Good News on Monday....

[lucid]

Originally Posted by nechronics

Are US allocations going to be that skimpy?

I was at the dealer for service last week. They said I could have #11 on the list if I wanted, and that they are expecting about 3 cars a month once production starts. And, people drop out once things get real and they have the write a big check. So, things look fine now (I didn't put anything down yet), but it's hard to say what will happen when the cars hit the street. People who currently know nothing about it could be indifferent to it when they see it, or rush to the dealer...

[Steved]

Originally Posted by aerisolphaln

I doubt it. I remember reading that 50% or more of all M sales happen in the US, so they allocate the most vehicles by far for our shores.

I don't have the figures to hand, but I seem to remember that it's not as dominant as that. If you add UK and Germany together then that would represent a bigger market than the US/Canada. I seem to remember that US accounts for around 40%, with Germany only a few per cent behind. The UK is also a big M-market, which is why they are often launched here shortly after the home market.

[Tobizach]

Yes I would think that as a german domestic it would be a higher percentage in germany or europe as a whole.

[nusevad]

hmmm so some dealerships have some idea how many cars they are getting huh...How big is the dealership Lucid? Is it in a big populated area? I sure hope that my place gets more than 3 initially and more than 3 a month...btw cute dog Tobi.

[lucid]

In an article that was posted here a couple of months ago or so, the M division people were quoted as saying 50% of M3 production was for the US market.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by FifthStreetz

hmmm so some dealerships have some idea how many cars they are getting huh...How big is the dealership Lucid? Is it in a big populated area? I sure hope that my place gets more than 3 initially and more than 3 a month...btw cute dog Tobi.

They are the biggest dealership. I don't know if this guy was just yakking, or actually onto something though.

[Steved]

Originally Posted by lucid

In an article that was posted here a couple of months ago or so, the M division people were quoted as saying 50% of M3 production was for the US market.

I will have to dig out the press releases that quote sales figures. It was perhaps 3 years ago since I last looked, but it surprised me how evenly the sales figures looked. At the time Europe was by far the largest market for example.

[nusevad]

Damn, if the biggest dealership is only getting 3 M coupes a month than i guess my dealership might only get 1?
T__T

[lucid]

Originally Posted by Steved

I will have to dig out the press releases that quote sales figures. It was perhaps 3 years ago since I last looked, but it surprised me how evenly the sales figures looked. At the time Europe was by far the largest market for example.

I guess this also somewhat depends on how low they can really go with US pricing a year from now given the dollar/euro exchange rate is at an all time low. As you can see in the polls on this forum, most people are expecting a base price of around $55-$60k. They most likely cannot sell 50000 cars here if they price it too much higher than that, which might result in tweaks in their sales strategy to sell more cars elsewhere.

[Epacy]

Originally Posted by lucid

In an article that was posted here a couple of months ago or so, the M division people were quoted as saying 50% of M3 production was for the US market.

I remember it as 50% as well. Might have come from Richter in his interview of the M complex.

edit: Motor Trend, Aug 2007, M-Division Headquarters

Article states that U.S. customers account for 50% of all sales, compared with the U.K.'s and Germany's 15% each.

[///MML]

I put my deposit down last month and am #3. I live in Cali but went out of state to a smaller market. I did this for my e46 M3 at the same dealership 6 years ago (was #4 back then). They released the e46 m3 in march 01 and I could of had a car in june but waited for SMG to come out. So if history repeats I'm looking at may/june again. My understanding is the large dealerships get 7-8 cars per month, med 4-5 and small 1-2. In cali its crazy, some lists are 40-50 people deep, some will fall off but your looking at 6/9 months after launch until you get a car in you put a deposit down today.

[doc1]

I put my order down in Jan 05 and then I had to ring around about 6-7 dealers to get to be number 3 on the list at Kings Lynn. You are better off avoiding big cities where demand will be high (although they will obviously be getting a bigger allocation presumably).
I would suggest trying a few dealers more distant to ask their lists. You might be surprised. I rang Ipswich 2 weeks ago and they seem to be saying 6months wait at the moment.
I spoke to my dealer today who says they are getting 2 cars for launch and then me. He is expecting 2 more before the end of the year, so October time ish. Heres hoping number 1 drops out!

[Tobizach]

Originally Posted by FifthStreetz

btw cute dog Tobi.

Thanks

[Martl]

Bad luck guy's

Mid September 2007 the car is in front of my garage,sorry