When are the first cars coming to customers?
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Thanks for the update. But all these changes to the release date makes any date hard to believe.
Originally, it was scheduled for 9/03, then 4/04. My only guess is that Lotus wants to bring over alot of cars all at once instead of having them trickle in. At this point, some US spec Elises have to be completed. People already have their 111Rs and our cars aren't much different.
Originally, it was scheduled for 9/03, then 4/04. My only guess is that Lotus wants to bring over alot of cars all at once instead of having them trickle in. At this point, some US spec Elises have to be completed. People already have their 111Rs and our cars aren't much different.
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yeah, the delayed release of the car is really frustrating a lot of people, I'm sure. What makes it even more worse, is that the 111R, which you mentioned, has been available in Europe since late January. So what the hell is going on?!
i really don't care as long as I get my car by December the latest.
Ara
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Our interior is very different from the 111R. Remember Lotus had not yet finalized the design/spec on the interior at the time of the LA Auto Show (jan04). I imagine this or some other part/s may be slowing down the initial delivery time. Or it could be a number of other issues...like the fact the the dollar is getting stronger.
What ever the reason, the Elise is going to be fantastic and worth the additional wait. Now where's my car already!
What ever the reason, the Elise is going to be fantastic and worth the additional wait. Now where's my car already!
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yeah, the interior is true. I've had experiences when I didn't get shipments of parts and as a result I couldn't continue my work, so I know. But I'm guessing that they really want to make sure about the reliability of the entire car. I'm sure they don't want to issue any sort of recalls six to 12 months after they release the car. Who knows, maybe nothing is affecting the release date - maybe they're doing it on purpose.
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The waiver weren't sign off till early Feb. While on the official site they gave a April date, when asked they clarified by saying ship date. That would make for May delivery, which is when dealer expect to start getting there demo cars.
As we get closer and they get pass this ramp up stage we'll have a much better idea of the flow of cars and all the little extras. It's part of the price of going with a small company that for them will be handling such a high volume of cars and everything that goes with it. IMHO it'll be wroth it.
As we get closer and they get pass this ramp up stage we'll have a much better idea of the flow of cars and all the little extras. It's part of the price of going with a small company that for them will be handling such a high volume of cars and everything that goes with it. IMHO it'll be wroth it.
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I can't believe that the first shipment and the demo cars aren't coming togeather. I would think that having one demo car in the dealership and telling clients that their cars won't come in for a while is counterproductive. I am sure that the demo cars and teh first batch of customer cars were produced close to the same time.
I have to admit, that I do think that Lotus has botched the delivery of the Elise from everything I have heard so far. Understandably, Lotus is a small producer, and the cars are coming from overseas, but I have to say that some of this seems silly. If there were an official site, with ACCURATE information about delivery times I think a lot more customers would feel put at ease. I guess the good news is that when the cars finally do arrive, it will be a surprise and exciting for all of us. I guess my complaint is that lack of information is not an asset. I don't mean to spak badly about the Lotus group, I love thier work and their cars, and I know they are doing their best with everything. At this point however, I don't think that I would believe any prediciton about delivery date except for the first cars actually arrive.
I have to admit, that I do think that Lotus has botched the delivery of the Elise from everything I have heard so far. Understandably, Lotus is a small producer, and the cars are coming from overseas, but I have to say that some of this seems silly. If there were an official site, with ACCURATE information about delivery times I think a lot more customers would feel put at ease. I guess the good news is that when the cars finally do arrive, it will be a surprise and exciting for all of us. I guess my complaint is that lack of information is not an asset. I don't mean to spak badly about the Lotus group, I love thier work and their cars, and I know they are doing their best with everything. At this point however, I don't think that I would believe any prediciton about delivery date except for the first cars actually arrive.
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Another thing to remember is that Lotus probably didn't expect this much demand for the car. When they first produced the Elise, Lotus expected to sell less than 800 cars per year, and expected that they would sell about 2400 total. It took them by surprise when the demand cranked up the production to more than 2400 per year, and that's been for the last 8 years.
Lotus' marketing predicted that Americans wouldn't like a "no frills" car (much like Anita doesn't think it's worth it). Americans demand power everything and lots of cup holders. They expected to sell only a few hundred a year, and didn't know how long the demand would last.
Lotus is a small company. One that is overwhelmed by the hoped for, but still unexpected demand for the Elise.
I do wish I knew when I could expect my car, but I've been waiting 8 years now. This is all part of owning a Lotus - get used to it. Lotus is not one if the big car companies - which is good.
Tim Mullen
Lotus' marketing predicted that Americans wouldn't like a "no frills" car (much like Anita doesn't think it's worth it). Americans demand power everything and lots of cup holders. They expected to sell only a few hundred a year, and didn't know how long the demand would last.
Lotus is a small company. One that is overwhelmed by the hoped for, but still unexpected demand for the Elise.
I do wish I knew when I could expect my car, but I've been waiting 8 years now. This is all part of owning a Lotus - get used to it. Lotus is not one if the big car companies - which is good.
