[CastorM]

can anybody believe this :

 

[JayEM]

I can. Also reported here yesterday:

Build Configurator for Solterra

The build configurator for the Solterra is up for one of the Subaru Hawaiʻian dealerships: https://kauai.servcosubaru.com/express/Subaru/Solterra The only bug I noticed was the Touring two-tone paint ends up double-charged on the invoice.

www.solterraforum.com

 

[JIm_in_PA]

Not surprising at all. EVs tend to have a higher starting price regardless and it looks even higher compared to the "base" models that are shown in the other models.

That said, being on the web site and getting into the build/price is a nice, positive milestone.

 

[Donger703]

Finally! The lack of a build option has been discouraging.

 

[voxel]

So it’s like the Toyota build configurator… you can build to your heart’s desire but you ain’t getting that config because Toyota doesn’t build to spec unlike Porsche, MINI, Ford. Instead dealers are allocated similar cars.

 

[md.]

So it’s like the Toyota build configurator… you can build to your heart’s desire but you ain’t getting that config because Toyota doesn’t build to spec unlike Porsche, MINI, Ford. Instead dealers are allocated similar cars.

I think that right now, you just can't place an order. I've never ordered a Subaru, but you can definitely go into a Subaru Retailer and order exactly what you want.

 

[voxel]

I think that right now, you just can't place an order. I've never ordered a Subaru, but you can definitely go into a Subaru Retailer and order exactly what you want.

Right. I’m expecting a prebuilt (via batches of the same config) to be assigned to me. Typical Toyota/Hyundai/Kia… not like BMW/MINI/Ford who build to your custom order.

With Toyota, if it’s not exact what you ordered (options might be missing) they will shrug and say too bad and sell it to somebody else if you don’t want it.

 

[R P]

can anybody believe this :

So what pricing were you expecting?

 

[FelineFreddie]

I’ve special-ordered multiple Subarus over the last decade.

You select a model, trim level, and color, and the optional packages/accessories selected .are either port installed or dealership installed.

At least, that’s how all the vehicles I ordered were made.

 

[Snow Drift]

Subaru does not build to order.

You place an order with your dealer. They send that off to where ever. IF your car exists currently, or at some point in the future, it can be allocated to your dealer. That's it. The factory does not have an order for Bob Smith, and then it gets tracked along the way.

Now, my Alfa Romeo Giulia? My name is literally on the Window Sticker.

 

[JayEM]

Subaru does not build to order.

You place an order with your dealer. They send that off to where ever. IF your car exists currently, or at some point in the future, it can be allocated to your dealer. That's it. The factory does not have an order for Bob Smith, and then it gets tracked along the way.

Now, my Alfa Romeo Giulia? My name is literally on the Window Sticker.

I'm pretty sure this is not correct. As I understand it from my dealer, Subaru's "build to order" works pretty much the same way as BMW's, for example. Sure, Bob Smith's name may not be on the Subaru sticker but "his name" wasn't on the sticker of the BMW I ordered 3.5 years ago, either. But just as with Subaru, the car had a specific build date and once built it had a VIN. It's a build slot that's assigned to the dealer, and the car in that slot is built the way it was ordered by the customer.

This year, with the production logistics issues, almost all cars sold by Subaru in the US have been built to customers' specifications.

 

[FelineFreddie]

I guess it all depends on how one defines “build to order” or “special order”.

If the buyer gets the exact vehicle he orders from the dealership, then in my opinion, it’s a “build to order” vehicle… regardless if his name is on the window sticker or not.

And I‘ve purchased 4 Subarus that fit that definition since 2013.

 

[md.]

Right. I’m expecting a prebuilt (via batches of the same config) to be assigned to me. Typical Toyota/Hyundai/Kia… not like BMW/MINI/Ford who build to your custom order.

With Toyota, if it’s not exact what you ordered (options might be missing) they will shrug and say too bad and sell it to somebody else if you don’t want it.

But didn't you get in late, after the reservations and orders? (I think I remember you from just about every other EV/PHEV forum and Facebook group.) If you got either the dealer's demo or something that they ordered after a cancellation, I could see that happening.

I had a Solterra reservation and turned it into an order to my exact specs. I'm familiar with the Toyota system and it's very different.

 

[voxel]

I'm pretty sure this is not correct. As I understand it from my dealer, Subaru's "build to order" works pretty much the same way as BMW's, for example. Sure, Bob Smith's name may not be on the Subaru sticker but "his name" wasn't on the sticker of the BMW I ordered 3.5 years ago, either. But just as with Subaru, the car had a specific build date and once built it had a VIN. It's a build slot that's assigned to the dealer, and the car in that slot is built the way it was ordered by the customer.

This year, with the production logistics issues, almost all cars sold by Subaru in the US have been built to customers' specifications.

Except this is a Toyota production and Toyota has their own wacky way of working. I wanted to order a RAV4 Prime but no such thing existed and even if you did... the matching system they use could assign you a different color or random options you don't want because they simply don't make enough of them. Port installed items... sure those can be customized.

