Americas Elliot Bay Thread

[PNW_IG]

Hey guys,

I thought it would be nice to have a single location for us Elliot Bay customers to compare notes etc.

I just got off the phone with my sales person and it is obvious that this is very new to him. He said my order was place on August 14th 2023 and I should expect my vehicle 8 to 10 months from that date. Basically he was talking like I wasn't a reservation holder. When I explained that my reservation was made in April of 2022 and the order was placed in June and I was given a Q4 build date, it was clear he did not understand the process. Nice guy, I am sure he doesn't read this forum every day like we do.

I am confident that things will work themselves out and if it turns out to be 8 to 10 months from August, not a huge deal. It will get here when it gets here. As long as Elliot Bay Ineos is at MSRP (I ordered with no dealer installed options.) and they don't creative with bogus fees, I am good.

Cheers.

 

[JATT]

For WA state, isn't the Doc fee cap is no more than $199 ?
Going for a test drive next Saturday. Let's see how the final product looks (FM).

 

[Sparo]

PNW_IG,

Elliot Bay seems to be getting up to speed and I am hopeful. Their two demo Grenadiers arrived last week, and I went down on Friday (10/13) for a test drive, which was great. I drove the MM Trial Master (matches my spec) with only 109 miles on the clock. It really drove nicely. However, "unwinding" the steering wheel after turning took a few minutes to adjust to...

EB said, MSRP and they will contact everyone when the first car arrives on their lot to let us know the flow of cars coming out of the Port of Tacoma. Your assessment is right, this is very new for them, because I asked, what is the tracking mechanism for cars coming into and out of port and he said, "the cars just show up". I'm not sure what information from Ineos NA is being shared with their dealers. However, he did have my VIN and ETA, which was great to know.

If you haven't, you should schedule a test drive.

 

[Bruce]

That's exactly my experience Sparo. My sales guy was not as up to speed as Sean, the manager I met with. I was initially told late Q1/Q2 and that quickly got updated to Q4 with a chance of Q1. Best news? No markups, no dealer fees, and no additional deposit. I posted it in the other thread but I was glad to hear that they actually are a part of a big dealer group, which makes me far more confident they won't just fold. Also they do have a lot of guys familiar with off roading and overland builds, which is great. They should understand the mindset behind mods, etc.

 

[PNW_IG]

PNW_IG,

Elliot Bay seems to be getting up to speed and I am hopeful. Their two demo Grenadiers arrived last week, and I went down on Friday (10/13) for a test drive, which was great. I drove the MM Trial Master (matches my spec) with only 109 miles on the clock. It really drove nicely. However, "unwinding" the steering wheel after turning took a few minutes to adjust to...

EB said, MSRP and they will contact everyone when the first car arrives on their lot to let us know the flow of cars coming out of the Port of Tacoma. Your assessment is right, this is very new for them, because I asked, what is the tracking mechanism for cars coming into and out of port and he said, "the cars just show up". I'm not sure what information from Ineos NA is being shared with their dealers. However, he did have my VIN and ETA, which was great to know.

If you haven't, you should schedule a test drive.

He was calling to schedule test drive. I am a couple hours away and in no hurry. Prototype drive was enough for me to be honest. I am Q4 build est. and he didn't provide a VIN, I am assuming it is too early for that, preorder 137XX. All will be fine, trying not to get excited just yet.

I have heard of the unwinding issue. My FJ40 did not return to center and I think we adjusted caster to fix it. It was a number of years ago so not sure, but it was related to alignment. Hopefully that is all it is.

Cheers.

 

[Sparo]

That's exactly my experience Sparo. My sales guy was not as up to speed as Sean, the manager I met with. I was initially told late Q1/Q2 and that quickly got updated to Q4 with a chance of Q1. Best news? No markups, no dealer fees, and no additional deposit. I posted it in the other thread but I was glad to hear that they actually are a part of a big dealer group, which makes me far more confident they won't just fold. Also they do have a lot of guys familiar with off roading and overland builds, which is great. They should understand the mindset behind mods, etc.

Hi Bruce,

Great to know your date got pulled into Q4'23. And thank you for the amplifying information re: no dealer fees and additional deposits. Also, agree Sean was excellent and super excited for the vehicle. He told me, he took the Grenadier home after the PDI was completed; the next morning it took him extra time to get into work, because he was getting stopped all the time.

My experience mirrors yours as well: I was told two weeks ago production date 10/23/2023, given a VIN and like you told Q1/Q2 2024 delivery. But then reading this forum and knowing my VIN was 6557, I thought that's odd, my Grenadier should be post-production.

