C63Cabriolet

It was exactly what my Wife wanted. There was one option we didn’t want and one we did missing. Had Track Pace (I have it on my new C63 Cab) which Wifey will never use. Missing ventilated seats. Other than that..color was exactly what we wanted in and out. Plus well loaded. For that kind of discount we can live without the ventilation even though it gets used in Florida daily. Florida Dealers are hungry right now. Plus they have huge stores with massive inventory. I didn’t have to beat them up for the 17% either. How big are the dealers in your area? This dealer had 30 GLC 43. 20 C63.. etc. They blew out quite a few cars over the last few weeks they said. I have a MB dealer close by that usually has 400-500 cars in stock. I know Cali has some big stores as well but not sure if they are as big as Florida. They have been open for sales, service and parts and are still of 40-50%. I would imagine the dealers that could only do internet sales are off like 80%. Good time to make a low offer.

aviator787

Just found out my build for June was cancelled as most builds are for North America on certain GLC models coming from Germany.
The earliest I was told is that it could be built in late fall. Not sure if this is what the consensus is out there. This is what I was so looking forward to but nowadays there are more critical things to worry about I guess.

amg43mb

Hmm, mine was scheduled to be built in mid-April, and I found out from dealership yesterday that it's now scheduled for mid-July.

18bora

Put a deposit on the build on Dec 28th.
Production was completed on March 9th, a few days before manufacturing shut down.
It made it on the Glovis Courage on March 16th
Arrived at Baltimore March 28th, but the port closed due to CV for a couple of days.
Port Opened April 2nd, but VPC was closed.
VPC opened, but my dealer was closed.
Dealer opened Monday May 4th
It arrived at the dealer May 8th and I picked it up May 11th

amg43mb

Very nice! Love the Brilliant Blue, that's my color too. Congrats on a gorgeous ride!

aviator787

Why were some builds cancelled? Even if I ordered late feb

amg43mb

Can't answer that one. My order went in on Feb. 17. Maybe US vs. Canada thing? As of yesterday, my order was still scheduled for build in mid-July (3 mos. after it was initially due to be build).

AMG RB

If it wasn't for the scheduled 2021 facelift for the E Class I might have been a little more optimistic hearing your build getting rescheduled.........if only.........

superswiss

I don't know if it's true, but on the AMG Private Lounge somebody said they cancelled orders without deposits and kept those with deposits.

AMG RB

Again, this may be model specific but I had completed all the EDP paperwork, to include a deposit, back in February and my order was canceled. I even told my ED SR that I'd even do designo Manufaktur for my E63 if it made it easier to start/complete my built but I believe the production line retooling for the 2021 facelift became priority one for MB regarding the E Class.

I was told midday April 20th (PST) after the factory resumed (somewhat) production in Germany, that my order had been canceled; nothing further. My car was set for production this past week too, with an early June ED.

superswiss

Well, EDP is different altogether. European deliveries are currently on ice and it's not clear when they will resume. Already built EDP orders have been drop shipped to customers directly, or some have been offered to reschedule for later in the year. The issue with EDP is, even if it's drop shipped they have to do all the same paperwork, such as power of attorney etc. and the car will be imported to the USA under the customers name instead of Mercedes, so all that extra work and shipping overhead isn't worth it if the customer isn't actually picking the car up in Europe. Also, you would still have to pay for the car a month before it gets shipped. The difference with EDP is that the car is already yours by the time it is being shipped.

aviator787

I believe they may be trying to clear dealer inventory for some reason as I don't trust if the dealership is even telling me the truth on cancelled orders. No way to find out.

AMG RB

Superswiss, how close to the source is the information regarding EDP holds coming from?

amg43mb

My sales consultant was able to provide a screen shot of the order.

aviator787

Not sure if I can even get that info and reliable... anyways a bit disappointed on the events and just wondering if dealers are taking advantage of stock.

superswiss

It's coming from several members who were directly affected with existing EDP orders before these wider cancellations. The delivery center is closed, at least as of these reports. The factories are slowly resuming, so it's probably best to contact MBUSA European Delivery to find out when they are planning to reopen the delivery center. But beyond reopening, the challenge for anyone will be getting there. Europe is considering mandatory 14+ day quarantine for anybody arriving from overseas. That is once you can actually travel to Europe again. Not sure where all that stands currently, but as a US resident, you may find it difficult to travel to Europe for a while. I truly hope MB is not following Audi and now BMW and ends up cancelling the program altogether.