 

[voxel]

But didn't you get in late, after the reservations and orders? (I think I remember you from just about every other EV/PHEV forum and Facebook group.) If you got either the dealer's demo or something that they ordered after a cancellation, I could see that happening.

I had a Solterra reservation and turned it into an order to my exact specs. I'm familiar with the Toyota system and it's very different.

I reserved early and I was the first at my dealership to submit a factory order

I expect my Solterra config to mostly match...but this is really a Toyota product. Thankfully there are only 3 trims with very few options except exterior and interior color (some combos are predetermined too).

I just got my Rivian R1S delivery estimate and it's basically Sept 2023 (2+ years after ordering) so the Solterra might be the EV stopgap since I want something that can handle Florida swamps and unpaved areas.

 

[Snow Drift]

I'm pretty sure this is not correct. As I understand it from my dealer, Subaru's "build to order" works pretty much the same way as BMW's, for example. Sure, Bob Smith's name may not be on the Subaru sticker but "his name" wasn't on the sticker of the BMW I ordered 3.5 years ago, either. But just as with Subaru, the car had a specific build date and once built it had a VIN. It's a build slot that's assigned to the dealer, and the car in that slot is built the way it was ordered by the customer.

This year, with the production logistics issues, almost all cars sold by Subaru in the US have been built to customers' specifications.

If you order a car, that is built to order, it goes to the factory and you have a car the entire time. It’s for Bob. No one else. Audi (IIRC) and some others let you view the car in the factory. My buddy bought an A4 and Audi gave him a tracking service to see where the RoRo ship was at all times.

If you go to Subaru and order a car…they first look at incoming inventory. If it’s available they just redirect it to your dealer.

I ordered a 2018 STI. Once my specs existed and were open to allocation, it went to my dealer.

Gunma never had my order. Only SOA (SDC in this case).

 

[JayEM]

If you order a car, that is built to order, it goes to the factory and you have a car the entire time. It’s for Bob. No one else. Audi (IIRC) and some others let you view the car in the factory. My buddy bought an A4 and Audi gave him a tracking service to see where the RoRo ship was at all times.

If you go to Subaru and order a car…they first look at incoming inventory. If it’s available they just redirect it to your dealer.

I ordered a 2018 STI. Once my specs existed and were open to allocation, it went to my dealer.

Gunma never had my order. Only SOA (SDC in this case).

If that's the case, how come my dealership knew at least 2 days in advance when their demo car was scheduled to be built? And likewise for all the cars they've ordered (not just those built in Lafayette).

 

[JIm_in_PA]

Subaru does not build to order.

You place an order with your dealer. They send that off to where ever. IF your car exists currently, or at some point in the future, it can be allocated to your dealer. That's it. The factory does not have an order for Bob Smith, and then it gets tracked along the way.

That is untrue. Subaru accepts customer factory orders. I've done that multiple times and that included communication directly from Subaru relative to the order status the last time around. A dealer does have the option of accelerating delivery if they happen to have an identical vehicle (trim, colors, option package) other than port installed accessories arriving sooner. I had that happen one time, too. But again, Subaru absolutely accepts customer factory orders built to the trim, color, options packages and port installed accessories that a customer wants to order. At the present time in some geographies, it's about the only way a customer can even get Subaru vehicles reliably...there is little "inventory" and pipeline vehicles are already spoken for in many cases.

That said, with Soltera and its production limitations as well as where it's originating from, a true customer order may or may not happen early in the production process.

 

[442]

I always order mine (over 10 purchased) so that I don’t have to worry about the engine having been damaged by someone “test driving” the vehicle near the redline. One of the first things many people do is get in and say, “Let’s see how much power this thing has!”

I have no issues waiting around 6 months for my car to come in, it’s the price you pay for getting what you want. It’s also a way to get accessories rolled into a loan (though they are also a bit more expensive than finding online deals later).

 

[Snow Drift]

If that's the case, how come my dealership knew at least 2 days in advance when their demo car was scheduled to be built? And likewise for all the cars they've ordered (not just those built in Lafayette).

Demo cars are not customer cars. That's like the Solterra's that were already built and need to be fixed. They are demos, not for sale until later.

They know what is going to be on the next boat and it is allocated to them.

That is untrue. Subaru accepts customer factory orders. I've done that multiple times and that included communication directly from Subaru relative to the order status the last time around. A dealer does have the option of accelerating delivery if they happen to have an identical vehicle (trim, colors, option package) other than port installed accessories arriving sooner. I had that happen one time, too. But again, Subaru absolutely accepts customer factory orders built to the trim, color, options packages and port installed accessories that a customer wants to order. At the present time in some geographies, it's about the only way a customer can even get Subaru vehicles reliably...there is little "inventory" and pipeline vehicles are already spoken for in many cases.

That said, with Soltera and its production limitations as well as where it's originating from, a true customer order may or may not happen early in the production process.

Your dealership takes your order and then send it off to be matched. It is not sent to the factory. SDC and SNE do not even talk to SOA, their orders go direct to Japan. SOA would never know what I ordered.