Emira deposit refunds - anybody got theirs?
Discussion
Quite a sad topic, with so many people cancelling their orders for a Lotus Emira.
I have little knowledge about the car, but was delighted when launched, to see such a very attractive looking car design.
Lotus had been struggling to have decent sales numbers for years and this car appeared to be exactly what should provide a boost for the Company.
There seem to be various different reasons given for cancellation.
Poor seats, not fast enough, unpleasant supercharger whine, poor build quality.
If Lotus are 'on the ball', they should consider every customer criticism, because it would be a shame if the initial excitement became tarnished.
I suppose another point might be that the economy was in a better place at the time of launch, whereas now many people are being far more careful about their discretionary spending.
Harry Metcalfe took his new Emira to Italy. Seemed to like the car. Do you think he was simply being the 'good journalist', keeping on the right side of a manufacturer? Generally he does seem to criticise more than many reviewers.
Probably the wrong place for this debate, but it seems to me that the sentiment towards the car by those who are owners is by and large very good.
And yes there have been quality and snagging issues which there wouldn't ideally have been.
I think that lotus have seen two perfect storms. The first was at launch time when the car got a rave reception and gazillions of orders in what I think of as the bizarre nearly post covid gold rush times where people thought cars were assets and as good as money.
Not things have changed to almost the polar opposite. Money is that only thing that's money and it's needed in hard times. Then there's the supply chain problem which has screwed up the building of the car. Add in the seeming monumental inadequacy of lotus to manage that and the other things they needed to do to build and seek a new car. Rust gives you the other perfect storm leading to the cancellations. Of course we don't actually know the percentage cancelled.
But through it all the car is the same and seemingly well liked. Is it good enough to really make a mark in the market against the competition? Only time will tell.
If it ends up being subbing of a day squib it'll be partly factors outside lotus' control and partly their fault.
Let's hope it really claims it's place as a great car.
And yes there have been quality and snagging issues which there wouldn't ideally have been.
I think that lotus have seen two perfect storms. The first was at launch time when the car got a rave reception and gazillions of orders in what I think of as the bizarre nearly post covid gold rush times where people thought cars were assets and as good as money.
Not things have changed to almost the polar opposite. Money is that only thing that's money and it's needed in hard times. Then there's the supply chain problem which has screwed up the building of the car. Add in the seeming monumental inadequacy of lotus to manage that and the other things they needed to do to build and seek a new car. Rust gives you the other perfect storm leading to the cancellations. Of course we don't actually know the percentage cancelled.
But through it all the car is the same and seemingly well liked. Is it good enough to really make a mark in the market against the competition? Only time will tell.
If it ends up being subbing of a day squib it'll be partly factors outside lotus' control and partly their fault.
Let's hope it really claims it's place as a great car.
Edited by BertBert on Sunday 2nd April 21:35
I think there has been a lot of reasons for cancellation at various stages in what has been quite a long drawn out process.
First came the delays.
Then came the not entirely positive reviews. Which mixed with delays means they are all lots of people had to go on. Also the warm fuzzy feeling of buying a new car is starting to wear off.
The press cars not actually being finished cars rang a few alarm bells that all not well with the project. With Lotus seemingly not knowing what’s going on. I had a conversation with head of European sales where I was told I was absolutely going to be able to test drive a car in Hethal (15 mins from me) 1 week later when test drives announced no option to drive in Norfolk at all. Just little things that annoy.
At this point well over a year from placing the order good will and momentum wearing thin for some.
Then came test drives. The demo car I drove looked like it had either been put together by a blind man or had an accident. This kind of thing I imagine would have been nail in the coffin for many. My father for instance said he would have cancelled then and there.
My actual test drive was 30 mins of town driving followed by 5 mins on country road behind a car doing 40, followed by duel carriage way half of which had an average speed check. I’m sure some dealers are better than others for the route but why have such restrictive test drives? I had driven 2.5 hours each way for that experience.
