Leno and Seinfeld are getting their NSXs soon
- Thread starter Olyar15
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One of the first 5 is going to my client (but not to me). White with red interior. Wild guess: $50,000 premium.
Worthy of note in that article (3/23/16) was the following highlighted in bold
John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda, said Seinfeld and Leno have contracts that promise them one of the first 100 made. In reality, they are in the top dozen on the list, he said in an interview at the 2016 New York International Auto Show.
Acura will start building the first car in April and the automaker has 1,500 to 2,000 orders, Mendel said. He expects the build rate will be about 800 cars a year after the initial flurry.
As we know, only some build orders are in final processing (at least submitted BY a dealer holding down payment and has submitted finalized and signed papers to ACURA ) while many dealers are waiting for the green lightfor allocation Approval to submit their build order(s). (1'st then 2'nd and so on...)
I suspects the "orders" in the bold statement above may/only mean actual on line configurator builds which were then submitted to a dealer of choice buy the on line "potential" buyer. As such, then some of those might only be testing the waters or may will get cold feet or change there car of choice come dotted line signing time. And some may have submitted to multiple dealers (and inflating the number) if that is possible? I suspect it is.
Regardless, if we assume say ~ 2/3 +/- of those (1500 - 2000) submitted to dealers are by serious buyers, it supports the rumor that first ~ 2ys +/- of cars are/will be already spoken for?
And in near future time I'd guess more will be still be built on line and sent in. Maybe not so much.
If true, those who have chosen to remain on the fence for a bit could be waiting there somewhat longer than expected or hoped for.
John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda, said Seinfeld and Leno have contracts that promise them one of the first 100 made. In reality, they are in the top dozen on the list, he said in an interview at the 2016 New York International Auto Show.
Acura will start building the first car in April and the automaker has 1,500 to 2,000 orders, Mendel said. He expects the build rate will be about 800 cars a year after the initial flurry.
As we know, only some build orders are in final processing (at least submitted BY a dealer holding down payment and has submitted finalized and signed papers to ACURA ) while many dealers are waiting for the green lightfor allocation Approval to submit their build order(s). (1'st then 2'nd and so on...)
I suspects the "orders" in the bold statement above may/only mean actual on line configurator builds which were then submitted to a dealer of choice buy the on line "potential" buyer. As such, then some of those might only be testing the waters or may will get cold feet or change there car of choice come dotted line signing time. And some may have submitted to multiple dealers (and inflating the number) if that is possible? I suspect it is.
Regardless, if we assume say ~ 2/3 +/- of those (1500 - 2000) submitted to dealers are by serious buyers, it supports the rumor that first ~ 2ys +/- of cars are/will be already spoken for?
And in near future time I'd guess more will be still be built on line and sent in. Maybe not so much.
If true, those who have chosen to remain on the fence for a bit could be waiting there somewhat longer than expected or hoped for.
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In business, understanding your order book is a big deal.
i would have to believe they have a pretty good sense of what they have in place.
that being said, I totally agree that there will be folks who decide to wait or drop out.
in my own case, I was number 3, then number 2 dropped out and then number 1 decided to wait a few more months and bingo, I became number 1 at the dealership
this car will appeal to a ton of folks and I believe their will be a back log for a while
i would have to believe they have a pretty good sense of what they have in place.
that being said, I totally agree that there will be folks who decide to wait or drop out.
in my own case, I was number 3, then number 2 dropped out and then number 1 decided to wait a few more months and bingo, I became number 1 at the dealership
this car will appeal to a ton of folks and I believe their will be a back log for a while
Understood and agreed. (and even happy about it)
I'm the #1 guy at my dealer having put $5K down back in June '13 (for at that time a much lesser car- performance and price wise). And I still have no regrets.
Unfortunately, my dealer is a bit smaller one. So he does not expect green light to submit my build till late April or early May. It will be in first allocation wave, but latter in the wave.
That is OK as it gives me a little time to see some real car pix, hear some owner feedback, and better settle on few things not fully certain of perhaps... like color.
I have sent in for silver ... a color not really photo'd much or well yet.
I was at NYIAS on Good Friday. Unfortunately, the car there was the V Red Pearl.... just like last year.
Under the optimized lighting it just looked SSSssssoooooo Good.
I really need to see good pix of silver (if not in person) in case I want to switch colors at finalization/sign on the line time. Or within the allowed change (~2 wks?) window.
I'm the #1 guy at my dealer having put $5K down back in June '13 (for at that time a much lesser car- performance and price wise). And I still have no regrets.
Unfortunately, my dealer is a bit smaller one. So he does not expect green light to submit my build till late April or early May. It will be in first allocation wave, but latter in the wave.
That is OK as it gives me a little time to see some real car pix, hear some owner feedback, and better settle on few things not fully certain of perhaps... like color.
