I understand that, but I just hate seeing people getting frustrated over misinformation and assumptions. It's pointless IMO. They aren't going to tell you anything, they never do. First half could be May/June or even July something knowing MBUSA. You guys are going to forget all about this when they're sitting in your driveways. Watch and see.

M

 

The frustration for me is not over misinformation or assumptions. The frustration is seeing thousands of new 2021 S Class cars sitting in VPC lots, knowing yours is one of them and Mercedes will not tell you when they are going to deliver your car. It is frustrating not knowing the reason the car is sitting in a lot month after month. This type of delay and lack of information is not good business practice on the part of Daimler AG. Mercedes has heavily promoted the 2021 S Class in the US and raised anticipation for the new model…and they continue to do so. I just received another promotional email from MBUSA touting the new S Class, but you can’t have it. It is sitting in Brunswick, Georgia. Meanwhile, thousands of 2021 S Class cars are flowing into China. That is frustrating. I have lost a lot of respect for Mercedes and I will not soon forget their indifference and “could care less” attitude toward their good customers.

 

One other thing. If Mercedes thinks there will be no repercussions from their poor treatment of loyal customers, they have another thing coming. In another year or two when I decide to trade my GLE350, for the first time I will be looking at Porsche, BMW and Audi before I buy from Mercedes. I have owned 6 new Mercedes over the last 10 years and never considered another brand. Those days are over, they threw me under the bus and I won’t forget it!

 

Same drama with anyone ordering a pre-release car, Mercedes or otherwise. It is of course annoying but I think rather than being disappointed in Mercedes one should calibrate expectations in the first place. This is neither new nor different than other brands nor does the company have any obligations to communicate any delivery to customers info before the official release date. Don't think the S-Class is being heavily promoted either; rather the opposite...

I hope that you'll receive the car as soon as possible so that you can enjoy it and tell us about it. Our last SL delivery was worse as the short Minnesota summer was passing by while waiting for a convertible. These cars already live 5 months a year in the garage...

 

I think your statement is true but I believe that most people are looking for (as you say} an official release date and that is where Mercedes is dropping the ball? I believe at one point Mercedes offered a release date of spring 2021, then it became 1st half of 2021 (which can mean pretty much of anytime (Jan, 1 thru July1), and as you know most people order a new car are hoping for Jan. 1st not July 1st even though it's not realistic! If they can't offer a firm release date and it's become a liquid date due to missing parts then their customer should know, don't you think?

 

Cars sit on lots all the time man, not sure what to tell you here. What exactly would you have them do if they car isn't ready to be released yet? I've ordered cars and waited before, did the same thing with BMW before. 3 months. They said in the first half of the year, that is where we are. What else do you expect them to tell you at this point? So if they told you parts, chips, certification, then what? What is it going to change or do? This is the process for an all new car and yes IMO all this speculation about what the hold up is, doesn't help. China is not America. Mercedes already tried to launch a car worldwide at the same time and it backfired so different markets get cars at different times, that is just how it works.

M

 

How did they throw you under the bus?

M

 

I received a reply from Debra A at MBUSA regarding my email to Customer Support asking when my car will be shipped from the VPC at Brunswick. I also asked why, after 3 months of sitting in the VPC lot, the car has not been shipped. Debra stated that the “anticipated US release date for the 2021 S500 and S580 is early third quarter”. She said that as we get close the the release date, the team at Mercedes Benz of Naples is the best source for information on when the car will be delivered to me. She said “we apologized for not providing a specific date”. She ignored my question about what is causing the delay. Once the release date arrives, it will likely take many weeks to prepare and move all of the cars out of the VPC and get them into dealer hands.

How did they throw me under the bus? You’ve got to be kidding. My new car will have been sitting in the hot Georgia sun for approximately 6 months, with no reason given on why the car has not been shipped to the dealer. The sun is intense down here, imagine what that does to the Exclusive Napa Leather, the unwashed paint and the tires sitting on the hot asphalt. Hi, your car is here but you can’t have it and we won’t tell you why or give you a delivery date. We appreciate hanging on to that $10,000 down payment you made for 10 months, but you don’t deserve any answers on why we won’t deliver your car. It’s a big secret. Oh, and the third quarter release is “anticipated”, it’s not a promise. And too bad we didn’t make your car a 2022 model, that would be too much to ask. But if you really want to see the 2021 S Class in person, fly to Beijing, there are thousands of them in China.

