Americas Dealer inventory increasing… good or bad?

[Jean Mercier]

One fun fact I noticed when picking up: the showroom had about 10 Grenadiers, all of them with "sold" placards. I flew into Burbank and my sales guy Michael picked me up with donuts and coffee in the car. I took an early flight so we were at the dealership around 10am. By 11am, while all the paperwork was done and my car ready for delivery, there was a line of guys waiting to take possession of their Grenadiers. The funny part is that ALL of us could have been clones, like Control-C, Control-V copies. All of us were between 45 and 60, all wearing Patagonia or similar vests, etc. You get the point. This car is attracting a very specific demographics because, let us be honest, this is not a cheap car.

The day I see a Grenadier owner put a golf stick in his car, I will tell him he bought the wrong car

 

[[ Adam ]]

When I was 30-ish (late 90's), I bought an '88 Porsche 928s4. Went to a gathering and it was the same thing. All of us Gen X'ers dreamed about them as kids and finally got them used. Very much a similar group. Funny how some things have such a focused fan base.

The twin turbo 300zx on my driveway concurs.

 

[T5Ineos]

Hello,
I have been reading and noticing a substantial uptick on dealership inventory. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this, is it good or bad? Obviously I understand it is a question of stock vs flow, however all I can see is is the stock not the flow. Does anyone know how quickly the inventory is moving? That would give us a sense of penetration, adoption and success, which will be key to the longevity of the brand.
I’m about to pull the trigger tomorrow so these last minute thoughts are probably associated with some jitters…

I believe there are a multitude of reasons including but not limited to people reserving vehicles never having the intention to buy or getting second thoughts when actually having to write a fairly substantial check, then there are current inflationary issues combined with high interest rates. Additionally the demo units were subtly different from new units being sold, for example the ADAS functions. I can say from personal experience my original dealer could not locate my vehicle once it arrived stateside. i was the one that tracked it in shipping. By the time it was roughly found by the dealer i had bought mine from another dealer who had many grenadiers to select from and that i had ordered cars from before. So my pre-ordered unit became someone else's “inventory”. I would also say the reality is this vehicle perhaps doesn't always “test” well during demo. I love the looks and am willing to deal with quirks. My wife really likes the looks but 100% is unwilling to deal with the information system, turning radius etc etc so my gut is alot of women who have embraced mall crawler jeeps will feel the same. Anyways… just me thinking out loud and just personal opinion.

 

[C64_forever]

I believe there are a multitude of reasons including but not limited to people reserving vehicles never having the intention to buy or getting second thoughts when actually having to write a fairly substantial check, then there are current inflationary issues combined with high interest rates. Additionally the demo units were subtly different from new units being sold, for example the ADAS functions. I can say from personal experience my original dealer could not locate my vehicle once it arrived stateside. i was the one that tracked it in shipping. By the time it was roughly found by the dealer i had bought mine from another dealer who had many grenadiers to select from and that i had ordered cars from before. So my pre-ordered unit became someone else's “inventory”. I would also say the reality is this vehicle perhaps doesn't always “test” well during demo. I love the looks and am willing to deal with quirks. My wife really likes the looks but 100% is unwilling to deal with the information system, turning radius etc etc so my gut is alot of women who have embraced mall crawler jeeps will feel the same. Anyways… just me thinking out loud and just personal opinion.

You raise a fantastic point. Seems to me there are not a lot of women in this crowd...

 

[dreamalaska]

…my wife included :/

 

[Mountain4x4]

Let me add something here. I just received a call, mine is being built right now! It had a prior schedule of 9-24, now I will have it in July! That seems like a big bump. I am sure they are getting better at building these for the last, year or so, but I hope its not lack of orders....

 

[C64_forever]

At least at my SoCal dealer they seem to be selling very well.

Let me add something here. I just received a call, mine is being built right now! It had a prior schedule of 9-24, now I will have it in July! That seems like a big bump. I am sure they are getting better at building these for the last, year or so, but I hope its not lack of orders....

At least at my dealer in SoCal they seem to be selling very well. Lots of movement in the inventory.

 

[S52]

Let me add something here. I just received a call, mine is being built right now! It had a prior schedule of 9-24, now I will have it in July! That seems like a big bump. I am sure they are getting better at building these for the last, year or so, but I hope its not lack of orders....

Just curious when you placed your order?
Mine was ordered in Nov 2023 (order #26,735) and I have heard nothing about its build date, vin # etc...

I was a Kuhn order (defunct Norcal dealership). I reached out to Ineos a couple months ago and they assured me my order was still in the system and I would be transferred to a SoCal dealer for delivery. Nothing but crickets since then though...

 

[C64_forever]

Just curious when you placed your order?
Mine was ordered in Nov 2023 (order #26,735) and I have heard nothing about its build date, vin # etc...

I was a Kuhn order (defunct Norcal dealership). I reached out to Ineos a couple months ago and they assured me my order was still in the system and I would be transferred to a SoCal dealer for delivery. Nothing but crickets since then though...

I was at Kuhn's too. I just assumed my order was kaput, called Rusnak and had them work with me going over the available inventory. Easy peasy.

 

[S52]

I was at Kuhn's too. I just assumed my order was kaput, called Rusnak and had them work with me going over the available inventory. Easy peasy.

Darn! I sure hope my order didn't drop out. Problem is I have been looking at available inventory around the country and haven't found anything yet that matches what I want. I'm pretty unwilling to compromise. Gotta be:

Trialmaster
Shale Blue/White roof
Cloth Seats
Heated seats
Aux Battery
No Safari Windows
Factory Winch

Finding the color combo along with the Safari Window delete and factory winch is gonna be difficult I think.