Then, I think EB Ineos interface system updated (table) last week and after my test drive (10/13), my ETA was saying, 12/2023 and Vehicle Status "In Production". I was so happy. I really like this vehicle and like everyone here been waiting for years.

Lastly, during my test drive, I was amazed at how peaceful it was driving the Grenadier. It's super tight and I love the way the doors open and close. It's a very stout vehicle. And, the suspension is really smooth and comfortable. I am really happy with the Magic Mushroom color. I picked after the Dirt Fish off-road driving, which was amazing. It took me a week to get the smile off my face. My wife and I had so much fun at Dirt Fish.

We'll after our Grenadiers arrive we'll need to have a meet-up for the PNW folks.

Thank you again, Sparo

 

[Bruce]

I know the published curb weight for the petrol version is 5875, but if they're still allowing it we may be able to avoid RTA taxes. In the past, people had been weighing their trucks at a state sanctioned scale and having a DOL site modify the registration data to over 6000 lbs. I know with a full tank of gas and a little gear in it I should hit that easily. There is a long Tundra thread here but there's stuff on a Bronco forum with one guy saying it doesn't work any more. I think I will try to update if the weight is under 6000 lbs but won't tempt them to shoot me down by requesting a refund.

 

[Sparo]

He was calling to schedule test drive. I am a couple hours away and in no hurry. Prototype drive was enough for me to be honest. I am Q4 build est. and he didn't provide a VIN, I am assuming it is too early for that, preorder 137XX. All will be fine, trying not to get excited just yet.

I have heard of the unwinding issue. My FJ40 did not return to center and I think we adjusted caster to fix it. It was a number of years ago so not sure, but it was related to alignment. Hopefully that is all it is.

Cheers.

https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/ineos-auto-boss-lynn-calder-plans-ev-ice-future-startup

I was reading an interview with Lynn Calder (6 days ago), Ineos Automotive CEO, and she was saying the US production started in September 2023. First units are expected to arrive in the U.S. October, November... and expect to ship "2,000 and bit more...(?)" to the U.S. by the end of the year. She said, by the end of the year (2023) Ineos will have produced 15,000 Grenadiers. And with the second shift 30k units a year (global production).

It's a pretty good article... on Ineos Automotive plans.

Lastly, I looked at the VIN on the MM Trial Master at EB - it was 3349 and 2023 model.

Thank you again

 

[Bruce]

My experience mirrors yours as well: I was told two weeks ago production date 10/23/2023, given a VIN and like you told Q1/Q2 2024 delivery. But then reading this forum and knowing my VIN was 6557, I thought that's odd, my Grenadier should be post-production.

I'm over 100 lower than you on VIN and was given a July production date but still not showing a delivery estimate on the INEOS site. Should I be worried?

 

[PNW_IG]

I'm over 100 lower than you on VIN and was given a July production date but still not showing a delivery estimate on the INEOS site. Should I be worried?

The website is notorious for being wrong. I have read many examples of it on this site. Excited for you low number guys, hope it comes sooner than later.

 

[Sparo]

I'm over 100 lower than you on VIN and was given a July production date but still not showing a delivery estimate on the INEOS site. Should I be worried?

I would check back with Elliot Bay, Grenadier sales rep, because a week or two prior I was told something different based on the information they had at the time. However, when we actually looked at the Ineos dealer interface (on-site) together with the sales rep., I could see all my information.

It was just one line of data - order number (11530), vehicle description (5S-LWB SW passenger vehicle) - MY24, VIN (6557) - Retailer Name (Elliott Bay Ineos Grenadier) - ETA (12/2023).

With that said, I think there is some sort of batching happening with the production run, which would make a lot of sense to improve output.

I'm really not sure. I didn't have safari window, but that doesn't seem to be holding up some orders. My reservation date was Feb 4, 2022. However, I was super early on interest back in 2020/21, but I didn't put down money until I saw it during the "static display". As soon as pre-orders opened up, I ordered... so quickly that I probably spent too much (spec), but I always regret not getting what I wanted from the beginning.

Gosh, I hope yours comes in soon. I did see on the dealers interface some 10/2023 ETA's.

 

[Bruce]

I'll leave them be. I think they are reluctant to give too optimistic of a delivery date so they're being careful not to overpromise. They even said something similar a couple times. For me there's a downside to them saying "it's here" unexpectedly because I do need to decide whether to trade or sell my 4runner and may need a little time to do some work on it if I decide to part it out. I'm fine with December actually but am currently paralyzed by not wanting to strip the Toyota or detail it too soon.

