? Trade in the Esprit and Elan M100 + the rainy day piggy bank 😉

Haha...I was in there to book my place on the Eletre roadshow for Tuesday week.  My first config on that came in at just over £150k so I'll need more than the trade ins and sofa backs for that one!   I'll have to do my usual and rely on someone else picking my spec and selling it on in a few years time having taken the financial hit .

[exeterjeep]

Lotus Silverstone seem to be the first dealer to post their Emira on Facebook - a red one. Have all dealers got theirs now?

Lotus Emira V6 Manual

Magma Red, Ice Grey Leather

20" Diamond Cut Forged Wheels

Touring Tyre and Touring Suspension

[TomE]

Sussex posted pics of theirs yesterday.  Kent got theirs too.  Silverstone, Leeds, Bristol and a few others got them today.  I know some aren't expecting them till early next week.

[MPx]

Forgot to say, the Exeter one is Nimbus over red leather.  Looked very good.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

So just had a sit in the Lotus Silverstone car. It’s owned by Lotus and cannot be driven by anyone until the Scorpion tracker is fitted, so is still on 14 delivery miles. It’s magma red with diamond cut wheels, no black pack and the light grey all leather interior. Touring spec on Goodyears. They’re keeping it quiet until the tracker is sorted. Lovely looking thing.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Deposit holders should get an e-mail any day now from Lotus themselves to book test drive slots on-line at their chosen agent.

[jimichanga]

What is the idea behind centralised test drive bookings? Who does it benefit?

[exeterjeep]

All part of the Lotus centralise approach to life. They need to book early deposit holders in for a drive before delivery (if deposit holder wants one). Lotus need to know the test routes, check mileage etc.

[Whitey]

Rybrook Bristol confirmed to me today that the test routes are set and will last for 25-30 mins. You will not be able to take it on your favourite roads, unless it happens to be part of their set route.

Edited November 1, 2022 by Whitey

[exeterjeep]

I wonder how many test drives would be possible in an average day. The minimum slot must be an hour even if only driving the car for 30 mins, then allowing for checking/cleaning/questions between, then also those customers arriving late or early - may only be 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon.  The dealership staff may have other things to do particularly if Eletre tour is in their showroom!

[jimichanga]

Because Lotus own the demo cars presumably? While this may have some benefits to deposit holders who are already sold on the car it’s less likely to help convert new sales or those with a long standing relationship with their dealer who were expecting to have some keys thrown their way. Presumably Lotus central gather all your personal information and then proceed to hound you for months on end, end up speaking to your Mrs only to tell her it’s about a new car leading to inevitable bollocking and weeks in the doghouse!

[Bibs]

Or she loves the idea and is over the moon that you're going to be ferrying her around in an ace new sports car? 

 

[Whitey]

5 or 6 test drives max per day

[JB]

On 28/10/2022 at 15:54, exeterjeep said:

So how many dealers have got their demo Emira now, know there is a pic of one in Sussex, others must be hiding them in storage until all have their cars??? May be there will be a UK wide dealer announcement at a point in time (soon) to say that they are all in place waiting to be used. I suppose dealers could get upset if dealer A gets their car before dealer B etc......

Prob dealers B&C who we beat to getting a car🤣

1 hour ago, jimichanga said:

Because Lotus own the demo cars presumably? While this may have some benefits to deposit holders who are already sold on the car it’s less likely to help convert new sales or those with a long standing relationship with their dealer who were expecting to have some keys thrown their way. Presumably Lotus central gather all your personal information and then proceed to hound you for months on end, end up speaking to your Mrs only to tell her it’s about a new car leading to inevitable bollocking and weeks in the doghouse!

Chucking keys and saying 'have a nice day' is the old world, time to get used to the new. If dealers owned the cars it would be different but we don't. Would you give your car to someone to look after and say 'chuck the keys at anyone you fancy' without knowing who they were?

Familiarisation drive tomorrow, so yes you can drive them!!................................well I can 🤣

Deposit holder demos will begin poss end of the week

[jimichanga]

It was never about ‘chucking the keys to anyone without knowing who they are’ it was about long term relationships where trust with a demo car was earned over time to the point where the dealer felt that the person concerned was responsible and experienced enough with this type of car to offer an extended, unaccompanied test drive on the road or in some cases track too. The same dealers were taking a very different approach to some bloke in his 20’s pulling up in a lowered Fiesta ST. Being told by you that I am old and have to get with the new way of doing this is a good way of making sure I talk to other ‘agents’ first - starting with B&C who already have you beaten for manners and professionalism regardless of how many of Lotus’s Emiras you have on your forecourt.

Edited November 1, 2022 by jimichanga

[Arregueti]

We (local Lotus club) have also been offered tests under the 30 minutes “under surveillance and pre-established roads” rule book over here. It actually discouraged me from testing the car at this early stage. I am probably too old, too, but I don’t like it either.

