Bad news for LE500 dealers??
Moderator: Committee Members
- Keith Williams
- Posts: 6109
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 5:25 pm
- MGF Register Region: Midlands
- Model of Car: MGF VVC, Trophy 160
- Location: Coventry
Bad news for LE500 dealers??
As part of the CTM run we were hoping to have a TF500 join us from a local dealership to be displayed with the rest of our cars at Millennium Place.
Bad news though - It looks like the 2nd Midlands MG franchise is going to be closing very shortly if it has not already ‘unofficially’ closed by tonight
NAC are ‘pushing’ the dealerships into installing £60,000+ of new diagnostic equipment above and beyond the level they already have or they will loose the franchise. With so few LE500’s shared between what is in fact quite a large dealership network this is not going to be an economic proposal for many of the dealers even if the franchise is part of a larger garage group. The local dealer has sadly informed Longbridge that they should come and collect the remaining cars they have at the garage as even though the cars have had plenty of interest the economics of selling them are now not so interesting.
Overall only 150 of the 500 cars have been sold so far even though the rumours said it was a lot higher number!! It sounds also like the production of the 500 cars is still not complete either. May be there are too many dealers at present with too few cars (or range) and with a launch of a soft top car in the autumn/winter time with a credit crunch happening, it does not create a good business plan for anyone. With a ZT ‘replacement’ to come out next, the dealers have more than a fight on their hands I think just to survive.
I hope this does not become a trend with dealers closing down and is just a blip here in the Midlands but been so close to Longbridge with so many F/TF’s around, if you can’t sell the LE500 here, it may be the tip of the iceberg of things to come? Hopefully, once the better weather arrives the cars will start to flow out of the dealers instead of the dealers flowing out of the MG family.
Bad news though - It looks like the 2nd Midlands MG franchise is going to be closing very shortly if it has not already ‘unofficially’ closed by tonight
NAC are ‘pushing’ the dealerships into installing £60,000+ of new diagnostic equipment above and beyond the level they already have or they will loose the franchise. With so few LE500’s shared between what is in fact quite a large dealership network this is not going to be an economic proposal for many of the dealers even if the franchise is part of a larger garage group. The local dealer has sadly informed Longbridge that they should come and collect the remaining cars they have at the garage as even though the cars have had plenty of interest the economics of selling them are now not so interesting.
Overall only 150 of the 500 cars have been sold so far even though the rumours said it was a lot higher number!! It sounds also like the production of the 500 cars is still not complete either. May be there are too many dealers at present with too few cars (or range) and with a launch of a soft top car in the autumn/winter time with a credit crunch happening, it does not create a good business plan for anyone. With a ZT ‘replacement’ to come out next, the dealers have more than a fight on their hands I think just to survive.
I hope this does not become a trend with dealers closing down and is just a blip here in the Midlands but been so close to Longbridge with so many F/TF’s around, if you can’t sell the LE500 here, it may be the tip of the iceberg of things to come? Hopefully, once the better weather arrives the cars will start to flow out of the dealers instead of the dealers flowing out of the MG family.
1998 MGF VVC, 2001 Trophy 160 & 2013 MG6 GT TSE
- adrianclifford
- Posts: 8007
- Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:56 pm
- MGF Register Region: Essex
- Model of Car: MGTF 80LE
- Location: Leigh on Sea
Re: Bad news for LE500 dealers??
Worrying Keith, but I'm not surprised, I still have yet to see one on the road. There seem to be so many still for sale on the web and to see new cars, especially the "rare" white ones for sale on E Bay just doesn't seem right.
What chance is there of the standard TF135 seeing the light of day if they can't sell the well equipped LE ?
What chance is there of the standard TF135 seeing the light of day if they can't sell the well equipped LE ?
Bilstein shocks, Piper 4-2-1 manifold, Daytona, Vader cold-air induction, custom Z and F Stage 2 re-map, Electric boot release, braided hoses, Blue Magnecor leads, Technozen relays, Stage 1 head, BMW Angel Eyes headlights, "MG" puddle lights.
- colintf
- Committee Member & Regional Rep
- Posts: 12489
- Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:49 pm
- MGF Register Region: Devon & Cornwall
- Model of Car: MG PA TF160 ZTV8
- Location: Bristol / Cornwall (back home!)
- Contact:
Re: Bad news for LE500 dealers??
Strange - neither Tim or John Wilcox (of AE Wilcox) mentioned this when I was out there today - they seemed quite positive about things!
Colin Murrell
MGF Register International Liaison Rep
MGF Register Regional Rep for Devon & Cornwall and Cotswold Regions
MGCC Z and V8 Registers Reps for V8 ZT'/ZTTs
http://www.two-sixties.com/main.htm http://www.triple-mracing.com/
- stux99
- Posts: 2614
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 5:18 pm
- MGF Register Region: Somerset & Dorset
- Model of Car: TF/TF Steppy/MGGS/3
- Location: Somerset/Dorset border
Re: Bad news for LE500 dealers??
Chances of a steptronic must be almost Zero now then
- adrianclifford
- Posts: 8007
- Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:56 pm
- MGF Register Region: Essex
- Model of Car: MGTF 80LE
- Location: Leigh on Sea
Re: Bad news for LE500 dealers??
I asked that question at Longbridge when I was with MGE on the road test. There is no chance I'm afraid.
Bilstein shocks, Piper 4-2-1 manifold, Daytona, Vader cold-air induction, custom Z and F Stage 2 re-map, Electric boot release, braided hoses, Blue Magnecor leads, Technozen relays, Stage 1 head, BMW Angel Eyes headlights, "MG" puddle lights.
- colintf
- Committee Member & Regional Rep
- Posts: 12489
- Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:49 pm
- MGF Register Region: Devon & Cornwall
- Model of Car: MG PA TF160 ZTV8
- Location: Bristol / Cornwall (back home!)
- Contact:
Re: Bad news for LE500 dealers??
I'm not suprised at that Stu - sorry.adrianclifford wrote:I asked that question at Longbridge when I was with MGE on the road test. There is no chance I'm afraid.
Your best bet is a late TF Stepspeed if you want to change
Colin Murrell
MGF Register International Liaison Rep
MGF Register Regional Rep for Devon & Cornwall and Cotswold Regions
MGCC Z and V8 Registers Reps for V8 ZT'/ZTTs
http://www.two-sixties.com/main.htm http://www.triple-mracing.com/
- stux99
- Posts: 2614
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 5:18 pm
- MGF Register Region: Somerset & Dorset
- Model of Car: TF/TF Steppy/MGGS/3
- Location: Somerset/Dorset border
Re: Bad news for LE500 dealers??
Truth be known, I already knew that
It was the colour more than anything that got our interest
The only path for us would be to get the LE500 any change the ZT for an auto
Its a long year ahead, we will just have to wait and see
It was the colour more than anything that got our interest
The only path for us would be to get the LE500 any change the ZT for an auto
Its a long year ahead, we will just have to wait and see