 

No one threw you under the bus man, you're being far too dramatic here. Throwing someone under the bus implies intentional harm or intent to harm someone. That isn't what is happening here. This is a normal process for an all-new vehicle to go on sale. There isn't any secret, the truth is that they said first half of the year and that is where we are. I asked before, what would it solve if they gave you a bunch of excuses/reasons? What would it change? I'm surprised that a repeat buyer doesn't know how this process works. Mercedes rarely if ever gives a specific date for a car's release. It's always been "Spring", "Fall" or whenever.


M

 

I’m sorry, but this is not a normal process for an all new vehicle. Take the new Accord MDX. Completely redesigned, they started taking orders in late September for first quarter delivery. They kept their customer appraised of the launch date. And, they made the MDX a 2022 model to offset the late launch date. I have been buying cars for 50 years and have never seen a more screwed up launch than the 2021 S Class. You seem to miss the point that my car was made in early February and has been sitting in Brunswick since the first week in March. Maybe it will be shipped out of Brunswick in July, maybe not. Do you know of any other launch where cars were made and then held for 5 months with no reason given? If I knew the reason the car was delayed, then I would have some idea if Mercedes is making a good faith effort to get me the car. If it is the semiconductor shortage, that is beyond their control. Mercedes would explain what they were working to increase their supply of chips and likely have a date when they can resume normal production. If they are favoring the higher margin Chinese market over the US market, I would like to know that, too. Because that would mean that they made a conscious decision to delay my order and give preference to some other customer. I don’t want to deal with a car manufacturer who takes my order and then delays it to serve some other customer.

 

Sure it is, for Mercedes. A Honda Accord is built right in Ohio and they build hundreds of thousands of them, and it's a really simple car by comparison. Honda regularly gives out exact dates of when a car will be the showroom, Mercedes doesn't and never has. I agree, these cars should have been 2022 model year cars, doesn't seem worth it to have such a short 2021 model year run. You seem to miss the point that a car that introduced in Sept of 2020 was never going to be delivered to you in Feb of 2021 in the U.S. That quick of a turn around never happens upon the introduction of a brand new Mercedes model. Not sure how else to explain it to you. The turn around from introduction to delivery in the U.S. is never that fast. You were given misinformation by the dealership and that is wrong for sure. It was never going to happen that fast and just because you ordered early doesn't mean that they're going to much up the launch date. Believe me they're going to get you the car, they aren't in the habit of having to return deposits. You're honestly asking for a lot of things that car companies never do, explaining every single move they make behind the scenes. How can they be favoring China when they have cars sitting here on the ground already? Clearly the cars are here so they aren't be diverted there. You have no proof that they are serving other customers on purpose, again more unfounded speculation that only serves to make all this worse. You're making wild unfounded assumptions that only serve to irritate you further. They said the first half of the year, that is where we are.

M

 

You and I can agree to disagree.

 

Yeah I think so because you're ignoring the basic facts here.

M

 

Quite the opposite happened with the release of the W221. The model year 2007 was actually introduced to some markets as early as fall of 2005! Many in the U.S. got them in the summer of 2006. The earliest models had some problems with them, can't remember what the issue was but by October or so of 2006, they rectified the issue. My 2007 S600 was at my my local dealership and purchased in October of 2006.

 

It's actually the same exact thing, or even longer. The W221 was introduced in fall of 2005 and arrived/went on sale in late summer/early fall 2006 as a 2007. The only difference is that it they went with the later model year, 2007. The same thing is happening here, the W223 was introduced at in Sept 2020 and arrived/going on sale in either June or July 2021. Same exact thing. Europe got the cars first of course, late in 2005.

M

 

I think MB USA should provide some type of logical explanation as to the delay. If there are factors outside of their control, they should say so. Most loyal customers will understand. Being secretive is no way to treat your customers.

 

Good point Bossanov!

