Allocation: Stock vs. Sold
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,591
Likes: 57
From: Charlotte North Carolina
Allocation: Stock vs. Sold
Regarding the allocation process, does it matter if the vehicle is for dealership inventory stock or SOLD to a customer?
Better stated, if my small country dealer doesn't have an allocation, but a loyal customer wants to order from them, will the order be fulfilled? The order is listed as "Retail sold" not "Retail Stock" on the buyer's order.
Is the answer flat out, "no" or "maybe". There must be a gray area and it cannot be as simple as, no allocation, no build.
I mean, think about it....small dealership sells 2 Corvettes a year. 70 year old guy has been doing business with this dealership for 50 years. He wants a C7 and will do business with no one else. His order is simple enough, no constraints.
Simple question, will his order ever get fulfilled? What if he wanted a z51 which is constrained? Will that order ever get fulfilled?
Thanks
Better stated, if my small country dealer doesn't have an allocation, but a loyal customer wants to order from them, will the order be fulfilled? The order is listed as "Retail sold" not "Retail Stock" on the buyer's order.
Is the answer flat out, "no" or "maybe". There must be a gray area and it cannot be as simple as, no allocation, no build.
I mean, think about it....small dealership sells 2 Corvettes a year. 70 year old guy has been doing business with this dealership for 50 years. He wants a C7 and will do business with no one else. His order is simple enough, no constraints.
Simple question, will his order ever get fulfilled? What if he wanted a z51 which is constrained? Will that order ever get fulfilled?
Thanks
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 136,140
Likes: 2,432
From: I live my life by 2 rules. 1) Never share everything you know. 2)
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '16-'17-'18
Regarding the allocation process, does it matter if the vehicle is for dealership inventory stock or SOLD to a customer?
Better stated, if my small country dealer doesn't have an allocation, but a loyal customer wants to order from them, will the order be fulfilled? The order is listed as "Retail sold" not "Retail Stock" on the buyer's order.
Is the answer flat out, "no" or "maybe". There must be a gray area and it cannot be as simple as, no allocation, no build.
I mean, think about it....small dealership sells 2 Corvettes a year. 70 year old guy has been doing business with this dealership for 50 years. He wants a C7 and will do business with no one else. His order is simple enough, no constraints.
Simple question, will his order ever get fulfilled? What if he wanted a z51 which is constrained? Will that order ever get fulfilled?
Thanks
Better stated, if my small country dealer doesn't have an allocation, but a loyal customer wants to order from them, will the order be fulfilled? The order is listed as "Retail sold" not "Retail Stock" on the buyer's order.
Is the answer flat out, "no" or "maybe". There must be a gray area and it cannot be as simple as, no allocation, no build.
I mean, think about it....small dealership sells 2 Corvettes a year. 70 year old guy has been doing business with this dealership for 50 years. He wants a C7 and will do business with no one else. His order is simple enough, no constraints.
Simple question, will his order ever get fulfilled? What if he wanted a z51 which is constrained? Will that order ever get fulfilled?
Thanks
It will not be built, period. End of story
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,591
Likes: 57
From: Charlotte North Carolina
So you are telling me that GM has one car that is SOLD and one car that is inventory and the manufacturer will decide to build the inventory unit and totally disregard the sold unit?
Nope. Doesn't make sense.
Say it aint' so.
Nope. Doesn't make sense.
Say it aint' so.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 136,140
Likes: 2,432
From: I live my life by 2 rules. 1) Never share everything you know. 2)
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '16-'17-'18
Doesn't matter if car is an order for a customer or for the dealer's own stock. If they have no allocation to build the car as ordered, it won't be built. It's no more complicated than that.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 2,406
Likes: 3
From: Austin Texas
NCM Sinkhole Donor
A dealer with allocation will build every allocation they get (sold or not), so there aren't just extra allocations sitting in limbo. Dealers with allocation sell everyone they order (stock or sold). They will not let an allocation go un used.
Welcome to the world of ordering a C7
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 11,825
Likes: 2,474
From: Ft Lauderdale
Tech Contributor
A dealer can decide to label it sold or inventory...it's all the same to GM.....if the dealer earned the car he gets it.
Now here's what will make everybody mad, but it's the truth: GM doesn't give a damn about the end customer..... it's the dealer that matters, because that's their customer, and he can decide whether he wants the car to be stock or put a name on it. It's a memo notation only. The mfr learned a long time ago the dealers won't shoot straight… And Will put a name on every car so they get a quicker , if GM built sold orders quicker than stock. So now they just make him as it comes....
Now here's what will make everybody mad, but it's the truth: GM doesn't give a damn about the end customer..... it's the dealer that matters, because that's their customer, and he can decide whether he wants the car to be stock or put a name on it. It's a memo notation only. The mfr learned a long time ago the dealers won't shoot straight… And Will put a name on every car so they get a quicker , if GM built sold orders quicker than stock. So now they just make him as it comes....
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 222
Likes: 3
From: New Orleans Louisiana
My dealer has an allocation of three cars and so far he has received nine cars. He said past orders were booked by GM as the cars were sold however he was never allowed to have more than three cars that were not sold and delivered. Ordered my car yesterday and I'm at 1100 today, so will see what happens
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Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,591
Likes: 57
From: Charlotte North Carolina
Ok. Now I am totally and completely confused. How could he have allocations for three and get nine?
