[Pyrotek]

Most manufacturers are playing hard ball on discount and have low inventory. At least that's the impression I get from the sales teams at the dealers. In that sense, other manufacturers are behaving like undisclosed versions of the ROTF model already. I am genuinely surprised. I expected this model to fall flat on its feet. But the current chip shortage has vindicated their strategy.

[pk1972]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Meanwhile in Australia,

https://www.afr.com/companies/transp...0211019-p59192

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/m...re-172105.html

"The clash comes after more than 80 per cent of independent Mercedes dealers launched a $650 million legal action against the company."

I reached out to an dealership owner through my friend for discounts on MB cars and he said they are so tightly squeezed that they do not even serve coffee to customers

I searched the MB portal but could not find any stock of GLE and 1 car for GLC to be delivered in February'22. Dealers are ready to deliver both cars in 10 days. Don't know what is actually happening

[skydiver]

Originally Posted by pk1972

I reached out to an dealership owner through my friend for discounts on MB cars and he said they are so tightly squeezed that they do not even serve coffee to customers

I searched the MB portal but could not find any stock of GLE and 1 car for GLC to be delivered in February'22. Dealers are ready to deliver both cars in 10 days. Don't know what is actually happening

What I got to know is that the inventory that is visible to the dealer/partners is not seen by general public.
Any dealer across India can block the car that is available in the inventory. If the customer no longer wishes to buy the car, dealer will try to get another customer or release the vehicle back in the inventory.

[holysmoke]

There are discounts.
They have promotions that they run for the month - which changes month on month.

Recently purchased a LWB E class.
Got (1)free insurance, (2)loyalty discount, (3)CA/Doctor discount and (4)"month promo" discount.

This comes at the invoice level itself. Some are passed by the company (MB India) and some are passed by the dealer.

Payment for the car to be made in 2 ways. Payment for the vehicle goes directly from customer to MB India, and payment for registration, insurance, etc etc goes to the dealer.

The moment I made the initial deposit, I was given the VIN of my car.

[rkv_2401]

I saw this discussion over on the Ola scooter thread (after the FADA president's tweets) and figured this already existing thread was a better place to voice my thoughts.

I agree with the people saying that cutting out the middle men is good and leaves a higher level of margin for the OEM and customer, but what I somewhat cynically don't think will happen is that the manufacturers will do what's best for themselves and the customer. Case in point, Honda - who have already implemented this model in Australia for the last 6 months.

First, let me establish some baselines. Their sales numbers across the country for the Jul-Oct period in 2020 were around 5350. The 2021 Honda Civic VTi started at AUD 17900 without factoring in registration and other costs that add up to the drive-away price (That varies from state to state anyway, if I understand correctly).

Now, in the 3 months after they implemented the new model, their sales number have halved. From an already disappointing 5300 sales across the country in 3 months to just 2689 (https://www.drive.com.au/news/honda-...les-on-record/). In the same time period, sales of the rest of the passenger vehicle segment in 2021 grew by roughly 20% over last year's Jul - Oct 3 month period. Honda cut out the Jazz and the City, which accounted for ~20% of their volumes, but what about the remaining 30%?

They hiked the price of the Civic VTi-LX hatchback from maxing out at 36740AUD to starting at 36600AUD, driveaway price of 47200AUD, before accessories (which if you don't pay for, won't even get you rubber mats! ) - this same series of car with a NA engine and as a base variant went for just 17900 AUD last year! You can still find various variants of the 2021 model for as much as 15000AUD cheaper on their website - https://www.honda.com.au/configurato...nts?m=CIV520YM

But hey, all cars have become more expensive after the pandemic. Why single out Honda for that?

They haven't actually - not by the extent Honda have increased their price:

The Hyundai i30 (AKA Elantra) sedan still goes for decent prices starting from 26k at the showroom / 30k AUD driveaway (which is noticeably higher than last year, and also pretty steep for an Elantra) - and the top of the line i30 N-Line Premium with a 201hp turbo petrol, 7-speed wet DCT, bigger brakes and stiffer suspension, etc. is only 41500AUD driveaway - still 6000AUD cheaper than the regular Civic hatch!

A mid-range 2022 Camry Hybrid (variant - Ascent Sport) can be had for the same amount as the 2022 Civic hatchback. This is a sedan from a segment above that costs about the same to buy and maintain, far less expensive to run and more eco-friendly(hybrid) despite being significantly bigger and having a 2.5L engine instead of a 1.5L turbo. The Civic VTi-LX with a drive away of 47200 AUD is also only 10k AUD off the drive away price of BMW 218i GC, pre-negotiation. If you've already decided you're going to overpay for a car, would you do it for a Civic hatch or a stylish BMW GC? And would anyone overpay for a brand that may or may not shut shop in the country in the not-so-distant future?