 

I still fail to understand why and for what. There was no firm launch date that MB committed to in the first place, so logically there is no delay. The only thing I had seen as a launch window was late spring 2021. That would take you into later June, so what gives?
As discussed before, wether someone was able to order a product before launch date is immaterial, however painful...

 

You're right, I guess we'll see in 3 1/2 weeks?

 

I would like a logical explanation why my car has been sitting in the hot sun in a Georgia parking lot for what will be 5 months if the car is delivered to me in July, which is not likely. MBUSA contacted me and stated that “the anticipated release date for the 2021 S500 and S580 is early third quarter”. Once released, the cars will have to be inspected, any missing components added, and then be trucked to the dealers. Hey, they built my car, shipped it to Brunswick, Georgia, it arrived the first week of March and there it sits. I don’t think it is too much to ask why? Should I be concerned about the accumulated salt spray that is baking on the cars finish in the intense sun? Or should I be concerned about the tires getting flat spots, the battery not being charged, my leather seats drying out, etc? I live on the coast in Florida, a 6 hour drive from Brunswick, so I know how intense the sun is right now. Salt from the nearby coast is always in the air, and the VPC in Brunswick is right at the dock. While the dealer did not give me a firm delivery date, they expected my car to be built in January. They were only off by a month. They expected the car would be delivered to me in March, a reasonable expectation. The car arrived and then everything stopped. While it won’t change anything, I would like to know what happened. I’m sure my car will be delivered in excellent shape and my dealer will take car of any sun damage.

 

I have ordered four Mercedes in the past, all have taken 12 to 14 weeks from order to driving off the dealers lot. Here's a twist, my car was scheduled for a late June build, moved to May 7th, off the line May 10th and on a ship May 16th. It's crossing the Atlantic as we speak, due in Brunswick June 4th! I don't think there are too many people living in a bubble, everyone see auto plants shutting down due to no microchips. Wolfman made a valid point about release dates, in 3 1/2 weeks we'll be in summer, the spring release date that Mercedes gave us is gone, we'll see? The thing is you could probably ask a dozen dealerships across the country and get quite a few different answers concerning release dates. Are the sales managers making these dates up, are the regional managers hearing real info or just coffee room B.S. The problem with most forums you get a mix bag of info and most times all it does is tick people off. I think in 3 1/2 weeks if cars are not being released and there is no firm release date info we have something to talk about. Believe me I couldn't agree with you more, build a customers car ship it and let it sits for 4 or 5 months and tell the customer nothing? What I find interesting about Mercedes, they not only keep the customers in the dark but the dealers also. Go on a customer chat line, all they tell you is talk to the dealer, hell, I talking to you because the dealer doesn't have an answer. I've owned 8 Corvettes in my lifetime, the last two were built cars, I knew from start to finish when everything was ordered, the car was on the line, off the line and shipped, a wonderful customer experience, don't you think. Before we look to hard at our German friend we need to realize the culture is different overseas, it's not the good old USA! When you get your car you'll have something to talk about and hopefully laugh about, unless there are 50 recalls on your new car?

 

You will have to make a difficult choice; either walk away from the car, order again or switch to another brand or wait until the car is released. If the car will feel less than factory fresh at the time of delivery, you can refuse as well. I know that VPC has buildings that they park cars in but believe the S-Class is not one of them.
In regards to your other question, the answers have been given here a few times already yet you assume something else happened. Pre-release delivery, that is all. Even if the launch of the car will be delayed by 6 months, nothing happened to your car other than being delivered before they start selling them in this country.

 

There isn't a delay. The car is/was scheduled for mid-year release.

M

 

The explanation is that your car was built early and that it is being held until the launch date. March was never a reasonable expectation. Repeating it over and over doesn't change this. A totally new model that debuts in September 2020, isn't going to be delivered to U.S. customers in March. Especially after what went on in 2020. It's just not a real expectation. It never was really. The dealer should have never told you this. They've been delivering cars for years from these holding facilities, not sure why you think this will be any different. Anything that isn't right will be fixed or you just reject it.

M

 

Wolfman, I get it, the answer that has been given here a few times already is that you will get your car when it is released.