My Emira has arrived!

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Has anyone seen/heard a prototype I4 Emira actually being driven, even on YouTube? I don’t mean the one fitted with the electric motor to get itself from transporter to showroom and back.

[MJON]

Yes, @LotusLeftLotusRighterr sort of 🙄 Saw one in the factory (flat red colour) very nice, but being worked on so not driven and there was another clad in an Evora shell which was driving through factory grounds. My guess they’ll be all out in time for Christmas “23”

[TomE]

22 hours ago, Rambo said:

Am I right in thinking this is fast becoming an almighty shambles?

Fast?  It's been a year now since the post-Goodwood dealer roadshows and the first post-deposit comms with deposit holders about specs and preferences.  Some deposit holders have had only 3 generic emails in 15 months.

Lotus has recently posted new sets of images of half the First Edition colours (still not Dark Verdant!) - photos we were promised last October were "coming soon".  You can understand the cynicism amongst some deposit holders that "soon" in Lotus language can mean anything from tomorrow to 12 months from now, but more likely "later" than "sooner".

22 hours ago, RapidLotus said:

How many cars did Lotus say they would make a day once production started?  How many a year were they going to produce total?  I'm told I am pretty good at math (I am an engineer) but the numbers of cars being delivered don't match the published estimates, not even close.  

The plan was 25 per day, 100 per week, 4,800 per year on one shift, rising to 7,500 on two shifts.

I think less than 20 customer cars have been delivered so far, all LHD in Europe.  I heard recent rumours of 50-150 in October and maybe 300 in November

[TomE]

12 hours ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

Has anyone seen/heard a prototype I4 Emira actually being driven, even on YouTube? I don’t mean the one fitted with the electric motor to get itself from transporter to showroom and back.

Yes, I've seen half a dozen pre-prod cars in the assembly hall, a couple being driven around the Hethel site and have seen spyshots of 2-3 pre-prod cars in UK and Europe on public roads near industry test facilities.

[simonb]

The "sometime in 2023" I have in the last (generic) email for my i4 is a little frustrating.  Will be interesting to see what happens when the base configurator is released.

If I get the choice of more colours and a £8K saving for a good dynamic / low toy specification that would be a tempting choice (so £7k in options)

[Wake]

 

19 hours ago, TomE said:

I think less than 20 customer cars have been delivered so far, all LHD in Europe.  I heard recent rumours of 50-150 in October and maybe 300 in November

It will be interesting if those numbers are true. Assuming they are planned delivery numbers and not the amount of cars they will build in that month, I think it’s looking more likely that I won’t get my car in November. Deposit placed on the 8th July. The SVR F-type I have saved on autotrader is quickly becoming a more attractive proposition (and 30k less). 

[Bibs]

On 30/09/2022 at 17:38, hml_xy said:

chances are its done next week

Well, how is it?

 

[hml_xy]

@Bibs Still at the dealer unfortunately. 😕 Papers are on it´s way, but haven´t arrived yet. But I promise a sh*t load of pictures and videos as soon as I can pick her up!! Maybe end of next week...?

[Rambo]

So, the dealer has had your car now for exactly 2 weeks and still not received paperwork? End of next week Possibly....

Why all the delays?

[ramjet]

Monkey mail?

[hml_xy]

 

I have a bit of bonus content to keep myself distracted and you guys entertained in the meantime. For example the amazing sparkle on the other car at the dealer. It looks so high quality in real life and the sparkle is pretty much invisible from further away and a real surprise if you look closer.

 

Or the underside of the keyfob:

And the photo of the VIN. Ending in 10150 ... 50ths car? Or 150ths? 

[hml_xy]

After over one month of waiting - tomorrow might be the day! She's registered and I hope I find the time tomorrow to finally go and pick her up.

From what the dealer told me the registration happened via COC and the car is still not in the public system database.

...This weekend might be the last chance this year for a small roadtrip. Weather report says sun and no rain around here. 🤩

[Frickin_idiot]

Brilliant - hope it all goes to plan!

[gregs24]

On 08/10/2022 at 10:57, hml_xy said:

 

And the photo of the VIN. Ending in 10150 ... 50ths car? Or 150ths? 
 

Probably neither. The run would start with the prototypes and pre-production cars if they follow previous protocols ? There will have been 60 or 70 of those so your car may be something like the 70th or so car made for customers. As an example the first Elise customer car was 0024

Edited October 27, 2022 by gregs24

[Abgreenbank]

On 03/10/2022 at 20:06, TomE said:

Fast?  It's been a year now since the post-Goodwood dealer roadshows and the first post-deposit comms with deposit holders about specs and preferences.  Some deposit holders have had only 3 generic emails in 15 months.