Also I think there was quite a wide spread of expectations. Some expecting it to be super car fast, some expecting it to be miles better than anything Porsche make in term of driving. Especially with the wait I think many built quite a defined idea of what it would be and when it wasn’t that it was disappointing. To be clear I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it at all simply that to some I don’t think it is quite what they expected when they ordered it. Which is ok.
More delays and poor communication. Lots of time to wonder what else you could have for the money.
The final nail for many including myself was the price the hike. With a few options on the road it’s now a nearly 90k car. Which is going to focus the mind of many, especially in the middle of a cost of living crisis. I’m sure a big chunk of the cancellation will simply be people who just had the monthly finance payment swallowed by interest rate rise on their mortgage and electricity bill tripling. Which isn’t anyones fault just is what it is.
Ultimately I personally became quite un easy about the car and just lost my enthusiasm for it. When the price hike came I started to look elsewhere. Went and drove a GT4 which I just loved, add in getting it a chunk cheaper than the Emira is going to be when it finally turns up. I bought the GT4 then and there picking up next week. Emira got cancelled on the way home.
Quite sad as I love the Lotus brand and history. Always wanted one just don’t think it was meant to be this time.
First came the delays.
Then came the not entirely positive reviews. Which mixed with delays means they are all lots of people had to go on. Also the warm fuzzy feeling of buying a new car is starting to wear off.
The press cars not actually being finished cars rang a few alarm bells that all not well with the project. With Lotus seemingly not knowing what’s going on. I had a conversation with head of European sales where I was told I was absolutely going to be able to test drive a car in Hethal (15 mins from me) 1 week later when test drives announced no option to drive in Norfolk at all. Just little things that annoy.
At this point well over a year from placing the order good will and momentum wearing thin for some.
Then came test drives. The demo car I drove looked like it had either been put together by a blind man or had an accident. This kind of thing I imagine would have been nail in the coffin for many. My father for instance said he would have cancelled then and there.
My actual test drive was 30 mins of town driving followed by 5 mins on country road behind a car doing 40, followed by duel carriage way half of which had an average speed check. I’m sure some dealers are better than others for the route but why have such restrictive test drives? I had driven 2.5 hours each way for that experience.
Also I think there was quite a wide spread of expectations. Some expecting it to be super car fast, some expecting it to be miles better than anything Porsche make in term of driving. Especially with the wait I think many built quite a defined idea of what it would be and when it wasn’t that it was disappointing. To be clear I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it at all simply that to some I don’t think it is quite what they expected when they ordered it. Which is ok.
More delays and poor communication. Lots of time to wonder what else you could have for the money.
The final nail for many including myself was the price the hike. With a few options on the road it’s now a nearly 90k car. Which is going to focus the mind of many, especially in the middle of a cost of living crisis. I’m sure a big chunk of the cancellation will simply be people who just had the monthly finance payment swallowed by interest rate rise on their mortgage and electricity bill tripling. Which isn’t anyones fault just is what it is.
Ultimately I personally became quite un easy about the car and just lost my enthusiasm for it. When the price hike came I started to look elsewhere. Went and drove a GT4 which I just loved, add in getting it a chunk cheaper than the Emira is going to be when it finally turns up. I bought the GT4 then and there picking up next week. Emira got cancelled on the way home.
Quite sad as I love the Lotus brand and history. Always wanted one just don’t think it was meant to be this time.
Quite an interesting read about the reasons for people cancellations.
I ordered in November and cancelled in February as a result of the price hike and the very poor customer experience I had from Lotus Cars. I must say the dealer, Oakmere, was great and I had no issues with them at all - it was Lotus Cars I was frustrated with.
This was compounded by the 3 week delay in getting my deposit back from Lotus Cars - I had to threaten them with legal action before I had the funds returned.
