New car delays.

[sandys]

Interesting article on Autocar about options.

Why car makers are trimming the variety and number of options | Autocar

Analysis of how brands from Dacia to Vauxhall are rationalising their cars' ranges of options

www.autocar.co.uk

Said this a good while back when will legacy auto cotton on to Tesla's options 'lite' style production, appears it only took a couple of years and a global supply shortage.

In terms of choice it is terrible, with Kia it basically means you are being forced to higher specs to get one thing you might want, say a pan roof, whilst yes it can make things easier, it gives you less choice and loads of compromise and in my case every time I have looked at a Kia/Hyundai etc, the only choice is the top choice to get the things we are after and a lot of stuff we don't care about.

 

[Greebo]

Interesting article on Autocar about options.

Why car makers are trimming the variety and number of options | Autocar

Analysis of how brands from Dacia to Vauxhall are rationalising their cars' ranges of options

www.autocar.co.uk

Said this a good while back when will legacy auto cotton on to Tesla's options 'lite' style production, appears it only took a couple of years and a global supply shortage.

Was happening before the supply shortage. Used to be on ICE cars you could select individual options. The high end car manufacturers have basically gone to a model where there are 3 or 4 packs and thats it. If there is something you want, you have to get 5 other things that you dont want.

Mercedes told me it was to make it easier for used car buyers in the future as there was too many options so now it would be simple, you only had a choice of x,y or z models. I didnt believe them.

 

[gailjon]

I thought this was related to the EU rules on emissions testing. Every single option had to be tested to see impact upon emissions and therefore manufacturers didn't want the expense/time to have every permutation tested.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

This ^^

 

[Jonnycoupe]

Yeah not sure you were ahead of any automotive industry when you posted on a computer forum

 

[dlockers]

Was happening before the supply shortage. Used to be on ICE cars you could select individual options. The high end car manufacturers have basically gone to a model where there are 3 or 4 packs and thats it. If there is something you want, you have to get 5 other things that you dont want.

Mercedes told me it was to make it easier for used car buyers in the future as there was too many options so now it would be simple, you only had a choice of x,y or z models. I didnt believe them.

I was at dinner last night with a supply chain guy from JLR. He said their strategy at the moment is to enable Customers to chop and change options as frequently as they want until the point at which the physical implementation is done. JLR are focusing on a fewer, more Customer-'bespoke', expensive strategy. Totally against the grain of the Merc, BMW lot as you have rightly said - sticking to fewer trim levels with clarity on what is different.

 

[Greebo]

I thought this was related to the EU rules on emissions testing. Every single option had to be tested to see impact upon emissions and therefore manufacturers didn't want the expense/time to have every permutation tested.

You would think so except if you spec up the same car in the EU then you have a lot individual options whereas the UK and US market are all bundled into packs. You would expect it to be the other way round.

 

[Simon]

Mini seem to have dropped the level 1 electric leaving just the level 2 and level 3 which are higher priced obviously, Level 2 starts at £31k There is a new resolute edition though, wonder why they called it that and its only available in rebel green. Active Cruise has been dropped. So really they have gone from 3 options, 1 being cheap to 3 more expensive options.

TBH after looking at loads of cars, mini and polestar 2 were the easiest to spec up. Stuff like a Taycan was insane with all the options they have.

 

[jpaul]

across the range ? - Have they reserved the active cruise electronics/mcu for the BMW brand; the big brands like vag could do some juggling moving skoda tech, say.
Tesla getting rid of radars in preference to optical detection, maybe a cost saving strategy too, that other vendors will adopt. (I had thought radar was more resilient to the elements though)

You would think so except if you spec up the same car in the EU then you have a lot individual options whereas the UK and US market are all bundled into packs. You would expect it to be the other way round.

maybe, for UK, this because we are rhd , with fewer production slots less economy of scale for installing options
(edit : no actually the Great British Brexit Deal )

 

[thedinks]

Good news for me. My abarth has been built and its on its way!! Yay!

