[Andy M]

Actually I made a mistake, heard the wrong thing. They weren't able to slot me in for September production so it's still October. It's delivery week 44 for my MY2009 because the dealership couldn't get a Montego with Nav in the September production.

Anyway, about batch vs custom, this is just what I'm assuming based on my own experience as an engineer, primarily in structural steel fabrication, shop procedures, and industrial engineering techniques. Batching is pretty common in industrial processes because it really increases productivity, efficiency, and sometimes quality (you do something 100 times and you become an expert in it). I would assume that with a new MY, the plant would create batches for the first few production weeks just so they have a variety of cars out at the dealerships that people can actually see. They want to get out as fast as possible the new MY so that dealerships can fill up their parking lot with the new MY for people to test drive and sit in. I know BMW uses lean production quite frequently (the "custom" ordering technique) as well as just-in-time production (parts come in and are installed right away) but I also know they do batching for some items like steel frames. I wouldn't be surprised if they use batching and JIT just to try to get as many vehicle out there to dealerships.

I put my order in for my car in early September prior to the dealership being given the Canadian pricing. At this point, the SA tried to see if he could place an order in advanced for a Montego 2009 E90. He looked to see if a batch was being made and so he could modify this order with no luck since they were making the grey's and silvers. I suspect this batch is the batch that's being made for showrooms and dealership lots.

So it was at this point he could either find a batch of Montego's which were being made for dealerships or custom order it as people are saying.

Since Montego's not a common color that sells that well (my dealership's manager even admitted that most cars are ordered in TiAg and silver is the easiest color to sell), it would be unlikely that BMW would even batch for that color given that it's a risk they might not want to take.

So...this is what I think. BMW does batch but it might be just for the beginning of a MY and those are dealer allotments.

Anyone here with inside information from a dealership who can really clarify this at all?

[methodtim]

Wow, that's a great explanation. I'm just a computer dude and I have almost no knowledge or insight into how manufacturing lines work (or even the different factors that go into making them work). Thanks very much for taking time out to write that.

[STE92VE]

Originally Posted by methodtim

Really? Then why are there cars on dealer lots? Are you saying that the dealer pays BMWNA for a car when they order their allotment?

Exactly...

Originally Posted by Andy M

Actually I made a mistake, heard the wrong thing. They weren't able to slot me in for September production so it's still October. It's delivery week 44 for my MY2009 because the dealership couldn't get a Montego with Nav in the September production.

Anyway, about batch vs custom, this is just what I'm assuming based on my own experience as an engineer, primarily in structural steel fabrication, shop procedures, and industrial engineering techniques. Batching is pretty common in industrial processes because it really increases productivity, efficiency, and sometimes quality (you do something 100 times and you become an expert in it). I would assume that with a new MY, the plant would create batches for the first few production weeks just so they have a variety of cars out at the dealerships that people can actually see. They want to get out as fast as possible the new MY so that dealerships can fill up their parking lot with the new MY for people to test drive and sit in. I know BMW uses lean production quite frequently (the "custom" ordering technique) as well as just-in-time production (parts come in and are installed right away) but I also know they do batching for some items like steel frames. I wouldn't be surprised if they use batching and JIT just to try to get as many vehicle out there to dealerships.

I put my order in for my car in early September prior to the dealership being given the Canadian pricing. At this point, the SA tried to see if he could place an order in advanced for a Montego 2009 E90. He looked to see if a batch was being made and so he could modify this order with no luck since they were making the grey's and silvers. I suspect this batch is the batch that's being made for showrooms and dealership lots.

So it was at this point he could either find a batch of Montego's which were being made for dealerships or custom order it as people are saying.

Since Montego's not a common color that sells that well (my dealership's manager even admitted that most cars are ordered in TiAg and silver is the easiest color to sell), it would be unlikely that BMW would even batch for that color given that it's a risk they might not want to take.

So...this is what I think. BMW does batch but it might be just for the beginning of a MY and those are dealer allotments.

Anyone here with inside information from a dealership who can really clarify this at all?

When I did PCD last year, we toured the plant in SC. This is where I got the information that BMW builds cars on an order basis. If you have the opportunity to tour the plant, you will see cars of different colors coming out of the paint shop randomly. At the SC plant, where they build Z cars & X cars on the same assembly line, you would see all the different models go through the paint shop in no particular order.
Dealers also have the ability to modify their order before it enters production (you do too), so it's possible their initial allotment of cars were pre-sold and you have to wait for the vehicle that's tagged for you, to enter production.