I have sent in for silver ... a color not really photo'd much or well yet.
I was at NYIAS on Good Friday. Unfortunately, the car there was the V Red Pearl.... just like last year.
Under the optimized lighting it just looked SSSssssoooooo Good.
I really need to see good pix of silver (if not in person) in case I want to switch colors at finalization/sign on the line time. Or within the allowed change (~2 wks?) window.
I was at the 30th anniversary party for David MacDavid Acura in Plano, TX this past Saturday and the host confirmed that the had sold their allotment of 10 cars per year for this and next year already. They are to receive the first one in early May
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With production commencing in late April, that seems unlikely.
Well he said May for sure but I may have been mistaken about the "early" part. There was a lot of crowd noise.
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Who knows what Acura really means in their press releases.
if they are starting from scratch on April 30 the first cars will be mid May.
if they mean they will start bolting components onto a ready to go frame on the date, the first car will be ready a lot sooner.
if they are starting from scratch on April 30 the first cars will be mid May.
if they mean they will start bolting components onto a ready to go frame on the date, the first car will be ready a lot sooner.
I have to believe they have quite a selection of puzzle pieces manufactured /built and logically staged for quick access.
And perhaps some which are partially together (with non variables) to the point of when the custom order tweaks can be set in place.
I thought I recall engine build was like 6/day. If so, they have to have a bunch of those built, tested, broken in and ready to go in advance to keep up with higher car build.
Frames can obviously be ready to go as well and same for painted body panels/parts.
And perhaps some which are partially together (with non variables) to the point of when the custom order tweaks can be set in place.
I thought I recall engine build was like 6/day. If so, they have to have a bunch of those built, tested, broken in and ready to go in advance to keep up with higher car build.
Frames can obviously be ready to go as well and same for painted body panels/parts.
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I suspect the first cars will be hitting dealers during the second half of May at the earliest (assuming completion of production during early May and relatively quick load and transport, with few delays).
The assembly line is currently dormant. Producing the frames is part of the assembly line / production process. There is no reason to believe that they have frames stockpiled and sitting around waiting for the commencement of production, such that the first cars can skip this step in the production process.
In order for dealers to receive cars in mid-May, everything would have to proceed without the slightest hiccup or delay. Cars would have to roll off of the assembly room floor straight into waiting trucks, and the trucks would have to immediately depart, etc. Could happen, but I personally believe the second half of May is more likely (or early June).
I have reason to believe that Acura is currently manufacturing, and stockpiling, NSX engines (or at least certain of the engine components that are the most difficult / time consuming to produce). Therefore, when production of the cars commences, there will be engines ready to go.
I did not mean to sound like I actually knew what was what in production preps.
It was only a guestimate which to me made some sense so save some time for those first builds once ready to roll. It sound like the new factory is huge enough to enable some preliminary staging of key items built and checked.
But maybe that was just subliminal wishful thinking on my part?
We should learn more (officially hopefully) once they are in action and stabilized after any initial hiccups. Though having built plenty of un numbered units already, one would hope hiccups have been learned and dealt with to extent practical.
It was only a guestimate which to me made some sense so save some time for those first builds once ready to roll. It sound like the new factory is huge enough to enable some preliminary staging of key items built and checked.
But maybe that was just subliminal wishful thinking on my part?
We should learn more (officially hopefully) once they are in action and stabilized after any initial hiccups. Though having built plenty of un numbered units already, one would hope hiccups have been learned and dealt with to extent practical.
Assembly lines are not dormant. They are producing pre-production cars as part of getting up to speed. Once they are fairly confident that they can build cars to their quality satisfaction, then it should take a few days for the first production cars to be built. From Ohio, it should take a few days to reach dealers on the east coast, maybe a week for the west. It wouldn't surprise me if the first cars start turning up early May.
We will know when Rick Hendrick gets his.
We will know when Rick Hendrick gets his.
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^ I certainly hope your estimate is accurate, but I am not quite as optimistic.
I don't think there's any chance the assembly line is dormant.
There will a great deal of activity from training workers at the various stations, to calibrating robots, torque wrenches etc.
Cars and/or segments of cars will be assembled continuously.
If any parts/processes don't meet quality parameters adjustments go on steadily.
And there always some electrical/computer process control issues to track down and sort out.
There's no way you can build a factory and on day 1 push the on button and hope to make a vehicle meeting quality specs.
As each segment of an assembly line is completed, testing and people training begins immediately.
Lots of vehicles need to be built to test how close the people and equipment are to pro-forma.
I largely agree with this. Once the cars start rolling out the factory they aren't going to languish for a couple weeks then get delivered. This is expensive inventory, you want the product delivered and paid for ASAP.
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I am only repeating what I heard. I heard that Acura has finished making test cars, and is not presently making new cars. I suspect they continue to practice/perfect various aspects of the production process, and operate the assembly line as appropriate for this purpose even if they are not cranking out whole cars.
