Lotus Exige for the U.S. need info?

zaniac · #1 (**permalink**) 11-25-2005, 10:52 AM

Can someone give me the specs, price and whether or not it will come to North America?

EldersburgElise · #2 (**permalink**) 11-25-2005, 09:52 PM

According to my Elise dealership in Gaithersburg, Maryland, www.criswell.com, they are coming soon in very limited numbers and are all sold. I did not get a price quote.

khamai · #3 (**permalink**) 11-26-2005, 11:38 AM

For more info & updates see:

www.gglotus.org - "Hot News"
www.sandsmuseum.com
www.elisetalk.com (do a search)

Final pricing has not been announced. Expected in a month or so.

zaniac · #4 (**permalink**) 11-28-2005, 10:56 PM

I found out lotus will only bring 200-300 to the states per year. This is good and bad. Good because it will make an already exclusive car even more so and bad becasue the limited numbers will skyrocket the price well beyond $50,000. I hope another sports car comes out about the same time with a similar price tag....like the Porsche Cayman. That will leave me with some hope of possibly touching an Exige.

kusheen · #5 (**permalink**) 12-01-2005, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zaniac

I found out lotus will only bring 200-300 to the states per year. This is good and bad. Good because it will make an already exclusive car even more so and bad becasue the limited numbers will skyrocket the price well beyond $50,000. I hope another sports car comes out about the same time with a similar price tag....like the Porsche Cayman. That will leave me with some hope of possibly touching an Exige.

I don't know that the Exige will really sustain an above MSRP price.

The Elise, at 2300 units, failed to sell out its first year and after the initial rush, when some folks were willing to pay over MSRP to be the first on the block with one, cars are going begging on dealer lots with the 06's coming out and plenty of dealer incentives.

I'd be more worried if the car truly was something other than an Elise Coupe. But because it's identical mechanically to an Elise, and its aerodynamic advantage is really only apparent on a track at over 100 mph, it's not really going to be seen as a car much different than an Elise.

Lots of Elise folks aren't enamored of it because it's a bit quirky looking, and you're not supposed to run it with the top off. What's the point if there's no real performance advantage?

At 300 units, it probably won't depreciate as quickly, but they will. All cars do. By mid year you'll see low mileage Exiges for sale below MSRP. And there may even be a new one here and there to be had at sticker.

zaniac · #6 (**permalink**) 12-01-2005, 11:31 PM

First off....I 'd like to correct myself...there will be 300-350 offered per year. Now with that said, you do have a point. As with all cars, movies, restaurants, gaming consoles etc, there will be those who will pay out the nose to be first; Inevitably driving up the price. The Exige has a huge following in the U.S. although it's essentially an Elise that hasn't compromised it's ridigity for the wind in your hair effect.

I see the Exige packing in the numbers and selling all initial offerings in it's first year and a half. I don't see the price ever being at or below MSRP, well at least not brand new. The Exige is a rare chance for the average Joe to own an exotic sports car without breaking the bank or selling the house. With this in mind and the fact that it's numbers are limited, our old friend, dealer markup, will be present for a while.

The only way I see it being offered at a discount would be if the public absolutely hated it, as seen with the new Pontiac GTO. If the majority shares that view, all the better for me.

A little off topic but I really hope the top on the Exige isn't removable because that kind of defeats the purpose of it being offered as a coupe.

zaniac · #7 (**permalink**) 12-01-2005, 11:37 PM

I wonder if the 243 bhp engine will be offered as an option later in production. It would also be nice to see a wider performance aftermarket in the U.S. for both the Elise & Exige. Nuff said!

pip · #8 (**permalink**) 12-02-2005, 01:45 AM

are right on the mark. Pithy but loaded with common sense. Bravo. pip

kusheen · #9 (**permalink**) 12-02-2005, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zaniac

First off....I 'd like to correct myself...there will be 300-350 offered per year. Now with that said, you do have a point. As with all cars, movies, restaurants, gaming consoles etc, there will be those who will pay out the nose to be first; Inevitably driving up the price. The Exige has a huge following in the U.S. although it's essentially an Elise that hasn't compromised it's ridigity for the wind in your hair effect.

I see the Exige packing in the numbers and selling all initial offerings in it's first year and a half. I don't see the price ever being at or below MSRP, well at least not brand new. The Exige is a rare chance for the average Joe to own an exotic sports car without breaking the bank or selling the house. With this in mind and the fact that it's numbers are limited, our old friend, dealer markup, will be present for a while.

The only way I see it being offered at a discount would be if the public absolutely hated it, as seen with the new Pontiac GTO. If the majority shares that view, all the better for me.

A little off topic but I really hope the top on the Exige isn't removable because that kind of defeats the purpose of it being offered as a coupe.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see. All of next year's Exiges are spoken for, from what I understand. However, all of the 05 Elises were also 'spoken for,' but then when cars started arriving folks started backing out, and now they're going begging.

Because the Elise was only going to be sold in low numbers, albeit not as low as the Exige, all the things you're saying about value folks were saying on the various Elise boards 14 months ago.

On that basis, some bought Elises with the intention of flipping them, or the logic that they're in so much demand that one can drive it for a year, have some fun, then sell for what one paid.

That proved to be very, very wrong very quickly.

Again, a matter of opinion, but I don't see the Exige as an exotic, any more than I see the Elise as an exotic. After owning two, to me it is just a fun, very well made sports car with an unusual look to it. It has some exotic engineering in the form of the chassis, but beyond that it's really an elaborate kit car, if you think about it.

Again, I think the Exige depreciation will be slower because of the far fewer numbers, but I believe it will happen and will happen by next summer. Like I said before, IF the Exige were truly a different car than the Elise, that would be a different story. But for all intents and purposes, it's an Elise with a body kit.

zaniac · #10 (**permalink**) 12-03-2005, 03:56 PM

I spoke to a Lotus dealer in my area and they said each dealership across the country will be allowed 8-12 cars. My local dealer said if I wanted to make an order I would be the fourth buyer. From what I was told, the Exige will hit the country in February 2006 and be ready sale to the general public in May.

I think I may want to wait until after the first batch of cars roll off the line because these are usually the ones with the most problems

andykeck · #11 (**permalink**) 12-09-2005, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zaniac

The Exige has a huge following in the U.S. although it's essentially an Elise that hasn't compromised it's ridigity for the wind in your hair effect.

The Exige roof panel is not structural and does not add any rigidity to the car. In fact, the roof is removable although Lotus recommends against taking it off for some reason.

None of the body panels on either car have any structural purpose. The car is built around a tub chassis and does not depend on a roof for rigidity.