09-02-2014, 09:16 AM | #221 |
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Carac, that's GREAT news!!
here's hoping you get yours very very soon!
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09-02-2014, 02:15 PM | #222 |
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That's awesome. Looks like you'll be the first US delivery from this blog. Status of mine today is that it is in transit to the port of exit, so with any luck, it might get on the ship departing this Saturday.
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09-02-2014, 04:43 PM | #223 |
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Update From Bmw I Concierge Today - Tuesday Afternoon
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.
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09-02-2014, 04:56 PM | #224 | |
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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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09-02-2014, 07:23 PM | #226 |
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Basically, after years of waiting for a production model, months of minimal communication about deliveries, a rush at the end to finalize and get orders in, and a lengthy production and delivery process with no updates on a highly anticipated car, the last thing ANY customer wants to hear is that their completed, perfectly functional, ready to drive off the lot i8 is going to sit at the VPC for weeks or months.
I sincerely hope they are dropping plans (if there were any) for a coordinated launch. If QC certification is going as slowly as it appears (a good thing as far as quality assurance goes), we will be well into LATE 2014 and early 2015 before they have enough for every dealer to get their first one (According to W&W's Track&Trace there are only 3 cars in transit to the US, two months into production). |
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09-02-2014, 07:54 PM | #227 |
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When I went to my dealer yesterday, he told me that he has no information regarding the MY 2015 i8 allocations (or even when his allocated MY 2014s will come in). When I asked whether he thought I could get my hands on an i8 within 12 months, he said to count on 18 to 24 months. Oh well. I ended up buying an M6 Convertible to tide me over. It's a sweet ride. If the i8 turns out to be "vaporware" or essentially impossible to buy, I'll be fine.
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09-02-2014, 08:49 PM | #228 |
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very frustrating
and I agree with all your comments, Carac.
I am just so upset that BMW is still 'deciding' on when/how to launch. It takes a lot of nerve for them to still be behind closed doors and making stupid, ill-advised decisions on this, when the freakin US release of the car was at Pebble Beach. What a crock of horse poop. UNLESS THERE IS SOME OTHER real REASON ALL THIS IS HAPPENING. who knows?! If my car is going to sit for more than just a few weeks, I don't want it - a new car sitting in the heat (VPC = Brunswick, GA), in the elements (it's hurricane season), near the coast/salty air, with a new battery such as i8 can be damaged that way - I would assume. I wonder if the genius launch-decision execs at BMW have thought about that. Maybe all this is just a plot to get all of us worked up so they can surprise us when the cars do eventually hit and get delivered. This certainly is deserving of a well-written letter to both the CEO of BMW overall as well as the NA CEO, I think. As all of us have stated numerous times, this communication plan of theirs has been at the sub-kindergarten level - unbelievable for a supposedly world-class, cutting edge car company. The car may indeed be future technology all around, but the communication plan around the i8 has certainly been out of the stone age (or earlier!) era. Off my soapbox now. (I CERTAINLY HOPE SOMEONE HIGH UP IN BMW READS THESE BLOGS AND HAS THE CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE CRAZY US LAUNCH RUMORS/LAUNCH DECISIONS!)
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09-03-2014, 06:07 AM | #229 | |
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The i8 cannot possibly be profitable. But if it brings in buyers, and enables a sale of a high margin car immediately, then it is has served one of its purposes perfectly for BMW. |
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09-03-2014, 10:25 AM | #230 |
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Had my email forwarded to John at BMW i Concierge as well. BMWiConcierge@bmwusa.com is the address for anyone that wants the email and ask them a question. Said they would get back to me soon about any plans for the i8 launch. Interested to see what they say. I'm sure production and Quality Check will get quicker, but if the number of cars in transit after two months of production is any indication, it would take way more than a year to get enough cars for every dealer's first allocation at VPCs for a organized launch.