I then looked into a Porsche, and was planning on a Cayman GT4. But the ones I wanted (< 2 yrs old ideally) in the spec I wanted were a fair bit more than the Emira, and a new base 911 was a 2 year wait and I was told to expect a 15% price increases!
Then I went to Oakmere Lotus for some work on my Caterham. I clapped eyes on a Nimbus Emira that I could have immediately, with delivery miles.
Picked it up Friday and the car is amazing, the reaction to it from everyone who has seen it has been overwhelming. Its early days but it seems to be a fantastic product, It's a shame all of the 'peripheral' stuff has overshadowed what is a great product with a stunning design, beautiful interior and usual brilliant Lotus handling.
I ordered in November and cancelled in February as a result of the price hike and the very poor customer experience I had from Lotus Cars. I must say the dealer, Oakmere, was great and I had no issues with them at all - it was Lotus Cars I was frustrated with.
This was compounded by the 3 week delay in getting my deposit back from Lotus Cars - I had to threaten them with legal action before I had the funds returned.
I then looked into a Porsche, and was planning on a Cayman GT4. But the ones I wanted (< 2 yrs old ideally) in the spec I wanted were a fair bit more than the Emira, and a new base 911 was a 2 year wait and I was told to expect a 15% price increases!
Then I went to Oakmere Lotus for some work on my Caterham. I clapped eyes on a Nimbus Emira that I could have immediately, with delivery miles.
Picked it up Friday and the car is amazing, the reaction to it from everyone who has seen it has been overwhelming. Its early days but it seems to be a fantastic product, It's a shame all of the 'peripheral' stuff has overshadowed what is a great product with a stunning design, beautiful interior and usual brilliant Lotus handling.
I am having a real nightmare.
Spent over an hour on hold trying to get through their phone system only for it to hang up on me.
Sent a follow up email asking for a confirmation they received my cancellation email. Heard nothing back.
Totally in the dark can't get anything out of them!
Spent over an hour on hold trying to get through their phone system only for it to hang up on me.
Sent a follow up email asking for a confirmation they received my cancellation email. Heard nothing back.
Totally in the dark can't get anything out of them!
So its with a bit of sadness that I have started the process (drawn out from the sound of if) of cancelling my order today with a mail to customer care at Lotus. In truth its been coming for a couple of months now for a lot of the reasons laid-out above.
I'd looked on and off at the Evora for a while and then Lotus debuted the Emira. Wow what a stunner and at that price point too! Deposit placed 17 July 2021.
Then it turned out that the car was far from finished and it would be quite a while before it would actually be built. Hmm that's a shame, but went to see the mock-up car doing the tours of the dealers and definitely still in.
More delays and if you want the i4 (I did) more delays and actually, Lotus won't really bother to contact you from there ...
Then luke-warm reception by motoring journalists. Not really the end of the world, but so wanted this car to live up to its promise, so that knocks a bit of the gloss off.
More delays - unless your someone like Harry Metcalfe, Shmee etc, (but don't really resent that as that makes sense to keep these guys sweet).
Then inflation kicks-in, which is so totally predictable after the central bank easing through COVID. Matt Windle makes that fateful promise around the fact that the price will not rise. And then it does ...
Basically the issue for me is that I don't REALLY need it (who does really?), but I do/did want and can I afford. I've slowly, because of endless delays and because Lotus won't stick to their word, just fallen out of love with it. I also looked at what I could now afford for the same money (used McLarens, gen 2 Audi R8 etc.) and just thought why hang on for the Emira (which would probably be 2024 anyway).
So that's why I'm out.
I'd looked on and off at the Evora for a while and then Lotus debuted the Emira. Wow what a stunner and at that price point too! Deposit placed 17 July 2021.
Then it turned out that the car was far from finished and it would be quite a while before it would actually be built. Hmm that's a shame, but went to see the mock-up car doing the tours of the dealers and definitely still in.
More delays and if you want the i4 (I did) more delays and actually, Lotus won't really bother to contact you from there ...
