I put a deposit down for a 2020 GLE in February with a build date of 5/10/20. Just got a call from the dealer that he now expects my car (still a 2020) to be built the first week of June. He also said that there are no changes for 2021, and that they won't start building 2021s until November.

 

Based on information from other threads, it sounds like you will get a 2021.

 

I have a GLE 450 that had a 3D April build prior to the shut down. My dealer said the new build date is 6/20/20 and that the car will be a 2020 build.

 

lile03, sounds like we are in the same position. My dealer said my first week of June build date could be + or - a week or two, but that it would definitely be a 2020 model.

 

Fingers crossed the delay won’t extend further. The dealer said to expect a mid-July delivery if all goes well

 

November makes no sense.... They won’t be at full capacity but should be building 2021 cars right away after the changeover. There is virtually no GLE inventory so IMO they will ramp up as fast as possible & as soon as possible. Dealer, maybe, just doesn’t want you to consider waiting for a 2021.
Another factor is that there are a lot of Audi & BMW competing cars around. Audi is shipping the SQ8 so MB needs to get some GLE 450’s & AMG’s out soon.

 

Just got an update for the dealer. My car now has a "confirmed" build date of July 8. I asked about switching to a 2021, and he said that they wouldn't start making 2021s until November, so I said to stick to the 2020.

 

Nope, 21's won't start until the end of August

 

I ended up canceling my GLE 450 build this week. I was given a tentative build date of July 18. Dealer believed the date would be pushed even further into the summer. Spending this weekend looking for my next new car.

 

21's start building in August. I have a build date of 3rd decade August on a GLE350. First two decades in August are the last of the 2020's. Not just the dealer's word... he showed me on the Netstart screen.

 

I'll pile on here. Believe it or not, I ordered a pretty much, fully-loaded 2020 GLE 450 in mid-June of 2019. So, I've been waiting for almost a year now. My dealer says that my car is scheduled to be built on June 18th with delivery 3 to 4 weeks after that. Like others on this forum, I considered canceling my order and waiting for a 2021. However, it seems that the interior option I like (Black/Magma Grey Napa Leather) won't be available for 2021. So, I've decided to hold on until my car is delivered. Since I don't anticipate many changes for 2021, I believe this is the rational thing to do after already waiting for an entire year. I do realize I'll be taking a hit on depreciation, but I generally keep my Mercedes for 7 years or more and buy new ones with each model change-over. I negotiated a pretty good deal when I placed my order. I guess only time will tell how all of this works out.

 

My original GLE450 order from 2018 December still half way build. till today it’s still sitting in some parking lot. Almost fully loaded and even MB Canada trying to push it through the pipe still not happening. MB Canada even advise me to give it up and order something else. I understand your pain. But I think you might as well place new order and see which one show up 1st. I am sure your dealer can do that.

 

Thanks. I am sympathetic with your situation. It is very frustrating. I suppose this is a "first world problem" considering everything else going on these days. I'll be patient. We'll both know soon what happens.

 

Quick update--I just picked up my GLE 450 today! It ended up being built about two weeks early. After waiting 5 months, it was a nice surprise!

 

Congratulations, LanderMB. Your timing couldn't be better. Tomorrow (7-14-2020) I am picking up my iridium silver GLE450 that I ordered last June (over 1 year ago). It looks really nice in the photos the dealer sent me. I hope it will be every bit as nice when I see it in person. Enjoy your ride!

 

 

 

I booked my GLE 350 on 14FEB2020 with a production date of 22JUNE, it arrived at my dealership in northern California on 14JUL. Pre-COVID production date was 20APR2020.

 

I also have a build date for August. I ordered mine May 18th and the build date has been set for August 20th and has remained that way since the order. Have you heard any updates on yours if they are running on schedule? I plan on calling the dealer this week to see. They said 3 days to build about 3 days of inspection then they will ship to our area (south Florida).

 

I'll touch base with my rep as well this week to see if the needle has budged off B3. Did your dealer believe that they would ship when completed or whether MB would hold everything pending official 2021 release? As I believe I had posted, my dealer believed they would release in Sept since inventory levels are so low (at least in NY/NJ)

 

Well, my car is scheduled to be a 2020 model year. I asked in May about getting a 2021, but he said they will begin making those in November. I called the end of June asking to add something to my order and it was already locked in and I couldn’t make the change. He said they locked it in so they could finish up the 20s and head towards making the 21s. I’d rather have a 21. He didn’t say anything about holding it. I was told the build date is August 20th and that I should be prepare to accept delivery by Labor Day weekend.

 

My situation is very similar and it seems as though we share the same frustration. I ordered my GLE580 October 29th of 2019. I had numerous build dates, all of which never occurred. I too, inquired about holding my build until the '21 model year since it was so close and considering the fact that I really did not want to buy a "year old car" when other options existed. They did their best to convince me to stay the course. I just received notification that my car was built 3 days ago and it has already been released to the shipper. The dealer believes I should have it in a couple day. I know I should be happy but I also realize that I am accepting a car that will be a year behind very soon. From what I have heard on the forum, the '21's will start production in the 3rd decade of August. It appears as though you will one of the very last '20's. I realize there will be a little delay getting a '21 completed and delivered to you but maybe the extra wait is worth it. They say it's not a big deal but I know in 4 or 5 years when I go to trade this one in I will hear that it's an extra year old car and it will be depreciated along with all the rest of the '20's. I feel your pain.

 

If they called saying my car was in and ready I don’t think I could turn it down, but since I’m not there I’m starting to itch at the thought of a 2021. If I wanted to switch it do you or anyone how it would affect the car salesman and dealership. Would they or I take a hit? Can’t just be a matter of cancelling and reordering. And I’m sure the price won’t be the same. This is my first time ordering a car so I’m trying to be smart about it.

 

I honestly believe that your dealer should have given you the option of a 2021 in June, when they were already taking orders for the '21. I know that when we attempted to order the GLC350e in January, our rep didn't even want a deposit (we gave $1000 deposit anywa) and told us we didn't have to take the car if we didn't want it. And they would refund the deposit. When we switched in June to the GLE350, he advised us to order the '21 rather than attempting to snag one of the remaining 20's on allocation. So we cancelled the GLC350e (which hadn't even been ordered owing to allocation) and just applied the deposit to the GLE. As another user posted, that difference in a couple of weeks means another year in depreciation. I am leasing so that is really less of a factor. Anyway, the 21's should not have a significant price increase. Base prices have already been posted on this forum.

 

I tried calling the dealer, but they are closed for the hurricane that’s about to come. I did talk to another dealer and they said I would have to not accept my car when it arrives. Can’t cancel or change it because it’s too late. I’d have to not accept it and reorder a 2021. Part of me wants to do it. It’s a catch. Do I want a 20 with lower miles when it’s time to resell or a 21 with average miles? My head tells me my 20 will be a week older than a 21 off the line, but my hearts just wants to wait. Plus I can add two or so things on I wish I should have. 😬 Problem is I already sold my other car because I was offered a great deal on. I took the money and ran thinking we can be a one car household for a month, but ordering a 21 would put us at a one car household possibly for 2-3 months. I sound so bougie. Tough problems to have, right?!