New CLK63 B.S. on dealer floor..
02-18-2008 | 07:27 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,323
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From: orange county NY
'05 C55(sold)'05 E55(sold)'06 911C4S(sold)'06 ML350 '06 CLS55(sold),buncha slo bikes
New CLK63 B.S. on dealer floor..
Has been sitting there since Sept.Original buyer backed out & nobody has grabbed it yet.It's silver&the msrp is $138,5000,no mark ups&probably a discount since it's been sitting almost 6months
I'm not trying to start any controversy,but if there are only 350 in the States how come nobody's bought it yet?Is this car no longer in demand like it was
Friendly Mercedes in Wappingers Falls New York if anybody is interested
I'm not trying to start any controversy,but if there are only 350 in the States how come nobody's bought it yet?Is this car no longer in demand like it was
Friendly Mercedes in Wappingers Falls New York if anybody is interested
02-22-2008 | 06:46 PM
#4
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,063
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From: Central New Jersey
CLK63 Black, E350 Wagon, Supercharged Denali, Lotus Elise, Tesla Model 3 Dual-Motor.
02-24-2008 | 03:48 PM
#6
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 449
Likes: 1
CLK 63 AMG Black
Anybody tracking the dollar v. euro lately? Isn't it 1.46 now?
I think that's important, as the build cost is in Euro, but the US sale cost is in dollars.
I'm no international finance or hedge whiz, but it seems to me the factory needs to be worried about increasing purchase resistance as the US price rises. The only alternative is to forego margin for market share.
While Porsche may do that to an extent (if 2001 prices kept pace with the euro shift, then a $112,000 tt should cost $163,000 today. Since it doesn't, either Porsche must be a "hedgemeister" or they are giving up margin, or both.)
What does this mean for us? Probably extreme reluctance to invest the R and D dollars for very limited production, very expensive luxury items for export to the US. The luxury market everywhere else, from Russia to Dubai is very hot.
In summary, if the dollar doesn't strengthen (and I don't see that happening with the export of so many dollars for oil and war), the 599 and 430 will continue to climb in price (Ferrari will cut volume to accomodate demand), and cars like the BS will become more rare.
DISCLAIMER: I would love to be wrong. AS
I think that's important, as the build cost is in Euro, but the US sale cost is in dollars.
I'm no international finance or hedge whiz, but it seems to me the factory needs to be worried about increasing purchase resistance as the US price rises. The only alternative is to forego margin for market share.
While Porsche may do that to an extent (if 2001 prices kept pace with the euro shift, then a $112,000 tt should cost $163,000 today. Since it doesn't, either Porsche must be a "hedgemeister" or they are giving up margin, or both.)
What does this mean for us? Probably extreme reluctance to invest the R and D dollars for very limited production, very expensive luxury items for export to the US. The luxury market everywhere else, from Russia to Dubai is very hot.
In summary, if the dollar doesn't strengthen (and I don't see that happening with the export of so many dollars for oil and war), the 599 and 430 will continue to climb in price (Ferrari will cut volume to accomodate demand), and cars like the BS will become more rare.
DISCLAIMER: I would love to be wrong. AS
02-24-2008 | 04:48 PM
#7
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,271
Likes: 1
From: CA
2010 CL65
Anybody tracking the dollar v. euro lately? Isn't it 1.46 now?
I think that's important, as the build cost is in Euro, but the US sale cost is in dollars.
I'm no international finance or hedge whiz, but it seems to me the factory needs to be worried about increasing purchase resistance as the US price rises. The only alternative is to forego margin for market share.
While Porsche may do that to an extent (if 2001 prices kept pace with the euro shift, then a $112,000 tt should cost $163,000 today. Since it doesn't, either Porsche must be a "hedgemeister" or they are giving up margin, or both.)
What does this mean for us? Probably extreme reluctance to invest the R and D dollars for very limited production, very expensive luxury items for export to the US. The luxury market everywhere else, from Russia to Dubai is very hot.
In summary, if the dollar doesn't strengthen (and I don't see that happening with the export of so many dollars for oil and war), the 599 and 430 will continue to climb in price (Ferrari will cut volume to accomodate demand), and cars like the BS will become more rare.
DISCLAIMER: I would love to be wrong. AS
I think that's important, as the build cost is in Euro, but the US sale cost is in dollars.
I'm no international finance or hedge whiz, but it seems to me the factory needs to be worried about increasing purchase resistance as the US price rises. The only alternative is to forego margin for market share.
While Porsche may do that to an extent (if 2001 prices kept pace with the euro shift, then a $112,000 tt should cost $163,000 today. Since it doesn't, either Porsche must be a "hedgemeister" or they are giving up margin, or both.)
What does this mean for us? Probably extreme reluctance to invest the R and D dollars for very limited production, very expensive luxury items for export to the US. The luxury market everywhere else, from Russia to Dubai is very hot.
In summary, if the dollar doesn't strengthen (and I don't see that happening with the export of so many dollars for oil and war), the 599 and 430 will continue to climb in price (Ferrari will cut volume to accomodate demand), and cars like the BS will become more rare.
DISCLAIMER: I would love to be wrong. AS
But suspect mfr profit margins are being supported by a few phenom....tech-driven reduction in mfg costs, R&D costs....and SG&A costs are often incredibly fatty...and higher sales volumes allow easier amortization of mfg capex and R&D costs....car mfrs generally are fairly inefficiently-run cos., so ample room for smarter, operating profit- and profit margin-focused mgmt....
Car prices haven't increased in past 15-20yrs....in US, today's new, '08 S65 only costs roughly what a new S500 costed in '92, after adjusting for inflation and interest rates (and ignoring FX)....
Despite media hype re: 3rdWorld high-end consump, US buys some 50-60% of world's $150K+ cars...RoW has issues w/anti-consump culture (e.g., Germany); weak economies in terms of new wealth creation; personal security; poor roads/winter weather, etc etc....and many of the affluent from 3rdWorld (and EU) increasingly buy their more interesting cars at their London/FL/LA houses anyway...or in US Northeast/CA for their college-age kids who tend to attend US colleges....(a globalized version of fact that many of high-end cars bought at BeverlyHills-area dealers are for LA wkend houses....of guys from SF/Chic/NYC/TX/Seattle, etc etc)
And need to factor in marketing/branding issues...if upscale US buyers aren't buying a given brand/model, doubt that brand will have pricing power in 3rdWorld/aspirational mkts, which often seek to emulate fashions of US coasts....
Common knowledge Ferrari plays an artificial scarcity game in US mkt (only sends 35% global produc to US, but US buys some 60%+ of global 65s and bought 55% of global CGTs), but Ferraris are easily available at MSRP to even first-time buyers in many major EU mkts...and have Porsche/MB-like depreciation....Ponzi schemes are Ponzi schemes....suspect Ferrari knows their US supply/demand/pricing/volume/profit balance is a delicate game largely dependent upon buyers' expectations of 100% one-yr trade-in value.....