aviator787

So the consensus is that my dealer is telling the truth about cancellations and not just trying to sell me a stock car?

superswiss

Yes, it's all legit. Based on my contacts in Germany there is a massive parts shortage at the moment, because the entire supply chain had been shutdown. MB has brought their engine and transmission plant back online to fill the powertrain supply and they are slowly starting to build cars for which they have all the parts, but they can't get many of the required parts from external suppliers. Workers are only working like a couple of days a week at the moment. I'm guessing it will take a couple of months before things are somewhat flowing again, and that's assuming all the measures being put in place keeps the virus from flaring up and potentially requiring additional shutdowns. If you need/want a car now, I would say your best bet is to find something in the existing inventory. If you are willing to wait, I'd suggest to sit tight and see how the situation develops. From what I've heard the order banks are closed at the moment.

aviator787

Thanks for your input as true information is hard to come by.

RyanNeu

Hey everyone! I've been a lifetime MB user/enthusiast and have been lucky to have had virtually the full lineup within my family at one point or another (AMG/Maybach included), however I'm finally in a position where I need my own car, so in a way this is my first Benz. I recently put in an order (5/2/20) for a 2020 C300 4Matic (build order attached). So far everything I've heard/read indicates that the factories are active (as of 4/27), so hopefully it won't be too delayed by COVID. Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on the build and the C in general, that and the A-Class are the only of the sedans I've had any first-hand experience with. I also am in talks to potentially re-format my build via the Designo Manufaktur program, contingent upon if they actually started my build or not, so I would love to talk to anyone about the program/custom builds, etc.

Does anyone happen to know anything about the status of the C-Class Plants? I know that they're phasing them out of the US, but I've heard mixed things on whether production is officially out of Alabama or still on the tail end. Beyond that, I've read that it also gets produced at the Bremen plant, as well as ones in South Africa. Also, what do you guys think are the odds that it will be delivered by August?

PS: I know I can get it from my dealer, but does anyone happen to have the 2020 Designo Manufaktur Brochure? I saw someone posted it in a thread back in January but the link expired. Thanks!

List of Specs (subject to change pending DM Program availability):

• 2020 C300W4
• Black/AMG Cranberry Red Leather
• AMG Line Exterior Package
• Premium Package
• Multimedia Package
• Driver Assistance Package
• Parking Assistance Package
• Exterior Lighting Package
• Heated & Ventilated Front Seats
• Head-Up Display
• Heated Multifunction Steering Wheel
• Passenger Memory Seat with Adj. Thigh Support
• 12.3" Digital Instrument Cluster
• Inductive Wireless Charging & NFC Pairing
• Power Rear-Window Sunshade
• LED Logo Projectors
• Live Traffic
• Black Fabric Headliner
• Natural Grain Grey Oak Wood Trim
• 19" AMG Multispoke Wheels
• Summer High-Performance Tires
• Wheel Locking Bolts
• Rear Spoiler, Body Color

RyanNeu

SuperSwiss... you seem to be knowledgable. Thoughts?

superswiss

I've been sporadically checking the new car inventories at dealerships and the majority of C300 sedans are now built in South Africa. You can tell from the VIN. If the VIN starts with a W (West Germany), then the 11th position indicates the plant. R is for South Africa. The US built VINs start with 55S. MB is changing their VINs. They are using new manufacturer identifiers and eventually all will start with W and the 11th position still indicates the plant. A will be for the Alabama plant. I do not know the status of the South Africa plant.

RyanNeu

that's good to know -- thank you! I don't have a VIN yet but it's good to know that I can hone all of my inquiries on the south African plant if that's where most of them are being made.

RyanNeu

what about regarding build time -- do you think there's a possibility of my order being cancelled / delayed?

superswiss

There most certainly is. My understanding is that the order banks are closed. MB cancelled a bunch of orders, supposedly those w/o a deposit. I think there is a very good chance that it could be a 2021 instead of a 2020. Your dealer can tell you if the factory has accepted the order. Have you asked them if they have an allocation?