Nissan Will Attempt To Squelch Gouging on GT-R Supercar
December 19, 2007

By Bill Visnic

Now that the $70,000-or-so price of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.’s upcoming  '09 GT-R supercar is public knowledge, Edmunds' CarSpace.com message boards are abuzz with discussion -– and skepticism –- about what the real price will be once dealers and associated speculators stake out their pieces of the action.

The ’09 GT-R, tested last weekend by Edmunds' Inside Line, certainly is next year’s most highly anticipated U.S. vehicle launch. Just as probable is that it will be 2008’s poster child for opportunistic dealer markups when the car goes on sale in June, what with a comparatively affordable starting price of $69,850 –- and Nissan promising a demand-stoking worldwide annual production run of just 1,500 cars.

But Nissan North America has instituted measures it hopes will keep something of a lid on dealer gouging for the GT-R, says Katherine Zachary, senior manager-corporate communications.

First and foremost, Zachary says, Nissan is insisting that only high-level dealership personnel -– the dealer principal or general manager -– handle the sales transaction for every GT-R. It is hoped this strategy will curb ultra-predatory sales negotiations or agreements; Nissan says it will begin taking pre-orders for the GT-R on January 1.

Also, Nissan is requiring each dealership that wants to sell the GT-R to agree to a certification process that commits the dealer to high levels of customer service and to the above high-ranking personnel to handle the transaction. Nissan will being awarding GT-R certification in January or February.

“We’re working with the dealer body very closely to keep pricing in line,” says Zachary. “But legally, there’s nothing we can do to prevent [dealer markups].”

Zachary says Nissan also was deliberately “very public” in announcing the GT-R’s Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price and did so long before orders would begin, so there would be no confusion about the car’s true MSRP.

Finally, Nissan will route all consumer inquiries or complaints about the GT-R directly through its regional vice presidents rather than standard customer-service channels. Zachary says the company hopes this process will help to prevent egregious dealer actions.

It appears even the best corporate intentions may be derailed, however, by vociferous customer demand for the GT-R. Earlier this month, a used ’09 GT-R sold in Japan for a premium of about $20,000 over MSRP. It was an extremely rare instance of a used example being sold for more than the MSRP of the new model.

The patient (or the prudent) can take solace from the fact history has proven paying more than sticker price for just about any vehicle is far from sage investment. Be first for the sake of being first if you must, but the chance of being iPhoned is almost assured.

With a major assist from Jerry Garret, a longtime automotive journalist who draws on vast arcane vehicular knowledge, a list of some past and present models for which pre-launch hype generated either large dealer markups or overconfident speculation from buyers intent on immediately “flipping” for profit. Or both.

For nearly all of these vehicles, the notion of anyone paying over MSRP now seems laughable, but buyers once paid markups for:

• Chrysler PT Cruiser
• Hummer H2
• Ford Thunderbird (’02-’05)
• Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (“King of the Hill”)
• Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR
• Ford GT
• Mitsubishi Evo
• Mini Cooper
• Porsche Speedster
• Pontiac Solstice
• Almost any Honda of the early and mid 1980s

Photo of GT-R provided by Nissan; shot for Nissan by Jim Marshall, chief photographer at Woodstock and photographer of rock music's legends

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