 

[PNW_IG]

I would check back with Elliot Bay, Grenadier sales rep, because a week or two prior I was told something different based on the information they had at the time. However, when we actually looked at the Ineos dealer interface (on-site) together with the sales rep., I could see all my information.

It was just one line of data - order number (11530), vehicle description (5S-LWB SW passenger vehicle) - MY24, VIN (6557) - Retailer Name (Elliott Bay Ineos Grenadier) - ETA (12/2023).

With that said, I think there is some sort of batching happening with the production run, which would make a lot of sense to improve output.

I'm really not sure. I didn't have safari window, but that doesn't seem to be holding up some orders. My reservation date was Feb 4, 2022. However, I was super early on interest back in 2020/21, but I didn't put down money until I saw it during the "static display". As soon as pre-orders opened up, I ordered... so quickly that I probably spent too much (spec), but I always regret not getting what I wanted from the beginning.

Gosh, I hope yours comes in soon. I did see on the dealers interface some 10/2023 ETA's.

Thank you Sparo for this information. I emailed my sales guy last night and asked if he could look for my ETA. I just got a call from the Sales Manager and he said my gren should be here Q1 2024. Very happy that he took the time. Things are looking up!

Cheers.

 

[Bruce]

I’m a December build/Feb delivery…I called last week to setup a test drive and again this week and it felt like EB was pushing me off saying they ‘hadn’t setup how they were scheduling drives’. Is that everyone else’s experience or I’m I getting the run around? Not a great feeling!

They told me they were setting up drives for early arrivals first. I don't recall if they said it was VIN assigned orders or some other system.

 

[Sparo]

I’m a December build/Feb delivery…I called last week to setup a test drive and again this week and it felt like EB was pushing me off saying they ‘hadn’t setup how they were scheduling drives’. Is that everyone else’s experience or I’m I getting the run around? Not a great feeling!

Good Morning

Last week the two demos arrived. So when I called (10/11), EB told me they were scheduling 30 minute test drives, and I said, I could come in on Friday (10/13) at 10am. EB said, perfect. Everything went smoothly. They greeted us and offered water, coffee, etc. Super nice and friendly. We looking over the vehicle. I was excited to see the Grenadier again. The Sales Rep took a copy of my driver's license, insurance and had us sign a waiver by Ineos. And off we went...

Conclusion: Great "scheduling and test drive" experience for us! However, really new experience for EB. They are a luxury preowned automotive broker, and "now" an Ineos Grenadier new car dealership. The current revenue ($) stream must be based on their legacy business (priority). At this time, there are no sales for Grenadiers, yet. It's going to take time for them to adjust, and establish "standards" for customer engagement. Again, I am hopeful for Elliott Bay, and everyone was very positive. It was definitely worth the drive up from the Olympic Peninsula to Seattle with crazy traffic.

Lastly, the Manager told me they had a direct phone line (bat phone) for only Ineos Grenadier customers, which is great. And the Sales Rep had a very large stack of Grenadier Pre-Orders with contact information. In other words, a lot of work...

 

[ADVAW8S]

I don't see that it was mentioned but EBA is building a Ineos only store/service in South Lake Union near the MOHI. Tons of parking, grab lunch at Daniel's Broiler and watch seaplanes take off and land while you wait for service.

 

[Bruce]

I don't see that it was mentioned but EBA is building a Ineos only store/service in South Lake Union near the MOHI. Tons of parking, grab lunch at Daniel's Broiler and watch seaplanes take off and land while you wait for service.

I wonder if they changed plans at some point. The address listed by ineos in the beginning was near Tat's in pioneer square. This is better for me.

 

[ADVAW8S]

Yea the condition on deal was getting a property in Seattle. It sounds they they were down to wire by 2 days before everything went live. The property just be ame available and they jumped on it. I like SLU more than pioneer. I can get off highway and pull right into the parking spot.

 

[Bruce]

Had a call with a friend from Portland, who preordered after I told him to this past June. He seems to be getting a much better experience from the dealer down there. Already getting questionable vibes from EB…

If you go in and talk to them you will have a different impression. I was a little put off at first with having to initiate everything but once we established contact it has gotten much better. They called me for a test drive as fast as could be expected, and the staff I met there were knowledgeable and reassuring. Yes some dealers are going above and beyond with gifts and zoom calls but I have no concerns at this point about the Elliott Bay experience.

 

[JATT]

Did anyone get a good estimate on when are the 1st Orders landing ?
They have been saying Jan but other dealers are calling out in Nov/Dec window.