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Yeah good question. If we have to wait in line for Octavias to be built, they must have either a very small allocation of them being shipped, or they are ordering straight from the factory?
I would imagine that not being able to get the car for 4 months would turn a lot of buyers off.
I would imagine that not being able to get the car for 4 months would turn a lot of buyers off.
I know it would have me - having to wait until April would have sent me back into the hands of a Subaru dealer. I'd only gone to look at Skodas once more as there were no Outbacks around at the end of Nov last year.
I was was speaking with a mate last night who's just ordered an Octavia wagon, having test driven both it and the Golf wagon during the week. And, apart from talking about having bought a Skoda myself I hadn't said much else to him.
I had mentioned my DPF issues - they've ordered a 118TSi....
Is stock availbility an issue with these sales?
Kent
There seemed to be heaps of the standard octavia around and the Superb but RS wagon is a little scarse but all in all you wouldn't struggle to get into a car if you are felxible on options but most of the cars at the dealer i cancelled my order with were basic, no leather or sunroofs etc.
It may not be a supply issue but maybe the dealers can advise us on this if they are happy commenting on such matters??
From what I can gather Skoda Australia are not holding any stock and as most of the dealers are small or small parts of larger dealerships they are not able or prepared to carry large volumes of stock therefore cars are only ordered once they are sold and the 3-4 month wait begins. I'm sure that as sales increase Skoda Australia will look at carrying an inventory of popular combinations which will mean dealers can buy from it and deliver within a week or so and ultimately the concept of dealer swaps will happen where a dealer can swap with or buy a vehicle from another dealer. Both these things are common in well established brands including other VAG brands.
I have a mate who is Financial Controller at a large multi franchise Japanese dealer. They carry up to 800 vehicles in stock in their dealerships and holding yards and even for them they still get customers who want particular combinations that they can't fulfil from stock so what hope does the average Skoda dealer with maybe 10-12 cars have of satisfying the demand for instant gratification.
It doesn't make Skoda's job easier, however, when a some models aren't a leader in any particular area against their competitors and then you've got to wait for months to actually get the car. Not the case with the Superb (although why isn't it selling better), but the non- VRs Octavia is up against the Golf/Golf Wagon, and the Scout is a hard call against the Outback for a lot of people.
It doesn't make Skoda's job easier, however, when a some models aren't a leader in any particular area against their competitors and then you've got to wait for months to actually get the car. Not the case with the Superb (although why isn't it selling better), but the non- VRs Octavia is up against the Golf/Golf Wagon, and the Scout is a hard call against the Outback for a lot of people.
Hi Kent, I figured that now I've placed an order, I should stop lurking...
The Golf / Octavia comparison is interesting -- in the end, what got us over the line was a few better features in the Octavia at roughly the same price (touch-screen audio, electric seats, folding mirrors, the accessory pack, etc.). Both cars were great to drive and feel more like hatches than wagons. We were facing a wait either way, as neither Skoda or VW seem to expect much demand for medium-sized cars with leather seats...
In 2008 Skoda got a special shipment and special "express" orders so that they could get the brand launched without the delays...the GFC hit them at a bad time, but now they are having to pretty much order them in. I expected when I got mine that I would have to do that, but as i moved it a bit earlier, got one of the 2008 stock before they ran them out for the new model.
By the way, just to put Skoda sales in perspective, in NSW there seems to be an abundance of dealers, but in QLD they are pretty sparce and in Melb, until recently there was only Preston and later on Richmond, and more recently Mentone. Geelong is about, but is too far away to count for Melb sales.
In comparison, I drive past Mazda who do huge sales, and personally go past 4 dealers just going to work. Honda don't turn out amazing numbers either, and I drive past 2 dealers on the same trip. Thats not taking into account, that Skoda only have two models, and one is only just getting the wagon variant.
119 sales for Skoda in May, putting them at #26 in the sales charts, ahead of the likes of Chrysler, Renault & Alfa Romeo, all of which I suspect are better known brands in the aussie market. A move in the right direction, and one which I suspect will only improve with the Superb Wagon.
Sales data for the month of May has been released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) today and the news for the industry appears good on all fronts.
A boatload came in so it was just catching up on orders.
Still behind Dodge, Citroen, peugeot, Great Wall (581 suckers that value cost over their own lives) and a few others that I wouldn't describe as mainstream.
I think they need a consistant 250 per month.
carandimage The place where Off-Topic is On-Topic I used to think I was anal-retentive until I started getting involved in car forums
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