[Chip]

Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2013 2:08 PM
To: Stanford_NewCars; MAB
Subject:: Fw: Corvette Stingray Coupe Ship to Commerce **Follow Up**

As you know, GM works exceeding hard to insure all GM vehicles adhere to very high quality standards. Therefore, a number of Corvettes will undergo one last inspection at the Nashville Railhead to insure quality expectations are met. Feel free to share the below note with your dealers.
________________________________________ ________________________________________ _____________

As you are aware, we announced that we are shipping Corvette Stingray coupes to dealers. As part of the process, we have shipped a number of cars to the national rail head in Nashville, TN, for a final quality review of each car prior to being shipped to dealers. This final review is part of our standard procedures for a launch.

As we indicated in the press release, we have nearly a 1000 cars, and we are using facilities in Nashville to expedite the process. Once the review for each vehicle is completed the vehicle will be shipped directly from Nashville to the dealer. We do not have an estimate we can share on the amount of time a particular vehicle will spend in Nashville.

Please understand our number one priority is to deliver the greatest, highest quality Corvette Stingray -- to every dealer, to every customer, every time.

 

[YllwStgr]

Must be why mine went to Nashville first. Wow, this could take some time

 

[John V]

I was told mine went to Nashville also. My dealer is four hours from Bowlingreen in Florence, KY. It didn't make sense when I was told it went to Nashville first. now maybe I know why. Disappointing.

John V

 

[elegant]

Understand that this is very disappointing as you were both so close to delivery.

Your delivery will happen soon , and comparing whether you want your car reviewed/examined and "anything found wrong" fixed by Corvette experts who are extremely well qualified and experienced with the C7, or by dealership technicians who have never seen a C7 before, might help ease your unhappiness at this unexpected delay. Know that GM wants to invoice these cars by the end of this quarter (Sept. 30th), that they will do everything they can to get your car into your hands in the next ten days.

 

[elegant]

GM's Press Release Excerpt: 12 Noon (EDT) today (Thursday, September. 19th) to formally announce this historic occasion.

Units will NOT be shipped sequentially from Bowling Green to dealers. You will encounter questions from dealers and customers on the reason a unit that was ordered later arrived at a particular dealership before an earlier order. Please remind your dealers that units are shipped when vehicles are made available to logistics regardless of when the order was entered or produced. The timing of a particular unit reaching a dealership is based on many factors including but not limited to approval from the quality assessment process (which continues for all produced vehicles); the number of units being sent to a particular dealer or logistic demand area; the time a truck departs Bowling Green and the carrier's route.

 

[John V]

Got update this morning and was told still in Nashville for quality checks. This is very concerning. GM must know something is possibly wrong with some of these cars. I am very concerned and don't want a lemon.

John V

 

[jsvette]

Got update this morning and was told still in Nashville for quality checks. This is very concerning. GM must know something is possibly wrong with some of these cars. I am very concerned and don't want a lemon.

John V

I don't think you need to be overly concerned. This was a planned QC check. It takes up to two weeks for any issues arising from just-in-time manufacturing/delivery of parts for a component to be totally cleared. All cars that are Museum delivery go through a mandatory 10 day to two week hold for the same reason. Cars shipped directly to the dealer can be held at the dealer for a correction if a problem has been found in a component during that time frame. It is not a perfect system but one that typically results in you getting a well sorted out car.

 

[John V]

Thanks for your encouraging words. I am just concerned that quality is not built into their process control to the point that potential issues are caught during production. I do want a trouble free car.

John V

 

[mikagee]

I just thought my new baby was a country music fan!

 

[YllwStgr]

Because the C7s already went through QT and inspections at the Plant, I wouldn't think going through a second QT in Nashville would cause too many delays. My concern is "if" they find issues, do they send the vehicle back to the Plant or is it something my dealership would take care of when they receive the car. By the sound of what JSVette shared above, our dealership will be required to take care of the issue. I would think the QT in Nashville is a mere formality and won't take long considering QT at the Plant happened and they held these cars for weeks after production. I, too, would rather not have a lemon... as mine is already "yellow"

 

[John V]

My dealer received their first Stingray yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, it wasn't mine. It is a beautiful red one. The VIN is a much higher number than mine. Not sure why this one arrived before mine other than it was ordered 3 weeks before mine but produced later. They told me mine could arrive today or two weeks from today. They are getting same confusing info that we are all experiencing. No matter what, seeing this red beauty, makes want mine even more. They are fantastic looking cars.

John V

 

[YllwStgr]

John V - As you could see from Chip's post #1 hereto, and if I read it correctly, "some" of the C7s went to Nashville (including mine) for a final QT inspection while others were sent to the dealerships directly. I, too, am very disappointed about not receiving mine first, but there must be a reason. The good news is that not all 1000 cars shipped to Nashville, so may the QT inspection won't take so long? Also, they're lining them up for Museum Delivery; however, I heard this won't happen until September 30th or October 1st. Check this out!