I guess I'll try giving Rusnak a call this afternoon to see if they can work any magic on finding my original order and diverting it over. Fingers crossed!

 

[T5Ineos]

Let me add something here. I just received a call, mine is being built right now! It had a prior schedule of 9-24, now I will have it in July! That seems like a big bump. I am sure they are getting better at building these for the last, year or so, but I hope its not lack of orders....

Not sure if this will make you feel better or worse but mine was set for Q2 2024, then went to Q1 2024 on the website, the dealer kept telling me Q3 2024 (so clearly they were just lost), then INEOS confirmed it had shipped very beginning feb 2024, i confirmed it arrived mid 2024 in the states and was released from port and then no one could find it so i went and bought one elsewhere as i had just lost faith at that point. Last week it arrived at the dealer. Where im going with this is that i would suggest obtaining your VIN # and tracking the vehicle yourself as it may be coming much earlier than the site or dealer says.

 

[crashnburn]

Let me add something here. I just received a call, mine is being built right now! It had a prior schedule of 9-24, now I will have it in July! That seems like a big bump. I am sure they are getting better at building these for the last, year or so, but I hope its not lack of orders....

Best chance would be via Ineos chat. They are very helpful.
That's how I got my VIN and then started tracking it until it arrived stateside.

I believe you will get it earlier than July

 

[S52]

Update...

So I just got off the phone with Rusnak. They were super helpful and are going to look into my order. He did mention that more highly optioned Grenadiers along with the two tone roof (like my order) are being delayed at the factory.

So it makes sense now why I have not heard much of anything while other folks are getting their Vins etc who ordered after me.

Frustrating, but I'm hoping will be well worth the wait!

 

[ADVAW8S]

Update...

So I just got off the phone with Rusnak. They were super helpful and are going to look into my order. He did mention that more highly optioned Grenadiers alone with the two tone roof (like my order) are being delayed at the factory.

So it makes sense now why I have not heard much of anything while other folks are getting their Vins etc who ordered after me.

Frustrating, but I'm hoping will be well worth the wait!

Mine was a two tone roof MM SW. Went from Q124 to Q424 delievery. Ordered a QM with one color roof and have a est delievery of Q4. Keep in mine I was reservation # 365 on global launch, then ordered in US early part of June when order banks open. My boss, she order hers in Nov and it showing up next week. A friend of mine ordered around same time as me and his arrives next week.

 

[anand]

Update...

So I just got off the phone with Rusnak. They were super helpful and are going to look into my order. He did mention that more highly optioned Grenadiers alone with the two tone roof (like my order) are being delayed at the factory.

Mine is a "somewhat" optioned two tone and was delayed 4 months, so the story is believable

 

[Reducs]

While I'm sorry there are others waiting and wondering, I guess I'm glad I'm not alone.

Short recap: Ordered in June, Q1 estimate, built before February 12th (I know this because that's when I used the chat function to check the status and was told it was built and awaiting transport), and as of last week still sitting in the Hambach sun. They can't tell me for certain why it's still there or when it will ship.

What I'm considering: Should I just reorder? I've waited this long, what's another 6 months? Drop the "premium" sound and get the white roof.

The sitting at the factory for 2+ months is what's really irritating me.

Thoughts?

 

[anand]

Thoughts?

Have you considered looking around to find a similar build on a dealer lot? I was at Regal in Atlanta on Thursday and I think the number was something like 30 (of the 80 or 90 there) were unsold in every single color, a number of them with contrast roofs if I recall correctly

 

[Reducs]

Have you considered looking around to find a similar build on a dealer lot? I was at Regal in Atlanta on Thursday and I think the number was something like 30 (of the 80 or 90 there) were unsold in every single color, a number of them with contrast roofs if I recall correctly

I have, but at this price point and hoping to have it forever, I really don't want to compromise. I've looked at the @MossyIG inventory and nothing is close.

 

[T5Ineos]

While I'm sorry there are others waiting and wondering, I guess I'm glad I'm not alone.

Short recap: Ordered in June, Q1 estimate, built before February 12th (I know this because that's when I used the chat function to check the status and was told it was built and awaiting transport), and as of last week still sitting in the Hambach sun. They can't tell me for certain why it's still there or when it will ship.

What I'm considering: Should I just reorder? I've waited this long, what's another 6 months? Drop the "premium" sound and get the white roof.

The sitting at the factory for 2+ months is what's really irritating me.

Thoughts?

While I'm sorry there are others waiting and wondering, I guess I'm glad I'm not alone.

Short recap: Ordered in June, Q1 estimate, built before February 12th (I know this because that's when I used the chat function to check the status and was told it was built and awaiting transport), and as of last week still sitting in the Hambach sun. They can't tell me for certain why it's still there or when it will ship.

What I'm considering: Should I just reorder? I've waited this long, what's another 6 months? Drop the "premium" sound and get the white roof.

The sitting at the factory for 2+ months is what's really irritating me.

Thoughts?

I bet you are about 1 week to port 1 week at port 2 week by sea and 2-3 weeks ince it hits the port and maybe a 1 week delivery based on my experience. So maybe 2 months out or less….

 

[Commodore]

Update...

So I just got off the phone with Rusnak. They were super helpful and are going to look into my order. He did mention that more highly optioned Grenadiers along with the two tone roof (like my order) are being delayed at the factory.

So it makes sense now why I have not heard much of anything while other folks are getting their Vins etc who ordered after me.

Frustrating, but I'm hoping will be well worth the wait!

Mine is also ordered from Rusnak and has a two contrasting roof. If this is really causing a 4 month delay then I might call tomorrow and drop the white roof.