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Old Aug 3, 2004 | 11:34 PM
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Rob M
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Maryland
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Originally Posted by Dan Root
Year to date almost 14k,that's 40% more than 911s.
Dan,

The 13,926 are total U.S. sales since June 03 when Crossfire was first introduced 14 months ago. This results in an average of around 1K vehicles per month. It might be more than 911 sales, but it is far below the 2K/month DCX had planned for the Crossfire. Keep in mind that the total # of Crossfires produced so far is at least 35K (based on VIN#s of cars currently for sale.) If at least 3/4 of the total Crossfires produced are intended for the U.S. market, I would guess that there are about as many unsold Crossfires sitting on lots as there are parked in driveways and garages. If this is true, it would be reasonable to assume that the current inventories (of coupes, in particular) will last an entire year (two months inventory might be considered desirable). This leaves a few likely possibilities (IMHO):

1. DCX will stop producing Crossfires within the next year or two.
2. DCX will slow production to around 10K units per year. (Keep in mind that DCX only sold 6-8K SLKs a year in the U.S.)
3. DCX will further slash prices and offer additional incentives (like $5K rebates).
4. DCX will employ a widespread marketing campaign to sell more units (yeah, right!)
 
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