I've heard they are pulling allocations from dealers exhibiting this behavior, can the insider confirm?

 

What type of Defender are you trying to order? Be specific with trim, powertrain and options. We have only just opened P300 orders for this month.

If you are struggling with your current retailer I would encourage you to look outside your area and start a dialogue. Unfortunately, US franchise laws are brutal and vary state to state and each retailer tends to operate in a different manner. We have the power to do certain things, but are powerless (just like Audi, BMW and Mercedes) in other areas.

As for the suggestion we are causing the problem- I certainly hope you don't think that. If we don't sell cars and keep production rolling we have to cut jobs and projects. That affects people at all levels and is traumatic to an organization. We went through some of that at the start of the pandemic and hope never to have to go there again.

The problem is we (Land Rover) are holding up our end of things at the factories and have OUR engines and chassis and various in-house parts ready to go, but suppliers in the industry (many of whom also service BMW, Mercedes, etc) keep missing their deliveries to us. You hear about microchips and that's definitely a problem, but little things like a part for the sunroof, brake rotors, tyres, taillight assemblies, and other small parts promised by large corporations fail to show up as promised. Unfortunately, when this happens you can't just suddenly shift your business elsewhere. We paid and arranged for the delivery of one million widgets and we expect them- and have to wait.

Part of the reason I decided to join this forum (which is surely not authorized) was to try and share some insights into JLR and let people know we care and are trying, as well as let people know why we do the things we do. There are people that worked over the Christmas holiday away their families to try and keep things moving in the background. Unfortunately, once the car makes it to the US and into retailer hands we lose control over the process to some degree.

We sincerely apologize that buying a LR has turned into a great mess, but we are doing absolutely everything we can to alleviate it while juggling the economic stability of the company and ensuring everyone has a job.

Hope this helps.

 

I can't in good conscious comment on pending legal matters or some of the specific steps, but I'll do my best to answer this. While I'm present on this forum to share things you wouldn't otherwise know about-I am not here to undermine JLR or give away any secrets.

That said, the US office has been aggressively monitoring pricing and complaints and have taken numerous actions. I won't get into specifics, but there are certain retailers that no longer have their franchise. Lots of buy and sell actions have happened in the background. Same name...different owner as of recently. No, I can't say who.

In some cases, we might have a legacy retailer that's being stubborn for the sake of being stubborn. It's complicated and political. Some of the owners have an Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes franchise and LR isn't a focus-for others it's their only retailer.

What I will say is that anyone opening a brand new JLR arch facility should be offering top notch service. There was a significant vetting process to get those and we have high expectations.

 

The Insider,

Appreciate your presence and spending the time trying to explain things we don't see. All are making sense except the market is market. I used to think the same but the reality is if I'm going to wait for something that may never happen I would rather pay up to get the experience and get out while I can. That's exactly what happened to me anyway. I think the delta cost difference for ownership would be very similar but at least I get to enjoy it much sooner. No one wants to overpay anything but it's a luxury item that one doesn't really need either. It's a free market that's how I see it.

 

Things are crazy in the used market but you can expect it when you have dealers charging well above what they should for an order you have to wait 8 months for. This was an interaction with a local dealer, blocked out the salesman’s name for his privacy.

 

What retailer made this claim? I don't need to know the salesman-just the retailer.

 

I want to buy a 110s, white with black roof and the black appearance package, and the 4cyl engine.

If I want to buy a LR and can’t because there aren’t any, you think it’s the supplier’s problem! I’m not buying from the suppliers, I’m trying to buy from you! And I can’t! Therefore I have to buy used and pay the premium. If LR would admit it’s their problem then perhaps they would start solving the problem. Just don’t try to excuse it as “not my fault”, the standard losers lament.

 

What a dumb response, you sound like a child.

 

Land Rover West Columbia in Clarksville, Maryland

 

Even in the before times, to get exactly what you want you would generally need to order custom. One of the major problems with JLR is too many SKUs. They know this, it’s negatively impacting their business and they are (I suppose) trying to simplify.

You’re not entirely wrong however: JLR mismanagement landed the company in a worse-off spot compared to competitors.