balthazar

Neither I or my wife has gotten the vaccine yet. Her mother (92) got the J&J one today. My folks get their 2nd shots tomm.

Obviously, 2020 saw everyone focus elsewhere primarily, dampening discretionary outlets like this. That’ll turn around. I thought I saw a snippet somewhere here that visitor volume was quite respectable (near 200 at that moment, IIFC), would be cool to have some of them post... anything. I certainly can review my new truck when(ever) it gets here. Getting spot-welded & bolted together this week!

Looks like my truck will just squeak out before the shortage (I expect) hits GM truck plants. Gotta get these critical fundamentals back & manufactured in the home field.

I's a good boy. ?

If you're spending "stupid long hours" in a dealerships, then yes; you ARE having a problem. Every dealer I've checked out also allows you to purchase online, so that's nothing exclusive as far as I've seen. A lot of big, scary adjectives conjured up out of thin air, IMO. I guess there are support groups for post-dealership 'survivors'? ? ? ? Sounds like a pleasant experience not at all based on ungrounded assumptions, for all concerned.

I will step out and predict Tesla will at some point be forced to go to a franchise model. There’s very real & long-running reasons national (and international) corporations do- getting embroiled in hundreds or thousands of locations directly, with advertising, hiring/firing, advertising, taxes, local regulations.... it’s a logistical nightmare. Gas stations, fast food... MOST national businesses are franchises. Corps do not want to burden of dealing with such a wide network. Tesla right now is TINY. Right now, Tesla has been coasting, alone in the EV field, zero advertising budget. Supposedly in 9-14 years, they’ll be 1 player in a massive league of players, and they’re going to have to advertise & franchise if they want to keep growing/become a major cog.

Of course; there's good & bad in ANY profession you care to name. Medical errors are the #3 cause of death in the U.S... I've been in on new & slightly used car sales at dealerships in '87, '93, '94, '98, '02, '05, '09, '16, '17, '18 and '20 in 8 different dealerships - no complaints or issues. No run-around, no rip-offs, no gouging, no Tru-Coat. With my upcoming truck, the GMC website had at least 3 mistakes on it WRT details / what is standard/optional. That's not so good.

Tesla has MSRPs, it’d be interesting to learn the transaction prices vs MSRP. I read that dealers make most of their money on service, then on used vehicles. Income from new vehicle sales comes in 3rd and is ‘minor’. What if a supposed ‘far lesser’ service income on a Tesla made for a poor financial picture for a Tesla dealership, and Musk pitched it instead as ‘providing better info to potential consumers’ as he did?

• I don't need to test drive toilet paper or coffee. A vehicle is another matter. • What if I don't want to deal with the manufacturer?? • Choice is good, but Tesla's not advocating choice- they rejected the franchise model from the beginning.

There's enormous potential for direct sales to enter into the definition of 'monopoly'. Tesla and Tesla alone controls their products price, there is zero competition within the brand. And if Musk is doing so poorly with Tesla, why give him exclusive sales control on top of everything else? Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot, grocery stores, Best Buy, etc, etc, are all franchises. They don't manufacture, they retail. You can't drive to Proctor & Gamble's Ohio plant and buy a 3-pack of Bounty paper towels. Why should car sales be the only consumer/commerce example that operated on the inverse of that?

The Boattail is a beaut, the Imperial is sedate/stately, but the Merc is hideous. - - - - -

You DO REALIZE that legal action stops commerce activities all the time, right? It doesn't matter if you disagree or Rivian poo-poos it, the potential is there and it's going to run it's course until there's an outcome.

I've been looking at the GMC locator every 2-3 days since Dec- that's 4 months. Usually in a 100-mile radius but also for the 250-mile radius. Also combed a half dozen lots. I've looked a few hundred trucks in dealer inventory in that period, probably 95 or 97% have been below MSRP via the incentives or whatever other discounts are out there. Dealer 'add-on' I could count on one hand... and these are high buck pick-ups, not middling vanilla family sedans. BTW- you don't actually buy FROM Costco, they just offer yet another discount at participating dealers- looked into that, also. I have and never have had an issue with a dealership. I certainly don't "hate" them- there's no reason to. I read some people talk like they're entering into a long-term relationship and choosing curtains with a dealership, like buying a car is a month-long vacation in a tiny cabin far upstate. They whinny about the 'buying experience' like they're planning a wedding. It's all nonsense & garbage via my observation. I would never buy a vehicle without test driving it, even if there was a 'full refund in 7 days' or whatever program. If I thought I was going to need such a program, it would be because I was too lazy to perform due diligence in the first place. I thought new cars & driving was supposed to be fun? I certainly enjoyed my test drive in a $66K Silverado High Country back in Dec, and if I had the spare time & inclination, I'd also have gone & test drove an F-150 & a Ram. Identify your wants & needs, do your research, test/experience it in person, then buy/lease/order. Carvana is a inflated joke, websites frequently list things in error... sometimes the best course of action is talking to someone directly who actually orders vehicles and has the latest OEM-sourced info.