Last edited by Carac; 09-03-2014 at 12:15 PM.. |
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09-03-2014, 12:01 PM | #231 |
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guys, it's still crystal clear that . . .
. . . BMW has absolutely no clue what the hell they are doing with this US i8 'launch' or any planned communication about it with customers and dealers.
We are all 'stuck' until they decide on a 'plan', and then further stuck until they decide to communicate their 'plan' (which will also probably be delayed by many weeks or more, even after they do indeed make a decision), given their past performance in this area with this project and others. what a continuing total mess - and we all get to bear the brunt of their internal planning confusion. it all started with their multiple false US launch dates, then the fiasco about Pure Impulse orders (everyone being forced to choose this option in early July), then continued craziness when BMW can't even properly plan and procure leather and most PI orders were arbitrarily converted to the Dalbergia brown leather/cloth crap, then all this subsequent 'launch' mess - all topped by multiple BMW communication outlets that don't even tell the same story (myBMW, BMW NA 1-800 automated voice system, BMW NA 1-800 humans, BMW i Concierge humans, and the order systems that our dealers use to check vehicle production/delivery status). the other car manufacturer execs that read these blogs and/or hear about this are all laughing, i bet. oh well, very disappointing. let me know if any of you find out anything interesting, and I will do the same. here's to hoping that BMW will get its act together quickly, communicate the plan appropriately to us and our dealers, and never handle something as poorly as this again in the future.
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09-03-2014, 01:41 PM | #232 |
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Just got a call from John at BMW i Concierge. Says they are "not in any way holding i8s in bulk and are not shipping them together." "Once the car is prepped at the VPC it will be released directly to your dealer, no holds."
That seems pretty clear. |
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09-03-2014, 01:46 PM | #233 |
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exact opposite of what he told me yesterday mid afternoon
hmmmmm
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09-03-2014, 02:06 PM | #234 |
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Seems they did make a decision on how to handle distribution...the right way Release them to dealers as they're made.
And MYBMW updated. Took about 36 hours from when the car was loaded. The guys with "released to carrier" should be seeing "waiting at port of exit" messages on the hotline soon. Last edited by Carac; 09-03-2014 at 02:44 PM.. |
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09-03-2014, 03:13 PM | #235 |
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I just got the message from the hotline that my car is now at the port of exit, so it sounds like it will make it on the Sept. 6 west coast ship (Boheme), arriving at Port Hueneme on Oct. 2.
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09-03-2014, 05:11 PM | #236 |
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also just spoke with John at BMW i Concierge on the phone . . .
. . . and he said the news changed since yesterday and that BMW will not hold i8s for an en masse release- they will be released to dealers as they arrive into the US.
Carac and Drlonline - you all should be getting yours soon, and hopefully the rest of ours will board ships within the next week or so headed this way.
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09-04-2014, 09:55 AM | #237 |
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see this note from BMW to dealers, just came out
confirms that US launch starts after Monday
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09-04-2014, 10:19 AM | #239 |
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Finally, something official.
Now the hard part. Plain waiting Last edited by Carac; 09-04-2014 at 04:57 PM.. |
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09-08-2014, 11:53 AM | #241 |
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Haven't heard from the other guys. I'm keeping an eye on mine. Ship is in the English channel on its way to Halifax, NS Canada then Port of NYC/NJ on the 17th.
Searching the first 400 VINs of VX64000-VX64400 (assuming US-spec i8 follow a sequential order) only show five on the water. And one of them, VX64011, is travelling back FROM NYC TO Bremerhaven. Two west-coast bound cars that are supposed to hit the VDC on 09/18. One east-coast one that arrives Thursday (might be the first non-press, non-celebrity delivery in the US). Last edited by Carac; 09-08-2014 at 11:58 AM.. |
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09-08-2014, 01:59 PM | #242 |
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mine still in same status for 4 weeks now
status 155, completed but not released for transport to port. crazy, but I guess there is nothing that can be done about it.
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