Are allocations given out at the beginning on the year or monthly? How does that work?
Are allocations given out at the beginning on the year or monthly? How does that work?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,591
Likes: 57
From: Charlotte North Carolina
1100 just means the car has been ordered....preliminary order. Order has not been accepted for build. Could potentially stay in 1100 status forever.
I still don't understand how he was allocated for 3 cars and got 9.
I thought the allocation process was determined at the beginning of the year and dealers were clear on how many C7s they could order based on previous year sales.
Is this correct? Can the allocation number vary from month to month or something?
I still don't understand how he was allocated for 3 cars and got 9.
I thought the allocation process was determined at the beginning of the year and dealers were clear on how many C7s they could order based on previous year sales.
Is this correct? Can the allocation number vary from month to month or something?
Moderator
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 39,079
Likes: 17,935
From: DFW Area TX
My dealer has an allocation of three cars and so far he has received nine cars. He said past orders were booked by GM as the cars were sold however he was never allowed to have more than three cars that were not sold and delivered. Ordered my car yesterday and I'm at 1100 today, so will see what happens
Pro
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 647
Likes: 0
From: Minnetrista MN
My dealer has an allocation of three cars and so far he has received nine cars. He said past orders were booked by GM as the cars were sold however he was never allowed to have more than three cars that were not sold and delivered. Ordered my car yesterday and I'm at 1100 today, so will see what happens
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 136,140
Likes: 2,432
From: I live my life by 2 rules. 1) Never share everything you know. 2)
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '16-'17-'18
My dealer has an allocation of three cars and so far he has received nine cars. He said past orders were booked by GM as the cars were sold however he was never allowed to have more than three cars that were not sold and delivered. Ordered my car yesterday and I'm at 1100 today, so will see what happens
Moderator
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 39,079
Likes: 17,935
From: DFW Area TX
1100 just means the car has been ordered....preliminary order. Order has not been accepted for build. Could potentially stay in 1100 status forever.
I still don't understand how he was allocated for 3 cars and got 9.
I thought the allocation process was determined at the beginning of the year and dealers were clear on how many C7s they could order based on previous year sales.
Is this correct? Can the allocation number vary from month to month or something?
I still don't understand how he was allocated for 3 cars and got 9.
I thought the allocation process was determined at the beginning of the year and dealers were clear on how many C7s they could order based on previous year sales.
Is this correct? Can the allocation number vary from month to month or something?
Allocations are given out in a weekly process called consensus that starts on Thursday and finalizes on Tuesday. If there are items on constraint (limited availability - like Z51), they will be told how many of that are included as well. Once the dealer has an allocation, they assign an order to the allocation. Again, the order must match the allocation. For example, they cannot order a Z51 if they don't have an allocation for a Z51.
The more "allotments" (which were based on prior year sales) a dealer has, the more allocations they will get each consensus. Small dealers may only get an allocation once a month or less. Large dealers get 20 or more per week. Small and large meaning based on their Corvette sales - other vehicle sales are irrelevant.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 642
Likes: 41
From: Between Forest Lake and White Bear Lake in the Land of 10,000+ lakes
I mean, think about it....small dealership sells 2 Corvettes a year. 70 year old guy has been doing business with this dealership for 50 years. He wants a C7 and will do business with no one else. His order is simple enough, no constraints.
Simple question, will his order ever get fulfilled? What if he wanted a z51 which is constrained? Will that order ever get fulfilled?
Thanks
Simple question, will his order ever get fulfilled? What if he wanted a z51 which is constrained? Will that order ever get fulfilled?
Thanks
Base model, he will probably get an allocation towards the end of the 2014 run.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 54,204
Likes: 180
From: S.W. Ohio. . . . . . NRA Life Member
Order has not been accepted for build. Could potentially stay in 1100 status forever.
1100 says "we received the paperwork (electronic transmission) you just sent." and nothing more
If there's an allocation... it will be bumped up to 2000 within a week to 10 days... tops.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,386
Likes: 80
From: NC
Cruise-In IV Veteran
St. Jude Contributor
Also good to remember is that you are not buying/ordering a C7 from GM. You are buying/ordering a C7 from a dealer. If the dealer you visit does not have an allocation to sell then there is nothing to buy.
GM does not sell to consumers. They only sell to dealers.
GM does not sell to consumers. They only sell to dealers.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 222
Likes: 3
From: New Orleans Louisiana
Sorry to confuse everyone but I saw the cars and I'm very close to the dealer. We think some orders were accepted because they were verts and pre-sold. I was at a small dealer in Sugarland Texas last Friday and they had just recieved 11 cars and none were sold nor did they have an allocation. I was told that some dealers are diverting allocation and some dealers with no allocation are getting cars. Some dealers in the North were adversely affected by the weather and many cars ended up in the South. Exactly how all of that was managed in the allocation process is not clear but it did happen.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 11,825
Likes: 2,474
From: Ft Lauderdale
Tech Contributor
If dealers are moving cars around, I can assure you they are reporting them sold before letting them go, so it gets them more. If a dealer has cars and really shouldn't , call Cust relations and see if the warranty is already ticking. You can't unwind a warranty start date.....
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,591
Likes: 57
From: Charlotte North Carolina
I read on the corvettestingray forum that because of the unfairness of smaller dealerships not being able to fulfill orders vs. larger dealerships, GM is changing or has changed the allocation process. Is there any merit to this or is it just myth?