North Poll aka Canada ;): Clarity delivery ETA wait times
- Thread starter Hobbesgsr
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lorem101
Member
I don't think dealer's know an exact ETA. I ordered mine last Monday and only got a vague 3 month ETA with option to cancel my order after 3 months if it doesn't arrive. The salesperson was very confident that it wouldn't take longer than 3 months for a touring model, but I'm not sure. Just sounds like a guess 
PHEV Newbie
Well-Known Member
I think most are shipped to the US where they're just gathering dust on dealer lots. I just did a Truecar search for CA. They say that the market price for a Clarity Touring is $4000 below MSRP. They are just not selling in the US. Everyone seems to prefer gas guzzling SUVs.
iluvscuba
Active Member
They can't really send Canadian Clarity to the US as there are quite a few difference between the 2 country's model.
I think they are not selling has several reasons. Dealer are not pushing it because they will think they will lose money due to less maintenance. Also the education level of the average consumer regarding EV/PHEV. Most people has not and probably will not ever hear about this car. With the federal tax credit and state rebate, I am sure if you tell a potential buyer that are looking into getting the Accord/Camry (A/C) that the Clarity is about the same price (after rebate/credit) AND they can save hundred's if not over a thousand $$ each year by getting the Clarity instead of the A/C. I am sure the sale of this car will tick up
I don't think dealer's know an exact ETA. I ordered mine last Monday and only got a vague 3 month ETA with option to cancel my order after 3 months if it doesn't arrive. The salesperson was very confident that it wouldn't take longer than 3 months for a touring model, but I'm not sure. Just sounds like a guess
Honda isn't telling anyone anything likely for fear of killing their market share....no one really wants to wait 3 months for a car.
The ones that were ordered in January took 6 weeks to arrive.
They told me a couple of times it was not a bill of sale. I do not know the implications of that with the rebate or anything.
I had them put on the deposit that the car will qualify for the $13K government rebate (the $13K part was important) and will be in before Sept.
It is anon-touring model.
If I don't have something by June I am going to buy something else from the used car market.
I think I will get notified when they start building it. I guess that takes a week? Then 3 weeks to ship? Does anyone know how the time frames and notifications go?
Considering the US pricing for that car is about $3K higher than it is in Canada it is not surprising.
I ordered mine January 2nd and received it Feb 12.
A friend of mine ordered a Clarity 2 weeks ago and was told to wait 6 months...
I think with a bit of effort, Honda could be selling thousands of Clarities in Ontario - at least while there is a rebate.
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A friend of mine ordered a Clarity 2 weeks ago and was told to wait 6 months...
I think with a bit of effort, Honda could be selling thousands of Clarities in Ontario - at least while there is a rebate.
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They told you it was not a bill of sale because if it was they would be legally obligated to provide you the vehicle... even if Honda Canada never sends them one. Basic contract law 101, don’t commit to anything until after you are 100% sure you can follow through on your end.
Regarding making the dealer put on the order the car will qualify for the $13k was pointless. A) the dealership doesn’t decide who gets the rebates, the government does; the dealership is not acting as the governments agent for determining rebates. B) the dealership cannot be held to a delivery date when they are not a party in that delivery. Honda Canada is. Again, your dealership is a separate legal entity (not even a franchise) and is not acting as an agent for Honda Canada.
I know it sounds like it doesn’t matter but really you wanted to put your mind at ease and hopefully motivate them to get your car quickly.
However, you could have done the same and actually kept it legal by saying if the vehicle doesn’t deliver by X, the dealership agrees to a further discount of Y. Or if the vehicle doesn’t deliver by X, and as a result the rebate is less than Y, the dealership agrees to discount the purchase by the reduction to the rebate. If the dealership is unethical enough to write worthless words, maybe they are stupid enough to write similar words that could actually hold up.
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My dealership estimates a 2-3 month timeframe but because Honda isn’t used to selling via build order, their process isn’t easy to estimate delivery dates.
I previously did a build order with VW. The dealership could see the estimated week my order would filled so you had a good idea when ordering. Update when my spot in the build line was next (week) to be built, when my vehicle started the build, when it was done, when it got put on the train, etc. About the only detail lacking was a GPS map or live webcam to follow along.
I was shocked to learn with Honda Canada, when a build order for a Clarity goes in they are given no details of ETA. Next update is when they arrive in North America (Clarity built in Japan). Then they can follow and estimate once it is loaded on the train.
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I previously did a build order with VW. The dealership could see the estimated week my order would filled so you had a good idea when ordering. Update when my spot in the build line was next (week) to be built, when my vehicle started the build, when it was done, when it got put on the train, etc. About the only detail lacking was a GPS map or live webcam to follow along.
I was shocked to learn with Honda Canada, when a build order for a Clarity goes in they are given no details of ETA. Next update is when they arrive in North America (Clarity built in Japan). Then they can follow and estimate once it is loaded on the train.
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Hardly
If I don't get the 13K I don't buy the car, doesn't matter who is responsible.
So if next week the government states the rebate is now 4K instead of 13K I am not committed to buying the car.
If the car isn't delivered within the timeframe of the rebate I am not committed to buying the car.
What am I on the hook for if I decide to just not buy it?
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Honda absolutely does have an idea how long something takes, they are not that incompetent. Unless of course they were not ready for building this model.
The worst that can happen is the line has an issue or they find they screwed something up with the car.
Honda culture isn't the same as our culture especially when it comes to divulging information.....
I was told I would get told when the car was cued up for build.
So the best we get is a date when it is on the ship?
Right now you are on the hook for nothing. No VIN = no vehicle provided yet. Without a VIN associated with your order, you are free to cancel anytime.
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3 Honda dealerships all said the same and I have no reason to doubt them. They knew timeline was irrelevant to me. I am currently driving a VW TDI that can go back anytime between now and December 31 as part of the class action settlement.
So there is no reason why 3 independent dealerships would all say virtually identical stories of their build notifications (or lack of) when that story wasn’t needed to try and sway me to buy.
... I guess the only reason for the story might be they all see the vehicle won’t arrive before December 31 but I find that unlikely.
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So I am entitled to get my entire deposit back if I cancel at anytime?
Less their bona fide out of pocket costs. And I don’t mean ‘admin fees’ type of fake costs. But legit provable costs.... like a couple pieces of paper. May have to argue a bit at first because they will want to pad their claim with fake costs but in the end organizations like OMVIC in Ontario will hold them to the law. In Ontario, if 90 days passes before delivery you can cancel without any costs.
If you are the kind of person who wants a backfire just in case on a build order, you should take a page from realtors ... “Sale conditional on customer’s satisfaction after test driving the vehicle”
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Thanks guy!
I vaguely recall the salesman insisting I have a test drive to close the deal once it comes in and he wanted me to take a test drive before that too.
First I heard of the 90 day thing but glad I know about it now. I am feeling better about this already.
Roman Design
New Member
We placed an order on March 21st, base trim, grey metallic. Dealer said they have 2 on back order and has no idea on ETA. Last week he said he spoke to Honda and "they are trying to finalize allocation by mid April so I should know by then". So waiting for the news but I don't expect it to be delivered fast...