Then luke-warm reception by motoring journalists. Not really the end of the world, but so wanted this car to live up to its promise, so that knocks a bit of the gloss off.
More delays - unless your someone like Harry Metcalfe, Shmee etc, (but don't really resent that as that makes sense to keep these guys sweet).
Then inflation kicks-in, which is so totally predictable after the central bank easing through COVID. Matt Windle makes that fateful promise around the fact that the price will not rise. And then it does ...
Basically the issue for me is that I don't REALLY need it (who does really?), but I do/did want and can I afford. I've slowly, because of endless delays and because Lotus won't stick to their word, just fallen out of love with it. I also looked at what I could now afford for the same money (used McLarens, gen 2 Audi R8 etc.) and just thought why hang on for the Emira (which would probably be 2024 anyway).
So that's why I'm out.
Edited by kibbbs on Friday 21st April 15:53
[quote=kibbbs]So its with a bit of sadness that I have started the process (drawn out from the sound of if) of cancelling my order today with a mail to customer care at Lotus. In truth its been coming for a couple of months now for a lot of the reasons laid-out above.
I'd looked on and off at the Evora for a while and then Lotus debuted the Emira. Wow what a stunner and at that price point too! Deposit placed 17 July 2021.
Then it turned out that the car was far from finished and it would be quite a while before it would actually be built. Hmm that's a shame, but went to see the mock-up car doing the tours of the dealers and definitely still in.
More delays and if you want the i4 (I did) more delays and actually, Lotus won't really bother to contact you from there ...
Then luke-warm reception by motoring journalists. Not really the end of the world, but so wanted this car to live up to its promise, so that knocks a bit of the gloss off.
More delays - unless your someone like Harry Metcalfe, Shmee etc, (but don't really resent that as that makes sense to keep these guys sweet).
Then inflation kicks-in, which is so totally predictable after the central bank easing through COVID. Matt Windle makes that fateful promise around the fact that the price will not rise. And then it does ...
Basically the issue for me is that I don't REALLY need it (who does really?), but I do/did want and can I afford. I've slowly, because of endless delays and because Lotus won't stick to their word, just fallen out of love with it. I also looked at what I could now afford for the same money (used McLarens, gen 2 Audi R8 etc.) and just thought why hang on for the Emira (which would probably be 2024 anyway).
So that's why I'm out.
18/5/23 - So quick update, once Customer Services had acknowledged my email, the deposit did indeed return within 14 working days as they said. I hope those that decide to go through with their orders enjoy the car. It is a looker!
I'd looked on and off at the Evora for a while and then Lotus debuted the Emira. Wow what a stunner and at that price point too! Deposit placed 17 July 2021.
Then it turned out that the car was far from finished and it would be quite a while before it would actually be built. Hmm that's a shame, but went to see the mock-up car doing the tours of the dealers and definitely still in.
More delays and if you want the i4 (I did) more delays and actually, Lotus won't really bother to contact you from there ...
Then luke-warm reception by motoring journalists. Not really the end of the world, but so wanted this car to live up to its promise, so that knocks a bit of the gloss off.
More delays - unless your someone like Harry Metcalfe, Shmee etc, (but don't really resent that as that makes sense to keep these guys sweet).
Then inflation kicks-in, which is so totally predictable after the central bank easing through COVID. Matt Windle makes that fateful promise around the fact that the price will not rise. And then it does ...
Basically the issue for me is that I don't REALLY need it (who does really?), but I do/did want and can I afford. I've slowly, because of endless delays and because Lotus won't stick to their word, just fallen out of love with it. I also looked at what I could now afford for the same money (used McLarens, gen 2 Audi R8 etc.) and just thought why hang on for the Emira (which would probably be 2024 anyway).
So that's why I'm out.
18/5/23 - So quick update, once Customer Services had acknowledged my email, the deposit did indeed return within 14 working days as they said. I hope those that decide to go through with their orders enjoy the car. It is a looker!
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