 

[RedMogg]

Ordered an S-Max hybrid in November, as a replacement for our 66 plate Galaxy - recent update email gives us a vague "Q4 '22" due date, with a caveat that this could change to Q2 23.

This is a Motability lease - thankfully our current lease won't be terminated until we receive the S-Max and the Good Condition bonus goes up by £250 every three months, so we currently stand to receive £2750 if the November date is met. Which is pretty much the Advanced Premium we paid for the St-Line spec.

 

[bainbridge]

Ordered an S-Max hybrid in November, as a replacement for our 66 plate Galaxy - recent update email gives us a vague "Q4 '22" due date, with a caveat that this could change to Q2 23.

This is a Motability lease - thankfully our current lease won't be terminated until we receive the S-Max and the Good Condition bonus goes up by £250 every three months, so we currently stand to receive £2750 if the November date is met. Which is pretty much the Advanced Premium we paid for the St-Line spec.

On a 5+ year lease the GCB is £900 and for a 6+ year lease the GCB is £1100, which is the max GCB payment for a car lease. You will also get a one off £250 new vehicle payment when you take delivery of your new car.

 

[RedMogg]

On a 5+ year lease the GCB is £900 and for a 6+ year lease the GCB is £1100, which is the max GCB payment for a car lease. You will also get a one off £250 new vehicle payment when you take delivery of your new car.

Hmm, that's not how the Motability chap explained it - I realise he was probably just pushing us to order the higher spec (Higher AP) model and exaggerating the GCB.

Looking at the site confirms what you say: no worries, it wasn't something we were counting on, just a bonus.

 

[bainbridge]

Hmm, that's not how the Motability chap explained it - I realise he was probably just pushing us to order the higher spec (Higher AP) model and exaggerating the GCB.

Looking at the site confirms what you say: no worries, it wasn't something we were counting on, just a bonus.

I figured that the Motability specialist didn't explain the GCB clearly and wanted to set your expectations, hope your new car is built asap.

 

[ahar]

Picked up my wife's Abarth 595 today. Ordered at the start of Fed, arrived start of June. Just over 4 months from deposit to driving it away.

 

[mikeo]

Hopefully my Polo GTI should have been built this month (confirmed build week 22), ordered early February 2022. Only downside is the fact that it apparently can take between 6 to 8 weeks to then get to the dealer in the UK (they are built in South Africa)! By all accounts it goes to Germany first. Don't know if this is just a central hub for UK/EU deliveries, or whether it goes for some final QA?

 

[Scougar]

We were lucky. Pretty much got a 2022 Subaru Outlander Wilderness off the truck. They only got two in, one was was immediately, we bought the other one.

Side note: They are still offering trash money for trade of my 2018 STI though.

 

[mikeo]

Scougar

The only plus point of the long wait time for new cars in the UK at the moment, is the silly (high) part exchange prices (on decent low miles / clean cars) being offered against new cars. In my case (Hyundai I30N), they've guaranteed £6k positive equity against my new car, regardless of how long the new car takes to come. So that's the deposit on my Polo GTI sorted

Crazy times....

 

[sandys]

Well my Volvo as now been pushed back from Oct to Dec.....I don't actually mind but the grief I am getting from the missus

She's decided we are going to look at alternatives on the weekend.... Might just ditch the Hybrid and go full electric, towing be damned, perhaps I'll buy a motorhome that can tow, problem solved, no need for a caravan and somewhere to sleep when I am racing out in the arse end of nowhere I normally pull out a tent cuz I'm cheap

 

[ahar]

Well my Volvo as now been pushed back from Oct to Dec.....I don't actually mind but the grief I am getting from the missus

She's decided we are going to look at alternatives on the weekend.... Might just ditch the Hybrid and go full electric, towing be damned, perhaps I'll buy a motorhome that can tow, problem solved, no need for a caravan and somewhere to sleep when I am racing out in the arse end of nowhere I normally pull out a tent cuz I'm cheap

Paddocks seem to be filled with motorhomes last year. I see why after camping at a race weekend last May and it rained for 2 days straight. B&Bs are the way to go for me!