Ford changed the way it’s doing things a bit with the introduction of the Mustang Mach-E by taking reservations for the electric SUV online. To some extent, that move cut dealers out of the reservation process. A new report has surfaced that says nearly every reservation for the Mustang Mach-E has been placed online.
The tidbit comes from a bulletin sent to dealers earlier in the week in Southern California that was seen by CarsDirect. The bulletin reportedly said that only about five percent of individuals bothered to physically go to a dealer to reserve a Mach-E despite strong buzz from the model. The letter allegedly stated that out of the 1712 reservations made for the electric SUV in Southern California, only 92 were made at a dealership.
That letter is interesting considering that one dealership in Sunnyvale, California, which is part of Northern California, reportedly had about 100 reservations from people calling or coming into the dealership. If the information that dealership passed on was correct, it reserved more Mach-E EV’s in the dealership then all of Southern California. Ford’s coming electric SUV is an impressive vehicle, and many see it as the first true competitor to Tesla’s line of vehicles from one of the big three automakers.
The Mach-E has a driving range of up to 300 miles, and some versions can run from standstill to 60 mph in the mid-three second range. The electric vehicle will start at under $45,000 in base trim before any federal tax incentives. The fact that most are reserving the vehicle online comes as no surprise. Ford requires a $500 refundable deposit to save a place in line for one of the vehicles. Firm orders will be placed later, which will be assigned to dealerships. Ford had previously stated that 80 percent of reservations are for the optional extended range battery version, and 55 percent of them were for the all-wheel-drive version.
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Source: Carsdirect
Comment
Just proof that EV buyers rather do everything on line, no different than ordering a smart phone. It also suggest that not many trust dealers. All dealers want to do is tack on fluff to raise the price and usually it adds no value to the vehicle.