I was told that when it comes to Toyota/Lexus that their ordering process is weird. Here’s what was said:
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“In the U.S., dealers do not really get to order a specific trim + color combo. What Toyota/Lexus does is that they will build cars based on what they believe people/dealers would want. It is then up to the individual dealers to call dibs/trade with each other to get a particular trim/color combo.
99% of Lexus vehicles being sent to dealerships are "allocated" by Lexus corporate and the dealer has no choice in what they're getting. Lexus corporate looks at different parts of the country, what cars are selling in those areas, their supply chain etc and corporate decides how many of each model to build, what colors to select etc. Then they "allocate" those cars to different dealerships based on what they've been selling. The dealers know their allocations months in advance, and are able to trade with other dealers for a car that a specific customer wants. But for the most part, Lexus decides what to build and where to send it.”
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Is the above true?
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I realize there are certain number of allocations given to dealers, but I was under the impression once that came through that the buyer could order their Toyota/Lexus exactly how they wanted.
(adding @FJCruiser2014 to the discussion)
This is exactly true; Japanese automakers such as Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, Mazda are all based on an allocation system and there is no such thing as custom order. You can let the dealership know of your preference and they will call you whenever they get the exact match or the closest to what you want. Or if a dealership can find it at another dealership and trade it with each other.
That sucks!
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So that means I better start moving on my Lexus ES especially since the options I want are not readily found on most ES.
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Thank you for confirming!
Yes it does suck but unfortunately that's how it is. Hope you can get what you want!
Why does Toyota/Lexus do this? What is the advantage/benefit to them?
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Is there any benefit to the consumer doing it this way?
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I am still trying to wrap my head around all this.
Hey sorry haven't been able to check the forum for a while. The benefit is for the manufacturer; it helps them build cars that they know is more in demand and will sell faster rather than building multiple trims at the risk of not being sold. It also means the manufacturer knows which areas and which dealerships sell what cars/trims most and they allocate based off of that.
It's pretty much true as far as I understand. They're still in a position where at least in NA at least Rav4s don't sit on the lot long if at all. I've been on a list for a red Rav4 Trail (similar trim to the US Adventure/TRD) since May and just got the call last week that mine's entering production and should be available near the end of November.
This is the only reason and the best reason to get a Tesla. Custom order, no dealer, no “market adjusted” pricing. What you see is what you get pricing.
Granted you would have to deal with other reasons NOT to get a Tesla.
I never knew this was how Toyota and Honda and Mazda operated.
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I am very shocked. What’s the point of having an online “build your vehicle” tool if you can’t get the vehicle exactly as you want?
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I have never bought a new vehicle before so I am in “order shock”, lol.
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Even Lexus flagship the LC500 suffers from this BS.
What’s the point of having an online “build your vehicle” tool if you can’t get the vehicle exactly as you want?
It just shows you the options they have and what trims have what options and the msrp pricing. And it helps you be able to show to different dealerships what you want. That's it.
It’s true. I remember when getting my Accord, the dealership I went to had to wheel and deal with another dealership, because they were the only ones that had a manual.
There is no way to custom order. It’s dumb. Dealership production is stuck in the past.
Customization and no market adjustment pricing us the only thing I admire about Tesla’s (and a few other EV makes) business model.