Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Allowing customers more than 10 choices of interior colors is "stupid?" How so?
because it was usually just some yahoo, Trying to figure out a combination for his best chance to make a one-off optioned car. There was a reason nobody else wanted it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by unit731
All true. But all could also be at least 3 colors and not affect the cost. Black, gray, and tan.
And what happened to vinyl seats? Porsche offers vinyl seats - but they call it bonded leather - a shaky term at best.
Quote:
Originally Posted by unit731
It's called bonded leather now. AND it is standard in some Porsche vehicles. So it ain't something cheap OR in the past.
I guess them Germans must all have shag carpets and listen to disco music today!
That's not what bonded leather is. Bonded leather IS leather. Its just bits and pieces that are sewn together. The nice seats get one solid piece, while the cheaper leather seats gets the extra scraps. It would be like carpeting a room out of nothing but remnants while the nicer rooms get one big piece of carpet.
Porsche now for first time ever offers two colored seats like txfriend posted. I have a brown interior in my turbo Cayenne, and the mechanic at the dealer had never seen that color interior. Nice to have something not ever person has... Just like my CLK63 silver with an ash interior. Everyone had black, nice to have a unique color combo.
It's called bonded leather now. AND it is standard in some Porsche vehicles. So it ain't something cheap OR in the past.
I guess them Germans must all have shag carpets and listen to disco music today!
"Bonded leather" is not vinyl. You're thinking of "MB Tex" or "SensaTec," which is a vinyl-based fake leather solution and is quite different than the vinyl of old.
because it was usually just some yahoo, Trying to figure out a combination for his best chance to make a one-off optioned car. There was a reason nobody else wanted it.
But in many instances, the interiors of today's cars aren't even available in well-liked colors such as blue or red.
If someone wanted to order a car his way, why not? As long as he pays for it. And back then, cars ordered back then in strange color combination were rare.
Costs. Production line efficiency. Quality control. Allows more efficient implementation of Just In Time inventory control.
Back then, it was possible to buy a car and special order items. With Cadillac, cars with special orders were put in a separate bay. Yes, it did affect costs. For example, the 1957-58 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham cost about $23,000 each to build and Cadillac sold them for $13,000. It was possible to do that because of the profit they made from the other Cadillac models. They also did it for the prestige and to give customers a choice. That is a key word: choice. 50+ years ago, there was a wide choice of options available.
Another example was the '69 Mustang Boss 429. The shock towers had to be moved outboard for the engine to fit. The asking price didn't even begin to cover what it cost Ford, but they built them anyway. Why? To give customers a choice and for status. They catered to the customer back then. It is probably hard for modern car buyers to understand but that is the way it was.
Back then, it was possible to buy a car and special order items. With Cadillac, cars with special orders were put in a separate bay. Yes, it did affect costs. For example, the 1957-58 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham cost about $23,000 each to build and Cadillac sold them for $13,000. It was possible to do that because of the profit they made from the other Cadillac models. They also did it for the prestige and to give customers a choice. That is a key word: choice. 50+ years ago, there was a wide choice of options available.
Another example was the '69 Mustang Boss 429. The shock towers had to be moved outboard for the engine to fit. The asking price didn't even begin to cover what it cost Ford, but they built them anyway. Why? To give customers a choice and for status. They catered to the customer back then. It is probably hard for modern car buyers to understand but that is the way it was.
No, you said it yourself, its cost. They big dogs don't need to compete any more like they used to. They don't need to lose money just to take business away from a competitor trying to outlast em. There is a lot more to the business, and they have accepted there is enough to go around. Now they just need to make a profit out of it. Losing money on ANY car is not a good long term plan.
That's not what bonded leather is. Bonded leather IS leather. Its just bits and pieces that are sewn together. The nice seats get one solid piece, while the cheaper leather seats gets the extra scraps. It would be like carpeting a room out of nothing but remnants while the nicer rooms get one big piece of carpet.
Note quite:
"Bonded leather, also called reconstituted leather or blended leather, is a term used for a manufactured upholstery material including animal hide. It is made as a layered structure of a fiber or paper backer, a pulp made from shredded leather, and a polyurethane coating which is embossed with a leather-like texture."
Vinyl may be an older generic term.
Bonded leather may also be a generic term with multiple meanings.
The last home recliner that I purchased was made out of Bonded Leather. The tag stated 17% leather.
The crushed up bits of leather are mixed into the liquid plastic/vinyl during manufacturing process of the "bonded leather". As far as I am concerned this recliner is vinyl. Even if they put 17% crushed leather bits into the fabric. But Bonded Leather from a marketing viewpoint sounds much better then the word "vinyl"
Bonded leather is not full piece "scraps" sewn together. If that was the case - it would be 100% leather which Bonded Leather is not.
Also. real leather seats may just have leather on the flat parts of the front parts of seats - and back and sides are vinyl. Also the arm wrest may be vinyl.
Another example was the '69 Mustang Boss 429. The shock towers had to be moved outboard for the engine to fit. The asking price didn't even begin to cover what it cost Ford, but they built them anyway. Why? To give customers a choice and for status. They catered to the customer back then. It is probably hard for modern car buyers to understand but that is the way it was.
Boss cars were built so they could race them......had nothing to do with catering to the customer!
But also consider when Henry Ford started making cars, they all came in one color!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
