√2023 Lotus Emira deliveries to begin in Australia next month as wait times, orders grow

Australian deliveries of the Lotus Emira are due to begin in January after a six-month delay – but the company has taken more orders than over the last four years combined.

The first 20 examples of the 2023 Lotus Emira sports car are due to reach Australian customers in January – after a six-month delay caused by global parts shortages – as wait times on new orders stretch up to 18 months.

First Australian deliveries of the new Emira – the first new sport-car from UK specialist Lotus in a decade, and its last new model with petrol power – were initially slated to commence in July 2022, in V6 First Edition trim.

However various slowdowns – from global parts shortages due to production delays – have meant the first local deliveries have been pushed back to next month.

Lotus Cars Australia chief operating officer Richard Gibbs told Drive this week the first 20 Emira customers in Australia have been advised of delivery in January 2023 – all supercharged V6 First Edition models, with six-speed manual transmissions.

About 270 orders have been taken for the Emira in Australia – 170 of which represent the local entire allocation of V6 First Editions, which sold out between October 2021 and March 2022.

This order bank – accumulated before any customers have had an on-road test drive – has “encouraged” Lotus Australia, said Mr Gibbs, as it exceeds the total number of Lotus cars sold locally over the last four years locally (2018 to 2021).

Australia’s allocation for the I4 First Edition – powered by a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder from Mercedes-AMG – has almost sold out, said Mr Gibbs, while orders have already been taken for ‘Base Edition’ V6 and four-cylinder models.

Production of Emira V6 First Editions with automatic transmissions is due to begin in February – while first local customer deliveries of the I4 First Edition are slated for mid 2023, ahead of the Base Editions in 2024.

Customers who order today – either one of the few remaining I4 First Editions, or a Base Edition model – will be advised wait times of 15 to 18 months, or mid-2024.

However, Mr Gibbs told Drive these estimates are based on current production levels – and it is “not inconceivable that the rate of production will increase [to shorten wait times]”.

Lotus is said to be preparing to add a second work shift to the Emira production line – but according to a UK interview with global managing director Matt Windle, the delays mean Lotus expects to build a quarter of the cars in 2022 it initially forecasted.

Prices for the Lotus Emira V6 First Edition start from $184,990 plus on-road costs – but the entry point into the Emira range will fall to $155,990 plus on-road costs once deliveries of the I4 Base Edition four-cylinder begin.

These figures have held steady since prices were announced in October last year – however in a recent interview with UK journalist Harry Metcalfe on YouTube, Lotus global managing director Matt Windle said protecting prices is impacting the company.

“We are still holding the price, but to be honest, we’re struggling. Everything inflation wise, the cost of materials … logistics for instance is costing us four times what we budgeted just in fuel, and the fact there are very limited routes now,” Mr Windle told the YouTube channel.

“We’ve just about started to get the deep-sea stuff in. To start with we were flying a lot of stuff [in] so logistics was costing us a lot, but now we’ve got materials on ships. We’re looking at train links as well.”

As reported, the Emira is the first all-new Lotus vehicle in a decade – and its last with petrol power, with all future models to be solely electric.

The new model is offered with a choice of a 298kW/420-430Nm 3.5-litre supercharged Toyota-derived V6, or a 268kW/430Nm 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder from Mercedes-AMG.

Drive has already tested the 2023 Lotus Emira in Europe, ahead of the start of Australian deliveries in January next year.

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