NCM Delivery 1 Webcam

 

[001Camaross]

Spoke to someone from GM, my car is coming to the northeast with a build number under 100. My car was apparently released to the shipping co on 9/16 and they have a deadline to deliver it by (2 weeks). I still have no word on exactly where my car is, but was told it is definitely not at the nashville rail yard. I saw rumors that the first 600 cars went there, this is not the case. It sounds to me like JCT was told to deliver the cars in a certain way and figure out the logistics themselves. If some cars are indeed going to nashville I don't believe it would show GM released it or en-route in the update system that is apparently broken (mine showed en-route Monday 9/16). Good luck everyone, I am going crazy trying to get in touch with the transport co to find where my car is now! Anyone seen deliveries I haven't? I saw Les Stanford, Kerbeck, one in MI and one in VA.

 

[YllwStgr]

Spoke to someone from GM, my car is coming to the northeast with a build number under 100. My car was apparently released to the shipping co on 9/16 and they have a deadline to deliver it by (2 weeks). I still have no word on exactly where my car is, but was told it is definitely not at the nashville rail yard. I saw rumors that the first 600 cars went there, this is not the case. It sounds to me like JCT was told to deliver the cars in a certain way and figure out the logistics themselves. If some cars are indeed going to nashville I don't believe it would show GM released it or en-route in the update system that is apparently broken (mine showed en-route Monday 9/16). Good luck everyone, I am going crazy trying to get in touch with the transport co to find where my car is now! Anyone seen deliveries I haven't? I saw Les Stanford, Kerbeck, one in MI and one in VA.

Actually, I was emailed my Event History Order showing my vehicle left BG on 9/17 at 4:36 a.m. and arrived in Nashville on 9/17. It showed it was still in Nashville on 9/18 and 9/19. This was confirmed by my contact at GM/Plant. I have no idea how long they plan to keep it there. Sounds like your vehicle is heading directly to you.

 

[001Camaross]

well not directly, according to the dealer they released 2 of their cars, so depending on the route the transport takes it might be very indirect...I feel like I'm having a child and I just want it to get here. The Nashville hold is a real bummer, any word on why? It makes no sense to me to let them leave and then check them again. I would think when they give the car to JCT the liability is all on the transport co from that point on, so GM taking them back seems odd.

 

[YllwStgr]

well not directly, according to the dealer they released 2 of their cars, so depending on the route the transport takes it might be very indirect...I feel like I'm having a child and I just want it to get here. The Nashville hold is a real bummer, any word on why? It makes no sense to me to let them leave and then check them again. I would think when they give the car to JCT the liability is all on the transport co from that point on, so GM taking them back seems odd.

I have no idea... just so excited to see it left the building only to find it's stuck in another one!

 

[001Camaross]

I have heard rumors that GM is holding the cars to start the next quarter with additional profits. If this is true then is it an unbelievable shame placing corporate greed on loyal customers. I hope that it isn't true, but it would make a lot of sense and be a reason why even most delivered cars were not invoiced. I am a diehard GM guy and if this is true this one thing will make me seriousl reconsider them ever again. What a ridiculous thing to say the cars were shipped and announce it then have customers find out through the grapevine that most weren't even shipped they are sitting in a parking lot. I mean the dealers weren't even aware and I think they have been pathetic with their communication. I personally don't want to hear that they want to get everything right again, these have been inspected a million times by now, there's either a problem or we are victims of the corporate environment so let's hear what's up or release our cars. I think it's total bull.

 

[Chip]

I have heard rumors that GM is holding the cars to start the next quarter with additional profits...

You have to remember that GM has spent a huge fortune on retooling Bowling Green it will be a long time before they show any profit coming from that facility. We just need to hope that these "hold" cars have issues that are being addressed and will be forwarded to their new owners as soon as those problems are resolved.

 

[Georgio51]

I have heard rumors that GM is holding the cars to start the next quarter with additional profits. If this is true then is it an unbelievable shame placing corporate greed on loyal customers. I hope that it isn't true, but it would make a lot of sense and be a reason why even most delivered cars were not invoiced. I am a diehard GM guy and if this is true this one thing will make me seriousl reconsider them ever again. What a ridiculous thing to say the cars were shipped and announce it then have customers find out through the grapevine that most weren't even shipped they are sitting in a parking lot. I mean the dealers weren't even aware and I think they have been pathetic with their communication. I personally don't want to hear that they want to get everything right again, these have been inspected a million times by now, there's either a problem or we are victims of the corporate environment so let's hear what's up or release our cars. I think it's total bull.

Here, here. I too, am tired of the rhetoric. I sure hope that's purely rumor. All capital equipment manufacturers retool for new products and new markets. What's different about auto manufacturers? Drug companies (no bargain either), among many other, spend years covering R&D. After 30 years mired in the corporate politics cesspool, followed by 5 years in auto biz, I'm in no mood to hear of their corporate issues and then have pass along their issues to the customer. Historically, if the customer and quality came first, Detriot wouldn't have found itself playing catchup with the rest of the world. Pathetically enough, the US auto industry is not the only one to succumb to short-term thinking and short-term goal achievement. How foolhardy it would be to risk of customer dissatisfaction just to report the revenue and profit from the very first wave of deliveries of a five or six year program????

 

[jsvette]

Wow, might I suggest we focus on facts and relax a bit. Cars are starting to be delivered. The QC holds are very normal on new product runs for GM.