Because the pre-order numbers themselves are apparently not the scheduling factor. Not sure what is.
That is the only scenario that makes sense se to me. I think you nailed it.
When did you reserve? My build date is Aug 9 for GTPE. Reserved Nov 26, 2019
11/26/19
Strange then, must really be a regional thing. For what it's worth, my order number is 10021xxx and I'm PNW. I had some issues during ordering so couldn't finalize the order till a week into May.
If true, that threatens to eventually render the online ordering process a complete farce / failure before it even has a chance to really get off the ground. I say this because it leaves the system wide open to be gamed. The third party auto deal broker business is taking off right now, and these folks are nothing if not cunning/clever. My intuition tells me that they'll figure out where the pockets of high demand and excess supply are and begin to monetize that information just like they do today with vehicles not being sold via manufacturer-managed online ordering systems.
If the dealer allocation model is genuinely still in place - and particularly if, for example, legacy regulatory forces are responsible for that - then I worry a bit for traditional automakers over the long term. The fact that the online buying process still requires price negotiation with the dealership is already one strike. One can read through the top fifty threads of the ordering forum at any given time to see how this is presenting challenges. If it turns out that there's also no central "first come / first served" cue for orders, then that's another big strike.
I think this is a first come/first served model, actually. My dealer had 1 allocation. I was the first person to get in line for it. So it is mine.
That is certainly true and I am not calling that legacy process into question.
My personal experience with information coming from employees at dealerships - especially those whose income is based on creating desire for what they can actually sell you, and talking you out of what they cannot - is that it is not always accurate.
Or dealerships would not be intrinsically limited by their geography at all - only by the capacity of the assembly plants. So, if there's suddenly a mad rush on Mach-Es in Louisiana, and reservations come flooding in from that state, well then they'll be allocated that many build slots. I am not saying that's how it works, mind you. I'm just saying that that's how it could work if automakers wanted it to, and crucially, as I alluded to in my first post - if they are allowed to.
I know for a fact that brokers are part of the process for some high demand German performance vehicles. I don't see why they would be limited to vehicles from any specific manufacturer, but my first hand knowledge does not extend that far.