Tim Mullen
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It's been the same estimated delivery date for quite some time now. Dealer demos May (from mid to late) with first customer cars coming in June (early to mid).
Mark my words, that's when they'll get here! If I'm wrong we can raffle my car off when it does get here!
Chris
Mark my words, that's when they'll get here! If I'm wrong we can raffle my car off when it does get here!
Chris
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1,063 Posts
If it's anythingl ike in Europe then the dealer demo's will come in way before any customer cars.
The dealer demo's are usually the 'first try' cars of the production versions and are used to start up the production process and work out the initial bugs in the process.
Expect differences between the initial demo car you can drive at the dealer compared to the first real 'production' cars as well as demo usage will bring out some problems/niggles that haven't been seen/found yet and require some redesign.
Usually shows itself in slight changes to trim, materials, etc. Nothing major, but if you know the car well you'll notice some differences here and there.
Eg. on the european S2's you can identify the very early demo/press cars because these have slightly different mounting points for the front access panels compared to the later production versions.
These also had colour-coded dash tops (eg. blue interior -> blue dash), but production versions all have black dash tops (type approval regulations made coloured dashboards illegal because of reflections in the windscreen)
Stuff like that...
Oh.. And even in the first year there will be differences between 'early' and 'late' cars with some parts. Sometimes driven by laws/regulations, sometimes because of issues with the original design/implementation.
Oh.. And unless it's a serious issue.. Don't expect free 'retrofits' or 'upgrades' of these things to early cars. This is not how Lotus works..
Bye, Arno.
The dealer demo's are usually the 'first try' cars of the production versions and are used to start up the production process and work out the initial bugs in the process.
Expect differences between the initial demo car you can drive at the dealer compared to the first real 'production' cars as well as demo usage will bring out some problems/niggles that haven't been seen/found yet and require some redesign.
Usually shows itself in slight changes to trim, materials, etc. Nothing major, but if you know the car well you'll notice some differences here and there.
Eg. on the european S2's you can identify the very early demo/press cars because these have slightly different mounting points for the front access panels compared to the later production versions.
These also had colour-coded dash tops (eg. blue interior -> blue dash), but production versions all have black dash tops (type approval regulations made coloured dashboards illegal because of reflections in the windscreen)
Stuff like that...
Oh.. And even in the first year there will be differences between 'early' and 'late' cars with some parts. Sometimes driven by laws/regulations, sometimes because of issues with the original design/implementation.
Oh.. And unless it's a serious issue.. Don't expect free 'retrofits' or 'upgrades' of these things to early cars. This is not how Lotus works..
Bye, Arno.
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I agree with Arno.
At Lotus, there have been many examples of cars changing slightly during a given year of production. Lotus is such a small company that supplies of certain parts can dry up or change at any given time.
Quirks such as this, as well as little to no information regarding delivery timelines, are part of the "charm" of a hand-built car.
Lotus will probably keep everyone guessing until his/her cars arrive. Have fun with it...
At Lotus, there have been many examples of cars changing slightly during a given year of production. Lotus is such a small company that supplies of certain parts can dry up or change at any given time.
Quirks such as this, as well as little to no information regarding delivery timelines, are part of the "charm" of a hand-built car.
Lotus will probably keep everyone guessing until his/her cars arrive. Have fun with it...
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Heck, it's a Lotus - expect differences between every car. It's fun when someone wants to discuss "what was original" on an Elan or Europa. Things like "What is the proper color for the Engine?" really are answered with "What ever color paint they had sitting around." There are Series 3 Elans with Series 2 tail lights (they hadn't used them all up), Series 2 Elans with Series 1 dash boards, etc. The really fun question is "Which cars had the Black Lotus Badges?" - the answer is the ones that were made when they ran out of the Green and Yellow ones.Arno said:
Lotus tends to make "running changes" in their cars. They don't wait to the start of a new model year, they make the changes when they run out of the old parts, of there is a strong reason to make the change.
It's all part of the fun of owning a Lotus...:huh:
Tim Mullen
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FWIW, these are the dates I was told by my dealership.atyclb said:estimated by who?
YOU keep telling us these things on this forum; we're not hearing anything from Lotus or from our dealerships
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For what is worth my dealer HRM told me the first batch in June and the demo car in May.
Best Wishes,
Mitch
Best Wishes,
Mitch
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Shinno is right, our 111R down under has a different interior than any of the show cars or Birmingham test cars that I have seen. The main difference is the dash and steering wheel. The seats and the door panals are exactly the same as the US.shinoo said:Our interior is very different from the 111R. Remember Lotus had not yet finalized the design/spec on the interior at the time of the LA Auto Show (jan04). I imagine this or some other part/s may be slowing down the initial delivery time. Or it could be a number of other issues...like the fact the the dollar is getting stronger.
What ever the reason, the Elise is going to be fantastic and worth the additional wait. Now where's my car already!
Best Wishes,
Mitch
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