[smura]

Seattle Auto Sho

Just got back from the Seattle auto show. The 1 page brochure the dealer was handing out said the following:

Single Blaupunkt CD player
Half leather seats with cloth inserts
Driver and passenger air bag
Starter Button
Alarm and immobiliser

Options:
Touring Pack
Sports Pack
Hardtop

I was in and out between work and didn't get a chance to ask the rep what was included in the Touring and Sports pack.

Anyone hear about these options?

 

[Prolene]

I'd like to hear more. 'Sports Pack' sounds good, though. Red, sports pack and ht.

 

[LarryB]

On the touring package the word I got from the dealers was: touring package for $975 we get full leather, carpeting, insulated soft top, CD/MP3 player and a cargo net. Did say there would be a fourth option pacakage.

Randy had posted some of the details of the sport package, wheels, tires and suspension changes... early pricing was $2000 with limited availability.

Dual airbags is new, we've been expecting just the drivers side.

 

[Donovan]

Did they have a car there? I am going in a couple of hours...

 

[Donovan]

Did they have a car there? I am going in a couple of hours...

 

[smura]

They had a new dark grey (gunmetal?) European S2.5 I didn't get a look at the interior or ass end (it was behind the ropes) but the front clamshell does have a place for a license plate (although it seems to be designed for a european plate and our WA plates will be scraping the ground)

The second car they were going to have was the one that was wrecked down in CA. Thanks to whomever did that!

Oh, the guy behind the ropes today was not the sharpest stick in the woods. He said "our list is at 70 but we're talking to lotus about getting us a bigger allocation. So if you don't have a deposit down by today you will have to wait for the 05' model"

I called him out and said "how do you know what your allocation will be - this hasn't been released yet, has it?" and "the model we get is an 05, so don't you mean people will have to wait for 06?

He then relented and said that I probably knew more than him (after I told him I'd had money down for a year).

I think he was just trying to get a deposit out of me. Pathetic

 

[smura]

Donovan,

How was it. Did you get any info from those goofballs working the Lotus booth?

 

[Donovan]

the one that was there was silver and it was sweet. The guy that was working the show is actually in the consignment department so his Lotus knowledge is rather limited. He is an OK guy though...

they don't know anything more than we already know...
Looks like starter button is confirmed however.

 

[ConeFusion]

Randy had posted some of the details of the sport package, wheels, tires and suspension changes... early pricing was $2000 with limited availability.

Does anybody know why the sports suspension would be limited? I've seen that from various sources now, so I guess it must be true, but I still don't understand the reasoning behind it. Most manufacturers are more than happy to add options to a car and get more money. So if a lot of people want the sports suspension, why wouldn't they build as many cars with the LSS as they have orders for it? Could they have problems sourcing parts, like the wheels or shocks?

 

[agent.5]

Could they have problems sourcing parts, like the wheels or shocks?

I doubt it, probably has to do with Lotus projection that not too many will be sold.

 

[pdemaio]

sounds like the touring package might be:
Full leather,
AC
speakers to go with that head unit

 

[pdemaio]

I wonder if you can get teh sport + the touring. I would like to get the sport wheels, but I suspect I'll want the touring options. Particularly AC.
BTW is it Park Place handing out the fliers?

 

[Prolene]

I had figured AC was standard. If it is not on the Sports Pack, so much the better for me. I hope to get an Elise with LSS.

 

[andykeck]

Got some good information at the booth. The guy told me that the fed Elise will weigh 1400 pounds, do 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and I think he said the top speed was 170. I might be wrong about that last number as I was rolling my eyes so forcefully that he could see my optic nerves. I thought about correcting him but then I realized that I didn't want to be the car show equivalent of the Comic Book Guy.

 

[RacingDynamcs]

1600lb's ???

Thats not in any way possible...

 

[lateapex]

The best thing about car shows are these really pretty "Product Specialists" and that they HAVE to talk to a dork like me!

Which brings us to the worst thing about car shows: they don't really know what they're talking about.

But damn, do they look good! Wow.

 

[RacingDynamcs]

Its like the time at the NYC auto show i asked the Lotus rep. What is the safety factor on the elise? THe man told me that if I was to crash at 40mph i would die.

And what a load of BullSh^t that was.

What is the point of the reps being there? They dont know anything, they make assumptions that cannot be true... what is the point of the floor man?

 

[andykeck]

What is the point of the reps being there? They dont know anything, they make assumptions that cannot be true... what is the point of the floor man?

I suppose the point is to tell an exciting enough story that people come into the dealership. And I don't mean people like us, the obsessives. My decision will eb made long before I head down to the dealer. At the show, they're trying to hook the more casual browsers. And I guess the attitude is that it's better to make up some crazy statistics than to say you don't know or that the info is not yet available.

I'm half tempted to go back today to see if the car weighs 900 pounds, does 0-60 in 3.7 seconds and flies.

 

[pdemaio]

I got to sit in 111s at the Seattle autoshow on Saturday. It looks to be the same car that was at the NYC show. It was the highlight of show for me. ParkPlace was showing it and they said it should be in their showroom this week. They said it was Lotus's they would keep it as long as they could. It was a silver one, and I think I'll get that color. Anyone know the official name of that silver and if it's the one we'll get stateside?. The Saleen SS7 was getting more attention than the elise, but the elise still had a crowd. It's so small, I don't think people take it seriously It looked beautiful and I'm glad I have a deposit down. Park Place said they were up to 66 deposits. They were at 33 after the autoshow last year and their first deposit was in '99 I think.

 

[smura]

Park Place has had the demo for almost a week now following the auto show and still no test drives.

They said they are waiting for permission from Arnie to take the car out on the street. Seems LCUSA may be a bit jumpy after the car was crashed in CA.

So the car just sits in the showroom waiting word from HQ. Does this sound right to anybody?

On another note, test drives will be given (if they get permission) only to those with a deposit.