Good idea

 

I guess we all know this but September is 2 weeks away...seems like a long long time before they sell ALL of their inventory of '06's.

Where's the logic exactly?

Or is this just a schmucky salesman speech?

 

They don't have to discount '06's this way, or produce the '07's till they know they have a market for them.

 

it's for the dealers and the marque's benefit.

 

given the 'exclusivity' of the car, there shouldn't be too many examples sitting on dealer lots. i guess it makes sense.

 

Well, here's the inventory at Park Avenue Lotus as of 3 minutes ago (that's ONE dealer):

2005 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Please Call
2005 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Red
2005 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Yellow
2005 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Silver Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Silver Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Yellow Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Burnt Orange Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Black Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Green Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Red Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Blue Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Burnt Orange Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Silver Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Red Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Yellow Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Red Please Call
2006 Lotus Elise Convertible (2 Door) Blue Please Call

 

at this pace it looks like the 2007 Elise will appear in 2008...

 

FYI


Here's a note received from Tony at Park Avenue Lotus to a potential buyer as of today, August 10, 2006:



Tony@ParkAveLotus


07 Elise will not be released till all 06 inventory is sold.You may want to consider an 06.


http://www.parkavelotus.com/

I went to this dealer on three occasions and they wouldn't give me the time of day. No wonder they have so many 06's unsold. There inventory hasn't changed much in the last three months.

 

You can add their '07 inventory which will be stashed underground in a secret bunker. Is this a Park Av Lotus thing?

 

Don't forget, LOA also has a bunch of cars at the docks.:mw: All the dealers I've been to recently have had plenty of 06s. E.g., Durham has seven. Criswell has 16. Newport European has 12 Elise and 10 Exige!

If LOA is holding back the 07, that's a very good thing. Glad I didn't wait to get an 07 myself.

 

at this pace it looks like the 2007 Elise will appear in 2008...

Yeah...

 

You can add their '07 inventory which will be stashed underground in a secret bunker. Is this a Park Av Lotus thing?

LOL

rotfl

 

Another simple marketting idea.

"I can't make money now on someone who's waiting for next years model..."

That's one of the oldest sales gimmicks around.

 

fine, let them at least release the 07 Exige.

 

Is this really coming from Lotus or simply from that one dealership? If it's from Lotus it could be a good move in terms of preserving value and helping out their dealers. On the other hand it does imply nothing more coming over for awhile which means they may run out of time to sell more cars before the DOT waiver expires. If this is only coming from Park Avenue dealership then we can ignore it and send our friends to other dealerships!

 

Forgive my ignorance, but what's driving people to order '07s when there's so much stock on the ground? Is it equipment? It seems like there are deals to be had, and there's enough uncertainty about what the differences are for '07 (let alone timing, pricing) that I don't see the appeal. And shouldn't we current owners want the inventory to get bought?

 

Very simply, this was a letter written by a Lotus salesman to a potential buyer today.

Not LOTUS, the company, but one determined salesman at one dealership in New Jersey.

The salesman is stating that no '07's will be sold until ALL '06's are sold first.

It's seems to be salesman talk for "buy it now!"

It seems that there are many '06's still on the lots.

The '07's will probably come out on a preset date that Lotus has already determined.

Mixed in are many threads on this website discussing the possible Jan 1, 2007 end to the bumper and other exemptions on the cars and how THAT will affect things.

Yes, all of the '05's and '06's should be sold first - and they are really really great cars, probably the best these cars will ever be.


:nanner:

 

I agree with most of what you said, and that it's some salesman talk. That said, I don't think it's in the best interests of current owners, dealers, or Lotus to bring any '07s here until inventory is lower - perhaps 3-4 per dealer? If Lotus has set a date I'd bet they'll move it.

 

I agree with you...

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if they don't bring any 07s in, the factory is probably wanting to focus on the esprit and europa, they've skipped model year importation before.
Chris

 

Yeah I agree, I wouldn't be surprised if they skip a year either. If there is that much '06 stock still around, why would a dealer want to order more '07s. Lotus can't force the dealers to buy the '07s. I wouldn't be surprised if the market is already almost saturated for this car, its not like they are selling Ford Mustangs with mass market appeal. There is only so much demand to be satisfied.

A dealer wanting to sell out all their existing inventory first...seems logical to me. Actually I'm surprised that the opposite would be true, especially with such a small boutique make.

 

I was at Valenti Motors in Watertown, CT where I bought mine. I was there yesterday getting my shifter recall done. They still have a boat load of 05's left... nevermind 06's!!! They do have a new Yellow Sport Elise, as well as a nice CO Exige. But... there are several 05's that just aren't moving.

 

I really hope they import the 07's as I have been saving for one for awhile and was planning on finally purchasing around January. After seeing threads like this: http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11034&highlight=invoice+cost im a bit leery of getting an 06 seeing how high the damage costs are even for the slightest bump. Im hoping the 07's with the DOT-compliant bumpers will at least result in a lesser bill if someone tags me in a parking lot and decides to run instead of fessing up to it and sticking me with a higher insurance rate. This is my biggest worry with the current Elise and Exige and id imagine plenty of people have opted for a boxster or z4 because of this issue alone. And im sure there are plenty of people like me waiting for the 07's and holding off on the 06's for this reason too.

 

Don't think bumpers are a panacea. How many 2.5 MPH bumps have been an issue. Bend in your bumper cover and you have a $700-800 repair. Hit it any harder and you are in the same boat for repairs Maybe even worse now that your insurance needs to replace the bumper too. Buy a 2006 at a discount in January and use the savings to buy good insurance.

 

Don't think bumpers are a panacea. How many 2.5 MPH bumps have been an issue.

I get the impression that there have been plenty of slow but damaging bumps between stopped or parking cars. But I agree that the bumpers are not likely to solve the problem completely. It will probably help for damage to the rear, but the front is so low to the ground that another car may pass right over the bumper and hit the top of the clam anyway -- especially if the other vehicle is an SUV or truck.

It's a bit of an extreme comparison, but see the picture of an Elise and an H2 nose-to-nose over in the "Best Picture" thread.