“Avoid choosing 19-inch wheels when ordering Tesla Model Y.”
Recently, such articles have been spreading in Internet cafes where people who want to purchase electric cars Tesla. In other words, since there is a lack of stock for 19-inch wheels of Model Y, which is scheduled to enter South Korea in the second half of this year (July-December), if selected, the waiting order will be delayed and the vehicle may not be delivered until next year.
Other Internet cafes shared “honey tips” such as “target a ‘black diesel car’ that has a lot of stock when ordering BMW” and “avoid ordering a red Tesla Model 3 unless you are a ‘brave’ (brave person) who will wait more than a year.”
As the waiting period for new cars exceeds a year due to the supply chain crisis, “reducing the waiting time for shipment” is emerging as a standard for car selection. This is a new custom that has changed from the past when quality comparisons such as car design, performance, and price were prioritized.
○ ‘New Car Transfer People’ Appear
There was also a “new car transfer” that ordered several cars and then took the one that came out first, and later resold it as a used car.
A 30-year-old office worker in Seoul also ordered a Sorento hybrid a few days after ordering Kia K5 last year. The shipping period for K5 was three to five months, more than six months earlier than Sorento Hybrid (more than one year). A’s plan is to take the K5 first, sell it to a used car, and change to the Sorento that comes out later. “I bought the K5 for about 33 million won, but the market price of used cars is now around 32 million won,” A said. “Popular models sometimes have a price reversal (used cars), so people who want to ride new cars quickly will have no choice.”
According to used car platform Enka Dotcom on the 23rd, prices of used cars such as Tucson, Carnival, and Sorento in 2021 as of March have been higher than the launch. An official from Enka Dotcom said, “New used cars with one or two years of age are temporarily reversing prices.”
○ ‘multiple contracts’ and ‘option discrimination’ are also generalized
There have also been consumers who want to make full use of discount promotions offered by companies due to delays in shipments. Since June last year, Hyundai Motor has been offering discounts of at least 300,000 won to 1 million won to those who want to switch to other models such as Sonata among waiting customers (more than three months) of the Ioniq 5 electric vehicle. For this reason, even if they do not intend to buy the Ioniq 5, they will hang up the atmosphere and watch it.
Multiple contracts have also become commonplace. After ordering several units at the same time, they will take the car that arrives the fastest. Most imported cars do not charge extra for termination of intermediate contracts.
There are also many consumers who are engaged in so-called “option discrimination.” Mercedes-Benz is discounting memory seat options from GLE and BMW is discounting customers instead of excluding ‘touch play’ options from 5 series. An official from the import car industry said, “More and more consumers want to check the Internet in advance for option items that are excluded on a monthly or weekly basis and receive discounts on the release period or price.”
Lee Ho-geun, an automobile professor at Daedeok University, said, “If you look at the external environment, the delay in shipping is likely to continue for another two to three years. This situation is creating a new consumer culture,” he said.