Tesla came to a strictly limiting arrangement in at least 2 states, because they were in fact breaking existing franchise laws. I think it's Michigan that they're limited to only 13 outlets. Competitive with itself?? So some Tesla stores will set prices lower than other Tesla stores? ?? No; not "all the time" but on rare occasions. The vast vast majority of times consumers buy vehicles below MSRP, probably 97% of the time... And that's what consumer expect; to get a deal. Deals are out there on the same vehicle, in the same area, due to competition.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/tesla-can-move-forward-with-trade-secret-suit-against-rivian-1.1583942

I believe the (very tangible) reason for franchising is to foster price competition. With OEM direct sales, there’s zero competition and theoretically- everyone pays MSRP.

RE direct sales being in violation of vehicle sales laws. >>"A lawsuit has been filed against electric vehicle startups Rivian Automotive and Lucid Motors in Illinois for selling vehicles directly to consumers in the state. What Happened: The lawsuit was filed by the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association, the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, and other plaintiffs including individual franchised auto dealers in the state. The plaintiffs allege that Amazon.com-backed electric truck startup Rivian, California-based EV startup Lucid Motors and the state of Illinois are violating state laws that require new vehicles to be sold through franchised dealers. It accuses the Secretary of State’s office of “turning a blind eye to Rivian’s unlicensed sales operations” in violation of state law. Lucid Motors plans to go public via a SPAC merger with blank-check company Churchill Capital Corp IV. The company is on track to deliver its Air luxury vehicle later this year and is focusing on a direct-to-consumer model by opening new showrooms called “Lucid Studios.” Lucid plans to open a showroom in Oak Brook, Illinois, in the second quarter of 2021. Rivian has said it plans to begin delivering its R1T electric pickup truck in June and its R1S electric SUV in August this year. The company manufactures its flagship EVs at its plant in Normal, Illinois. The company is constructing a showroom in Chicago. Why It Matters: Illinois auto dealers have previously too expressed their concern over direct sales and challenged Tesla Inc. for its direct-to-consumer sales model. In May 2019, the auto dealers, the Secretary of State and Tesla entered into an administrative consent order agreeing that Tesla could have no more than 13 dealer licenses in Illinois, as per the lawsuit. Nevertheless, other automakers are increasingly following Tesla’s lead by adopting the direct sales model. It was reported in February that Lordstown Motors Corp. is looking to sell its trucks directly to customers in Ohio. Ohio allowed Tesla to make direct sales to its customers in 2014. At the time, the Ohio dealer’s association had tried to block the Elon Musk-led company from selling directly. Tesla has a similar arrangement in Michigan as well."<< ~ Benzinga

I don't think that was it at all- most consumers go to the aftermarket if they do any customization (which is a very small percentage). Dealer or aftermarket - I see no evidence that drives sales either way. Mini has offered some treatments; most folk don't choose them. Civics traditionally have frequently been customized- via my observation it seemed to be all aftermarket. It's the base car that's the fundamental here, and the Civic isn't nearly the punishment box the Scion iQ was, the fiat 500 is, or the wuling mini unquestionably will be. You can't (successfully) put lipstick on a piglet. The China market is not remotely the U.S. market (and vice versa). Pointing to a success in the Chinese DM doesn't mean much here at all. Young motorists have no basis in micro-mini cars, so where would any demand come from?

iQ, 'fun', 'customizable', 'cute'. $11,990. Dead in 4 years.

Didn’t the toyoter scion try that very tactic? The ‘answer’ is an appealing product at a competitive price, TOGETHER.

It wouldn't sell here as a $12K gas car, why would it as an electric? Fiat 500 is probably better built/more modern @ $16K, and no one buys those. The U.S. is not the market for junk like this.

Atlanta, 1956 :

Just have to get the UAW to agree to a 22-cents/hr wage in that plant.

Cool logo ~