The Accord hybrid goes for around 60k driveaway. I can't find prices for Mercedes cars now, but I distinctly remember seeing that the C200 base variant was below 70k AUD driveaway (again, pre-negotiation) before they implemented the new distribution model. (One could spec it up a bit on the customizer and still get underneath the luxury car tax threshold.)

Seems to me that despite cutting the dealers out of a majority of their business, Honda Australia have gotten greedy and gone for profits - actually INCREASING the price for the customers whilst also taking away all our bargaining power. All the prices I've listed above can be negotiated upon other than Honda's.
Is this a bizarre case of an automobile maker on a prolonged downtrend continuing to try and milk as much out of their reputation as they can, or the canary in the coal mine, a warning that this is a model that may end up being harmful to the customer?

P.S. I've used pincode 2050, i.e. Sydney, to determine the driveaway prices.

[greenhorn]

Is this still happening? I was reading the thread of how a bhpian got a Mercedes at a cracker deal recently when my thoughts shifted here. Are things back to where they were, or has Mercedes themselves started approving steep discounts?

[lapis_lazuli]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Is this still happening? I was reading the thread of how a bhpian got s Mercedes at a cracker deal recently when my thoughts shifted here. Are things back to where they were, or has Mercedes themselves started approving steep discounts?

The new C is expected to be north of 70L OTR

So, you probably have your answer! How else, without discounts, would a C sell for 70+ ? With a non Mercedes engine?

[Venkatesh]

Mercedes-Benz India Retail of The Future has recorded sales of over 10,000 units since its launch.



Link

[bordeaux]

I am trying to get a GLC and there are zero discounts or negotiations. Dealer RM says they can match the insurance quote from an outside insurance provider but that's all. They have no controls over discounts/negotiations is what I am being told. Does anyone know if there's a way to squeeze more out of the deal? I don't see any active offers on the site other than the lease programs.

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by bordeaux

I am trying to get a GLC and there are zero discounts or negotiations. Dealer RM says they can match the insurance quote from an outside insurance provider but that's all. They have no controls over discounts/negotiations is what I am being told. Does anyone know if there's a way to squeeze more out of the deal? I don't see any active offers on the site other than the lease programs.

Completely new generation GLC will be launched here next year so while theoretically you should be getting good discounts on the current model, there is an acute shortage of non-amg cars in mercedes inventory at the moment.

You can check the ones in stock here, which are the ones you are most likely to get any offers on. Try asking for 0 interest finance.

https://shop.mercedes-benz.com/en-in...rtment=vehicle

[sampadroy]

Originally Posted by bordeaux

I am trying to get a GLC and there are zero discounts or negotiations. Dealer RM says they can match the insurance quote from an outside insurance provider but that's all. They have no controls over discounts/negotiations is what I am being told. Does anyone know if there's a way to squeeze more out of the deal? I don't see any active offers on the site other than the lease programs.

If you're a Doctor or an engineer, you might get something off from the Ex-showroom. At least that's what I was told by my SA when I was casually enquiring about the A Limo. She clearly stated that ₹1.5L to be deducted from the Ex-showroom if you're a Doctor or an engineer.

Currently MBIL is having a huge backlog and all their CKD models have an avg. 3-5 months waiting period, if not more. So the slightest possibility of discount is also gone..

[bordeaux]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

Completely new generation GLC will be launched here next year so while theoretically you should be getting good discounts on the current model, there is an acute shortage of non-amg cars in mercedes inventory at the moment.

You can check the ones in stock here, which are the ones you are most likely to get any offers on. Try asking for 0 interest finance.

Thanks! I did check the stock and the color I wanted had only one unit expected in October end. I have already booked it. But now I see there are many units on the same color "In Stock" available for almost immediate delivery. Even my unit should be here in a week is what I am being told. So, suddenly the inventory has gone up for some weird reason.

Originally Posted by sampadroy

If you're a Doctor or an engineer, you might get something off from the Ex-showroom. At least that's what I was told by my SA when I was casually enquiring about the A Limo. She clearly stated that ₹1.5L to be deducted from the Ex-showroom if you're a Doctor or an engineer.

Currently MBIL is having a huge backlog and all their CKD models have an avg. 3-5 months waiting period, if not more. So the slightest possibility of discount is also gone..

That's what sales rep told me. No held up inventory, no discounts. Also, since it's a Franchise model, the dealership doesn't have much say anyway. I will double check on the Software Engineer discount and will press for that.

Thanks to both of you.

[sarathlal]

How does corporate car lease work in this mode?
Typically it's an agreement between the lease operator, company, employee and the dealer. Now with the payment directly made to MB, curious to know how corporate lease option work out. Does anyone know about it?