[mdavies]

I’ve bought a good number of Lotuses from the same dealer and, after the first couple, been trusted to take, by myself, either a demonstrator for the several new ones, or the actual potential purchase for the SH ones, a fair number of miles away to my known decent “properly test a Lotus” roads.  So I’m well familiar with the “catch the keys and go” approach.

The Lotus 2.0 “test drives”, on a rigidly defined route, limited to a brief time, accompanied – in silence, or with sales chatter? – and carrying the mental pressure of having already paid in full for it are, IMO, not worthy of the name. They may of course be seen as adequate by those buying a FE Emira (not all) who are seemingly as concerned about the colour, and testing its comfort, the sound quality, the infotainment and suchlike as experiencing and analysing what made the previous cars from Lotus 1.0 so respected - what made them “a real Lotus”.

However, being happy to decide whether to buy or not on the basis of such a “test” is perhaps a good indicator of being a suitable customer for Lotus 2.0.

Me, I’m a Lotus 1.0 person.

[gregs24]

Unfortunately, Lotus couldn't survive on Lotus 1.0 buyers as sales of previous models proved. Those Lotus 2.0 customers who consider colour, sound quality, trim quality etc important are the only reason Lotus still exists!

18 hours ago, jimichanga said:

 Being told by you that I am old and have to get with the new way of doing this is a good way of making sure I talk to other ‘agents’ first - starting with B&C who already have you beaten for manners and professionalism regardless of how many of Lotus’s Emiras you have on your forecourt.

I'm pretty certain he was not calling YOU old!

Unless the dealers own the cars the same will apply at B&C. Lotus are calling the shots on this, I believe the demo cars are all individually type approved which may be a factor ?

[JB]

15 hours ago, jimichanga said:

It was never about ‘chucking the keys to anyone without knowing who they are’ it was about long term relationships where trust with a demo car was earned over time to the point where the dealer felt that the person concerned was responsible and experienced enough with this type of car to offer an extended, unaccompanied test drive on the road or in some cases track too. The same dealers were taking a very different approach to some bloke in his 20’s pulling up in a lowered Fiesta ST. Being told by you that I am old and have to get with the new way of doing this is a good way of making sure I talk to other ‘agents’ first - starting with B&C who already have you beaten for manners and professionalism regardless of how many of Lotus’s Emiras you have on your forecourt.

I understand that many people have a relationship with dealers and have had the luxury of having a car for a long period of time. Unfortunately (for now) that is not how things are being done. The manufacturers own the cars so the risk is all theirs. When there are used vehicles on forecourts I am sure extended drives will be the norm as the dealer will own said car. As yet I have not seen a bloke in his 20's in an ST pulling up, but have seen many in their 20's who are very successful wanting to get into Lotus ownership. 

At no point did I say you were 'old' but if you feel that my post was aimed at you being old my apologies. I was saying that the being given keys and off you go was the old way and not how it is being done currently.

 

[mdavies]

The points made above about the economic reasons for Lotus and its cars to move on and away from their pre-2022 nature, and the points re demo cars being owned by Lotus, their scarcity and value to Lotus currently – with “normal” production, what would having to scrap a few demonstrators matter to a major company? – insurance issues, the lack of freedom for agents to use their judgement in decisions about test drives, plus likely some etcs, etcs, are fairly made and I don’t dispute them.

However those matters do not change the issue that the currently defined “test drives” permit potential purchasers to experience and evaluate a car only on aspects that I regard as superficial.

Superficial for a “real Lotus”, that is. Perhaps not so much for “ordinary cars”.

It is possible that that may be part of the strategy for Lotus 2.0.  Perhaps the principle, for now anyway, is to “sell the cars on the things where they are really good – most of the many new buyers will accept what were previously considered fundamental as being “adequate” – they’ll know no different.” (Yes, I changed it from “better”!)

I’ve said previously on another thread that if Geely want their ownership of Lotus Cars to mean something more than a brand name to be stuck on whatever - and so rapidly lose its meaning - now is the time their wallet should be played.  The Emira GT4 shows that Lotus can still make cars worthy of their previous fundamentals; perhaps a version of the I4 Emira could gain some benefits from the GT4, whilst still being sold at a “reasonable” price. But that’s the future.

For now, when a decent number of demo cars are available - a separate issue - even hiring some circuit qualified “road test accompaniers” - essential chat only, please - and then allowing far more freedom for the road tests could restore some credibility there, and hence perhaps, enthusiastic reports. (Insured by Geely, I'd hope.)  

The alternative is simply to say “things are what they are – get used to it”.  I’d really like to hope that will not be the motto of Lotus 2.0.   But I’m not confident.

[gregs24]

Geely have an excellent reputation for success with car brands they have bought or part own, so I'm pretty sure they know what they are doing. Money has certainly been flowing into Lotus big time.