The info that your dealer told you might be true, but I have become cynical to whatever a dealer says. I bet if you were paying MSRP for your car, you could have gotten it painted purple in the first batch (that's as long as it was a BMW color option! )

[Crisp]

Originally Posted by methodtim

Really? Then why are there cars on dealer lots? Are you saying that the dealer pays BMWNA for a car when they order their allotment?

One reason they have cars on the lot is because people back out of the deal since there is no penalty.

[Sal@AUTOcouture]

we got ours yesterday here in NJ

[97X]

Originally Posted by AutoCouture

we got ours yesterday here in NJ

Which dealership?

[JBiddy]

Originally Posted by AutoCouture

we got ours yesterday here in NJ

e90 or e92???

[ALPINE6SPD]

we got a 2009 328i vert about a week ago. We got a 328xi and a 328 2009 yesterday. I am in NJ

[canucklion]

up here, I've already seen a 2009 E90 on the road

[JBiddy]

Originally Posted by AutoCouture

we got ours yesterday here in NJ

so how come we cant get our 09's yet???

[Andy M]

Ok, actually...

MY2009's E90's are now in Calgary! I just dropped into my dealership today to sign some papers and was told that the new MY2009's were just in and are being prepped. I got a tour inside the facilities and in the back where they were working on the detailing. Got to sit in the new MY2009 sedan and wagon and even got to play with the new iDrive and the new features.

...and for the proof, attached are my iPhone photos from my iPhone of the new MY2009, the new iDrive, and of the new XDrive badge. Tried to get a shot of the eyebrows on the E90. They're not as opaque like the 5 series and are sort of translucent I guess. They look really nice.

I would suspect most dealerships got their new MY2009's last week but were just in the process of doing the detailing.

And FYI, there were about 3 sedans and 1 wagon. I wasn't sure if they had more but that's how many were parked inside. Most of them still weren't done the detailing process yet. I didn't get a shot of this one but in the garage, they had parked one 2009 sedan next to the 2008 so you can really compare the two side-by-side. The photos I have attached are from 3 vehicles - one sedan indoors, one sedan outside (detailing completed), and interior shots and the XDrive badge were from a black wagon (the TiAg sedan sitting outside did not have iDrive).

[methodtim]

^ Nice! Thanks for posting that. Is it just me or is the whole XDrive badge just so over the top? It reminds me of something Mountain Dew or ESPN would come up with, not BMW.

I can't wait until this whole Xfoo and iBlah phenomenon goes away.

[TTG]

ok, that x drive badge is really ugly.....

[digivue]

Originally Posted by TTG

ok, that x drive badge is really ugly.....

+1 , reminds me of the Ford ones...

[rmorin49]

So, are the 09 335s being released from the VPC? My car was offloaded last week and I heard a rumor that all of the turbo cars are being held up by EPA. Please tell me this is BS!!

[Andy M]

The X-Drive logo in the photo is actually taken from the side by the signal lights near the front wheel wells. I'm debadging that X-Drive logo on the side for sure. If they made it the size of the //M logo on the side of the //M vehicles, that'd be ok but we're talking about a pretty large logo.

The logo is from the X vehicles so it looks "rugged and sporty"...which works on an SUV I suppose but not a 3er.

No word on the 335's. That's what I have ordered anyway and I already know it's going to come in late in November. I'm in Canada so I won't have to deal with EPA anyway.

[STE92VE]

Originally Posted by TTG

ok, that x drive badge is really ugly.....

Originally Posted by Andy M

I'm debadging that X-Drive logo on the side for sure.

+100000000000000000...now we'll have something additionally to debadge. Lucky Europeans, they get to order theirs debadged from the factory.

Thanks for the photos, Andy

[digivue]

Originally Posted by rmorin49

So, are the 09 335s being released from the VPC? My car was offloaded last week and I heard a rumor that all of the turbo cars are being held up by EPA. Please tell me this is BS!!

I checked the EPA website and the 3er MY2009 numbers are already posted there, so I think the re-certification thing is not true.

[will@longbeachbmw]

We have a few LCI 2009's in stock right now! =)

[vrrooom]

Checked Long Beaches Inventory, they only have 2-328's and one 5 series 2009's. Still no turbo's?????

[3er858]

Originally Posted by will@longbeachbmw

We have a few LCI 2009's in stock right now! =)

Really! We're still on for Saturday right!

[will@longbeachbmw]

Originally Posted by 3er858

Really! We're still on for Saturday right!

As long as the car gets released - I haven't heard of any dealerships with 2009 turbo's yet