Keep in mind that, if Acura is stockpiling certain components -- e.g., engines or engine components -- they cannot continue producing cars (because the new cars will incorporate the parts that could otherwise be stockpiled).
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Makes sense and I certainly hope you are right. I am simply unaccustomed to cars being delivered to dealerships within two weeks of the commencement of production. Of course, my experience is derived from cars produced abroad.
The US is a big country. It is very expensive to be trucking cars factory-to-dealer and even more expensive if you don't hold cars at point of origin until you have a full truck and sensible route. Unless cars are queued for production in accordance to delivery routes (which they couldn't be precisely due to color batching), then I suspect cars are going to sit for a couple weeks before getting on a truck.
The logic/economics may be different for dealers close enough to factory to be on a "local loop"-- but I don't think CA or FL people will see their cars as early as some are suggesting.
OTOH, if Acura attaches symbolic value to rushing early cars to all point ASAP regardless of cost, then all bets are off. I just think this is very unlikely.
FWIW, for the C7Z06 (one of the most expensive car made in the US-- only the high end Teslas and Vipers are more expensive), GM let them sit in the snow for weeks, then put them on trains for a week or so, then let them sit at the train yard for a week or so, then trucked them to dealers (one or two days on road).
The logic/economics may be different for dealers close enough to factory to be on a "local loop"-- but I don't think CA or FL people will see their cars as early as some are suggesting.
OTOH, if Acura attaches symbolic value to rushing early cars to all point ASAP regardless of cost, then all bets are off. I just think this is very unlikely.
FWIW, for the C7Z06 (one of the most expensive car made in the US-- only the high end Teslas and Vipers are more expensive), GM let them sit in the snow for weeks, then put them on trains for a week or so, then let them sit at the train yard for a week or so, then trucked them to dealers (one or two days on road).
*wrong thread 
*
*Making/building them in color batches does make some economic as well as production efficiency sense. Heck once in stable build state/mod... a group assembled by color/day (or a few days) is still only 8 of a color /day (or more for a few days). No reason they can't build some of all colors in 2 weeks or less, and maybe a few more of the higher demand colors in beginning. No reason to make anyone wait too long based on their color of choice.
But then if they build and number them by sequence of order acceptance, all bets are off.
Considering what Acura is charging for delivery adder, I see no reason for waiting to fill trucks. Plus I thought I heard somewhere they would be in enclosed trailers. suggesting one or just a few in transit per truck?
We will eventually find out what it is (or isn't) and since we have no control ... why get overly tight?
But then if they build and number them by sequence of order acceptance, all bets are off.
Considering what Acura is charging for delivery adder, I see no reason for waiting to fill trucks. Plus I thought I heard somewhere they would be in enclosed trailers. suggesting one or just a few in transit per truck?
We will eventually find out what it is (or isn't) and since we have no control ... why get overly tight?
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I agree with Gadgetman
For $1800 delivery Acura can afford to put 4 cars in a covered Van and send it on it's way, with 2 vans departing daily.
For reference, lexus charged $2400 for delivery of an LFA. Each car was shipped by sea in a single container. The monthly delivery (ex 3 cars) was then loaded in a covered Van for shipment wherever they were destined.
For $1800 delivery Acura can afford to put 4 cars in a covered Van and send it on it's way, with 2 vans departing daily.
For reference, lexus charged $2400 for delivery of an LFA. Each car was shipped by sea in a single container. The monthly delivery (ex 3 cars) was then loaded in a covered Van for shipment wherever they were destined.
Why? I'll tell you why: at least 33% of the joy from the new car buying experience is the obsessive, impatient anticipation about every detail!
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Perhaps, but the eight cars that depart daily won't have been the last 8 made, otherwise each van would have a VERY inefficient route (A van might have one car for each of CA, TX, MA and FL).
On the flip side, I've heard that the allocations are given out in regional batches, so perhaps the folks at HQ worked all this out on a white board some time ago: during the CA/FL allocation cycle, send one van to FL and one van to CA each day.
I believe you're right.
Honda surely would have figured out allocation of new cars and shipping need to be coordinated.
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This assumes a production output of 8 cars per day from the start. That seems very optimistic. Again, I hope you are right, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Separately, I am informed that, initially, Acura will be shipping cars to dealers one at a time, as opposed to aggregating cars to ship together according to region/nearby dealerships. I know this sounds terribly inefficient and costly, and that is precisely what I said in response, but that is nevertheless what I was told.
Incorrect. The order of first car allocations is based on historical sales volume, and each group/batch of first car allocations includes dealers from throughout the country.
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I believe McLaren air freights cars to US. Delivering NSXs in small batches domestically is minor in comparison. Also the comparison with Corvette doesn't work. That is a high-volume car.
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