I just bought the SEL Ioniq 5 new from dealer. The build date on the door said January. I thought these are hot sellers. Wonder why it took so long. May be it takes that long from Korea! Also I found it did not have a strong new car smell. The odometer was only 23 miles when I test drove it but the body was a little dirty. The dealer did some detailing after I bought it but I noticed after bringing it home that there are some smudges on the clear coat on the tail gate. I sent them pictures today and am going to take it to them tomorrow. Hopefully they can fix it. Also the navigation system had someone’s address from Texas in it. I guess someone could have put it in it. Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
The new car smell on most vehicles is the off gases from the materials that are used which are quted toxic. The Ioniq5 uses recycled materials, that do not have that problem.
Many manufactures have had issues with getting parts. It's very possible, that the car was missing a part and was setting at the manufacture waiting to receive it.
There was a RORO (ship used for vehicles) that lost power in the middle of the pacific in that time frame. It was towed back to Japan for repairs before coming to the west coast. And in that time frame there was also a backlog at the ports for unloading. Over 200 ships waiting in query of Long Beach alone. Shortage of truckers, and slow rail loading. So yes, it can take months to arrive at a dealer.
I totally feel you on the lack of a new car smell. I got a used car a few years ago, and it just didn't have that same fresh scent as a brand-new one. As for the wait time, it sounds like a combination of factors. Shipping delays can really throw a wrench in the timeline, especially with everything going on in the world right now.
Speaking of shipping, I recently found a car I've been eyeing for a while, but it's located in another state. I was pretty worried about how to get it here without racking up a crazy amount of mileage. Luckily, I found some great ways to transport a car to another state. That doesn't seem too expensive. It made the whole process a lot less stressful. Hope your dealer is able to fix the smudges on your tailgate and that you're able to enjoy your new ride soon!
