Lotus UAE dealership Evora 400 price

[Guest Koko]

So I was in the market for a new sports car, after searching / researching a few models i decided to give the Lotus dealership in my country (UAE) a call, this was the exchange that occurred after the call on their main facebook page.

- Now i would really like to know what specific changes do the evora 400 GCC spec models have over the European edition ?

- do you think the car will perform/sell well with a sticker price of 450,000 AED ( equivalent to £ 93,000) granted he did say, that you get a 3 year warranty (unlimited milage) and a buy back guarantee after 2 years (but he didn't mention for how much)

 

 

[Bravo73]

FWIW, Lotus have never put the Evora up against the Cayman. They have always compared it to it's closet competitor, the 911. 

It is motoring journalists (and the internet) who insist on comparing it with the Cayman. 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

That's a great example of why it's much better to call someone on the telephone, or better still, visit the dealership in person, rather than "call" them on Facebook or such-like.

The dealer has asked you to supply your contact details so they can talk you through everything. Sadly your published reply has now left you nowhere to go with this. Enjoy your 911.

[Guest Koko]

main issue here,  1) dealership sticker price of   £93,000 , would you buy an evora 400 for that price rather than a 911 S with options?
                             2)real difference between the GCC spec and the standard spec.

[Bravo73]

Would I? Yes. 

But then I don't particularly like Porkers. 

[Guest Koko]

you seem to be relying on your emotions a lot more than your logic if that is your true decision,

basically-"let me overpay on this lotus 400 and skip the 911 which is cheaper due to the dealerships greed"

[Colin G]

It's at times like this that I wish I hadn't bothered to log in.

[mcx]

I really like my 400 but £93k is the wrong price. 

[Guest Koko]

yes thank you, my point exactly. (apparently one has to tiptoe very gently in the forum so as not to break any fanboy eggshells )

How dare I compare the 400 to a GT4: HERESY!
How dare I say   £93k  is overpriced :HERESY!


on topic though does anyone know what the GCC options have that the standard edition doesn't?

 

[Colin G]

It's nothing to do with either fanboyism or anyone declaring you a heretic. You've set your stall out with the copy and paste of your own Facebook post showing a pretty poor attitude. Why not actually talk to the dealer at least, as suggested, rather than start an account on a Lotus forum purely to whinge and let us know of your Porsche intentions? (Which seems to be based with little understanding of where the 400 stands against their range) Pointless thread of the day.

[Barrykearley]

Utterly pointless - it's like whinging that harrods is more expensive that sports direct.

go and drive a car. Try it. Then question the deal you can get - at this point you have a valid reason for whinging if the price is sky high. But do compare apples with apples - a steering wheel on a Porsche is optional - just like a windscreen as well 

if you wish to buy a mass produced Porsche - then I can understand than - same reason many folks drink lager to a fine wine.......

this really ain't the best place to run down a car you haven't driven frankly

[Guest Koko]

1 minute ago, Colin G said:

It's nothing to do with either fanboyism or anyone declaring you a heretic. You've set your stall out with the copy and paste of your own Facebook post showing a pretty poor attitude. Why not actually talk to the dealer at least, as suggested, rather than start an account on a Lotus forum purely to whinge and let us know if your Porsche intentions? (Which seems to be based with little understanding of where the 400 stands against their range) Pointless thread of the day.

why do you assume i didn't speak with the dealer? I DID speak with the dealer, do you know what the final price was? 445,000 aed approx   £ 92,300, do you know what that does? it turns A LOT of customers off from the car, frankly there are a lot better cars at that price point whether you agree or NOT, its a fact not an opinion. secondly if you really like the Lotus brand you would agree they are not really in that great of a financial situation to take such risks ESPECIALLY in the new markets they are trying to enter so why instantly turn potential customers off? does Lotus assume the GCC consumer to be not aware of the actual price of their product? or do they think that we are a bunch of goat and camel herders with a private oil-wells? (to explain the £20,000 premium over MSRP), instead of taking the once in a life time advantage of the £ being weak against the $, thus allowing their product to be cheaper than their European counterparts they are throwing it away, that is what Annoys me. 

[Guest Koko]

11 minutes ago, Barrykearley said:

Utterly pointless - it's like whinging that harrods is more expensive that sports direct.

go and drive a car. Try it. Then question the deal you can get - at this point you have a valid reason for whinging if the price is sky high. But do compare apples with apples - a steering wheel on a Porsche is optional - just like a windscreen as well 

if you wish to buy a mass produced Porsche - then I can understand than - same reason many folks drink lager to a fine wine.......

this really ain't the best place to run down a car you haven't driven frankly

- actually what I'm saying is more like sports-direct being more expensive than harrods, you got your brands jumbled up.
- I did tell the dealer your price point can get me a 911 ( with £20,000 of options) or a 911 S (with  £ 7,000 of options) : no coherent answer as there is none.
- you say the 911 is mass produced, funnily enough it holds its value much better than the Lotus brand when it comes to depreciation so which is the lager and which the wine?
- valid point, i haven't driven it, BECAUSE THE  £20,000 price premium turned me off..simple...so thank you for reinforcing what i said earlier. (or you think a drive could change that?) 

