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      09-02-2014, 04:56 PM   #224
Carac
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Drives: E30M3, E39M5, SLSAMG, RRS SVR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwestfield View Post
John from BMW i Concierge just called and said he literally just got out of a meeting, during which he was told that BMW has yet to determine how and when they will release the i8s in the US.

So, he said that those few cars already on boats, as well as several others that will soon join them, will be pooled (not sure what 'pooled' means) and BMW will determine when to release the vehicles from the VPCs to the dealers en masse.

None of this makes a lot of sense, especially given the fact that this directly contradicts what they (BMW i concierge) told me about a week ago when they called me then when I raised a concern about multiple/reputable rumors of a release hold in the US.

John said he will further clarify exactly what this means and try to get some more data for me/us by tomorrow.

One thing continues to be 110% clear:
BMW (not sure if it is Germany, NA, or the i Division) is REALLY messed up in terms of determining how and when to release the i8, and their communications about this entire launch from the very beginning have been abysmal. They should be downright ashamed at how this has been handled. John said that many many customers he has already spoken with have been furious.

But, in the end, I believe that our (this blog group) being upset won't make much of a difference. This again points to the basic arrogance the company displays, and disrespect for (top) customers, dealers, etc. about proper communication to properly & fairly set customer expectations, most especially when their official communications contradict one another each and every month for almost 6 months now.

Very unsettling.

I truly wish a competitor made a similar car - then we could all speak through money and buy our goods elsewhere.
The answer is simple: release a car that's been plagued with delays (which may have just been a result of bad communication), bad communication, furious customers, and the most ramshackle launch I've ever seen as soon as you can. Don't make it worse by adding a "hold" to the thing. Put the whole thing behind you (BMW) and start selling the car. It's not the second coming, it's a car. Customers and the public don't need more PR, press, etc. Any goodwill you gain by holding cars for the few customers that care about being "first" will completely destroy any you have with the rest of the customer base...who are the people that will be taking their cars to shows (free PR, publicity, advertising), enthusiastically talking to other people about the car and the brand, etc. At this point every new piece of press and every new review is just a reminder that the car hasn't been delivered yet. Now I respect the desire to do a "launch"...but you can't "launch" it at Pebble Beach then "launch" it again over a month later. Eventually you have to stop launching. I also get what we've heard about wanting to emulate the Z8 launch...but that was a conventional ICE car, 15 years ago, before car tracking, before hyper-complex hybrid drivetrains and next-gen materials, and the internet as we know it. You could get away with holding cars at the VPC because customers didn't know any better. These days customers know you are artificially holding out on them. Holding back a customer's car for weeks when it could already be in their driveway. Again, until I have reason to get pissed, I'll swing in the wind (as we all have been), waiting to see if it becomes a long-term resident of the VPC. Hopefully the long time cars are spending in Quality Check has made them reevaluate the feasibility of a synchronized launch. If you are 150 cars deep into production and if only 1/10th of them have passed QC for delivery after two months of production then you're looking at holding cars at the VPC FOR MONTHS.

The next step of the plan should be getting it in customer hands, not keeping it out of them.

And like usual on here, I might be getting worked up for nothing. Here's hoping they make the right call and just let the cars go. I've got friends that saw the M3/M4 get revealed, got their order guides, got allocations/orders in, saw production start, had cars delivered, and have been enjoying them for months in summer weather in half the time since I put a deposit down on the day the i8 was unveiled at Frankfurt.

And this could all be cleared up, tempers quelled with simple, straight forward communication.

Last edited by Carac; 09-03-2014 at 12:04 AM..
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