Lotus has recently posted new sets of images of half the First Edition colours (still not Dark Verdant!) - photos we were promised last October were "coming soon".  You can understand the cynicism amongst some deposit holders that "soon" in Lotus language can mean anything from tomorrow to 12 months from now, but more likely "later" than "sooner".

The plan was 25 per day, 100 per week, 4,800 per year on one shift, rising to 7,500 on two shifts.

I think less than 20 customer cars have been delivered so far, all LHD in Europe.  I heard recent rumours of 50-150 in October and maybe 300 in November

I think lotus maybe publishing a picture of a DV car. Soon…

[Bibs]

Plenty of pics here...

https://www.thelotusforums.com/latest-news/blogs/pics-lotus-emira-production-line-tour/

[hml_xy]

I can't believe that I write this and it's still surreal. But I've got the car at home!

First driving was amazing, the gearbox is smoother than in the Evora. The ride quality is sublime! The sound is more subtle than expected but nice (not loud at all, but a quality soundtrack). Seats could still be a tiny bit lower, pedals are absolutely excellent and I don't get the comments of the cramped placing.

KEF sound quality is really good but the bass is not stellar (less bass than eg. a Harman Kardon in a Mini, but excellent mids and high but not crazy stereo field placement).

More to come! Now I need to go for a drive... 🤩

[hml_xy]

Oh, I got a little surprise with a Emira shaped keyholder / colour sample in a box with a carbon inlay for the second key. 

And a photo of the first traffic jam on the way home...

[Bibs]

Yay, congratulations Heiner

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Nice! 25C outside too. So you didn’t miss the summer!

[Rambo]

Lucky you Heiner. Lovely colour. You will stand out in a traffic jam 😉

Enjoy the lovely autumn weather in your new toy 👍

[hml_xy]

Thanks everybody for the kind words! It was a (sub-4000rpm) blast 😅 - everybody who has one on order can definitely look forward to it. In the best possible way it's a "modern Evora".  The goal to speak to a wider audience than the predecessor has definitely been achieved.

I really wonder if the press cars had the "old" gearbox in them because this one is definitely better than what I know from the previous generation. Yes, the gearbox howl is still there (maybe even more than on my Evora?) but the gearshift is definitely tweaked and slicker. For example many of you will know that 1st was sometimes a bit hard to get into - none of that on the Emira! Also less force to put the gears in but in return a "cleaner" shift. 
 

And the steering wheel being chunky... yes, it is very chunky when you place your hands in the 9:00 & 3:00 o'clock positions. But if you do it "right" and put them at 10:00 and 2:00 o'clock it's not too chunky. But yes, I would also prefer a round wheel a bit more.

Power wise I can't really say much after just 200km and no hard accelerations yet but first impression is you feel the difference in weight to the Evora GT430. 

Ride quality and steering / brake feel are definitely class leading in my opinion - just like Gav said ... "a true Lotus".

Quirks: 

1) Parking sensor behaves like on a modern Aston Martin Vantage - often just turns itself on at a traffic light and starts beeping for no reason. Same part supplier like Aston or a software glitch?

2) The fuel filler opening has a self-closing latch which takes a good bit of force to press open. This has caused a quite a spillage of Shell finest V-Power at the station. Seems I have to work on my technique to accomodate 😅

[Rambo]

Nice to hear that the Emira gearbox is less "notchy" than that on the Evora 👍

What's the exhaust note like Heiner?

[hml_xy]

@Rambo It depends.

In Tour mode you barely hear the exhaust in the cabin. But you hear a lot of supercharger whirl and "good" mechanical noises, which have their own character. Also with the windows down barely any noise. No burble or barks, also not when shifting under load. Much much more quiet than the other cars. It is a very usable, social way of driving the car. 

In Sport and Track the exhaust becomes "louder" and starts burbling A LOT when going of the accelerator. But no F-Type style bangs or pops. It is a very quality sound, quite exotic as well. I am very pleased with it because it also sounds surprisingly different to the Evora/Exige soundtrack. Not night and day different but "fresh" in a way. Decibel wise I have to say that full open exhaust on the Emira is same-ish quiet as the closed exhaust on the Evora GT. You still hear more outside and it sounds amazing (inside and out) but less anti-social than the old cars. 
It may get louder in a few thousand km's but I can see people craving for aftermarket solutions.

One positive finding for you RHD guys:

The car sounds better from the LHD passenger / RHD driver seat. Probably because of the hearing position being in a better angle to the engine bay  (or was it intentionally tweaked this way)?

 

 

[TomE]

Great to read your detailed feedback Heiner and particularly your comparisons to the Evora.

I think the reason it sounds better from the right seat is you're hearing more induction noise from the right side intake.  I noticed it passengering in a LHD press car and factory staff confirmed.