[Neal H]

Have you driven an Evora 400? You really need to before deciding that there are a lot better cars at that price point. I also find that dealers take you far more seriously if you are prepared to go and sit down at their desk.

I don't view the 400 as a Caymen GT4 rival - an Exige 360 Cup is a GT4 rival. The 400 is a road biased sports car (I hesitate to use the term 'GT' because the Evora is far better than that), the GT4 is a track focussed Porsche. I also view the 400 as a genuine 911 rival and that is what I would bench mark it against - in terms of price, performance and (most importantly) driving experience.

[mcx]

I agree that an Evora 400 is a pretty good rival to a 991 C2S, had one for 2 1/2 years and still have a 991 in the garage so yes I do know what i am talking about. BUT it seems that your complaint should be with the dealership if indeed they are trying to charge over list. 

[Guest Koko]

12 minutes ago, Neal H said:

Have you driven an Evora 400? You really need to before deciding that there are a lot better cars at that price point. I also find that dealers take you far more seriously if you are prepared to go and sit down at their desk.

I don't view the 400 as a Caymen GT4 rival - an Exige 360 Cup is a GT4 rival. The 400 is a road biased sports car (I hesitate to use the term 'GT' because the Evora is far better than that), the GT4 is a track focussed Porsche. I also view the 400 as a genuine 911 rival and that is what I would bench mark it against - in terms of price, performance and (most importantly) driving experience.

all that you said is lovely, and i can agree with (although a little bit debatable but just for arguments sake lets say i agree with what you said), still doesn't explain the  £20,000 premium. it also doesn't explain this counter-productive strategy of placing such a skyhigh price turning people away from the car rather than going going to check it out, driving it, buying it. 

[FredP]

Is there any premium applied in UAE by Porsche from the EU pricing?

[Guest Koko]

for the special editions yes, (as with most other manufacturers), I would expect the hethel edition to have a premium or the blue & orange edition to have a premium (no arguments there)

but other than that what you get is a level playing field. [so the answer is NO Porsche doesn't  have a  £20,000 premium or any premium of the sort] (you can check the website if you don't believe me) that is whats nagging me the most about the whole situation. the MSRP is the MSRP for a reason, its a well researched number, accountants and financiers spent time/money in lotus researching it (i assume they looked at the competition as well), the only explanation to me is one with pure dealership greed, but the dealer is claiming "hey that's the price point Lotus set up for them to sell and they have no control over it" (i don't believe that statement to be true)

a quick edit:

Porsche Carrera S in Germany starting price €110,776 including VAT  (approx 447,000 AED)
Porsche Carrera S in UAE starting price 414,000 AED (no taxes in UAE) (approx € 103,000)

so Porsche's are technically cheaper in the GCC than in their manufacturing nation.

[JayEmm]

4 hours ago, Bravo73 said:

FWIW, Lotus have never put the Evora up against the Cayman. They have always compared it to it's closet competitor, the 911. 

It is motoring journalists (and the internet) who insist on comparing it with the Cayman. 

Actually Lotus set the Cayman as a competitor for the original Cayman. Quite what the 400 competes with is anyone's guess but I wouldn't pay £93,000 for one. I don't know the UAE market but unless there's a tax that puts the price up (I somehow doubt it) then it just seems mad to me

[Guest Koko]

hey James!! i would just like to say that your vlogs on youtube was one of the things that got me interested in the car, keep up the good job (i liked commented and subbed btw :D), no there are no taxes in the UAE, and yes its unfortunate that Lotus has placed this price point, but who should i believe, do you really think Lotus asked the dealer to start at that price point, or is it the more logical human greed? (btw its just 1 dealer for the whole country)

[Barrykearley]

2 hours ago, Koko said:

or do they think that we are a bunch of goat and camel herders with a private oil-wells? (to explain the £20,000 premium over MSRP)

I'd be sticking my best boy camel in with my best girlie camel and putting on some sweet music for them. Flog the goats off - they are a pain in the ass. Then off to plug in the oil pump.

can you not import a lotus??

[JayEmm]

@Koko thanks. Is there anything stopping you buying a car in the UK and importing?

Is the dealer close enough for you to visit? You may not be off to the best start with them...

[Guest Koko]

@JayEmm

I can import the car, but its a hassle, miles need to be converted to kilometers,  right hand drive to left hand drive, certain radiator and AC upgrades need to be done (UAE heat isnt easy , yesterday it was 52 degrees) and more importantly , warranty...if something fails...and in lotus THINGS DO TEND to fail..i would be left with my pants down.

Edited July 25, 2016 by Koko

[JayEmm]

Perhaps Lotus have decided the market isn't worth the hassle? Hence have decided to stick a huge premium on to try and justify being bothered? 

As it happens the factory is currently 100% focused on the USA cars at the moment

[Guest Koko]

That may be so,

makes me sad. but as long as this raised awareness to any fellow GCC buyer then i hope it helped.

Edit,
 

@JayEmm

this got me thinking for the fellow Evora 400 buyers in the UK, did you guys get a warranty included with the price of the vehicle or is that a separate contract, and if it is how much did it cost?

Edited July 25, 2016 by Koko