Land Rover buyers could be forced to wait up to TWO YEARS for a new car, according to new research into delivery times.
Range Rover Sport and Land Rover Discovery models are said to now have waiting lists of up to 24 months.
The delays are a YEAR longer than the next longest wait on the list, with Audi reporting delays on some models of up to 12 months.
The research was conducted by the car subscription company Wagonex by calling 21 car dealers and asking about delivery times on March 28 and 29.
Liz Moore, head of operations at Wagonex, told Car Dealer: “Our research covered 21 UK dealers who gave us the current timetables of drivers waiting for orders for vehicles direct from the factory.
“These insights revealed that drivers may not be able to get behind the wheel for months, and in some cases closer to years.
“Coupled with the fact that new car sales and leases almost quadrupled last month as 23 new number plates were launched, this will no doubt be frustrating for those drivers who face long delays before getting their new cars.”
Source: Wagonex, data collected by calling car dealers on March 28 and 29
- Land Rover: up to 24 months
- Audi: up to 12 months
- Maserati – up to 12 months
- Jaguar – up to 12 months
- Nissan: up to 10 months
- Porsche: up to 10 months
- Mercedes-Benz: up to 9 months
- DS: up to 9 months
- Polestar: up to 9 months
- Vauxhall: up to 9 months
Outside the top 10, some orders for new cars from Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai and Peugeot could take up to eight months to arrive.
Meanwhile, some Kia models can take seven months to arrive, while Renault, BMW, MG and Suzuki models will take between four and five months.
Citroën had the shortest delivery times on the list, with the dealership citing a 3.5-month wait for a new car to investigators.
Toby Kernon, managing director of Wagonex, added: “A two-year wait for your next car is virtually unheard of, so there’s no doubt thousands of drivers are frustrated.”
Car Dealer asked the company if it had checked waiting times quoted by car dealers with manufacturers’ head offices. I hadn’t done it.
The car dealer contacted Land Rover for comment, and while it did not deny the long delivery times cited by Wagonex, it said production was improving.
“We are grateful to our customers for their patience in waiting for the delivery of their new vehicles,” said a JLR spokesman.
“Chip supply constraints have gradually eased, we are seeing production increase every quarter, but we remain cautious and very focused on taking all possible steps to secure supply.
“Importantly, we have overcome this enormously complex operational challenge, and the data shows us that we are now rapidly returning to full efficiency.
“For example, the build rate of the Range Rover at the end of the quarter was double what it was at the beginning of this period.”
While long delivery times have been a factor that has plagued the industry since the pandemic, many manufacturers have reported easing supply constraints.
Motoring expert Jim Holder, editorial director of what car and Autocar, said flexible customers would be unlikely to wait two years.
He told the car dealer: “Land Rover has struggled more than most to balance supply with demand, mainly as a result of chip shortages.
“But I would be wary of projecting a long waiting list today too far into the future – chip supply is shrinking and Land Rover has made a big effort to build better links with chip makers.
“In turn, this should open up potential to run the longest or most difficult production lines if the waiting list is too long.
“Furthermore, in the current financial climate, demand is softening across the industry – we’ll have to see how this affects Land Rover’s more affluent buyers, but it points to another potential reason for softening waiting lists .
“As always, our best advice would be to talk to dealers and be flexible on spec choices – if you are, I highly doubt you’ll be waiting two years if you order today.
In an update this weeklisted carmaker Pendragon, which has, among others, Jaguar Land Rover franchises in its portfolio, said the supply of new cars is now better than it was.
CEO Bill Berman said: “We are seeing signs of improvement in new car production and supply and are focused on continuing to deliver to our customers and OEM partners in the coming months.”
The biggest issues now surround the delivery of new cars. Earlier this week, Car Dealer reported on news that many VW group cars were stuck in a port in Germany waiting to be shipped.
While in December, Stellantis distributors said some customers were being forced to take possession of the cars stuck in ports waiting for delivery.
