It made sense to create a new thread as the previously titled thread was not accurately described.

While the GM confirmed that special orders are currently on hold nationally, there's still a lack of clarity from Lexus regarding when they might resume, what other ordering options exist, and the overall impact on the ordering process. This lack of further information creates significant uncertainty for both dealerships and customers.

Here is the email communication from my contact.

Good Morning ****!

My apologies for the delay!

Special orders are still on hold at this time. Lexus has given us no indication as of yet when this will change. However, I have heard some rumblings that it may be 2023 before things truly stabilize.

Outside of COVID, there have been MANY different production/transportation/weather/etc curveballs that have been thrown, so automakers are still ‘scrambling.’

Again, if I had to guess, it’s probably going to be next year, but that is just a guess.

Thank you for staying in touch, ****!

Take care,

*****

******** 2nd Correspondence. ******** Again, this response is from my Lexus contact.

To add context, I will post the question that prompted this response.

My question:

*****, I just needed clarification on something. It sounds like Lexus might still be allowing adjustments to allocated vehicles in a dealer's pipeline where the specs haven't been frozen. Like changing exterior color or adding an option or something, but what would that be classified as, if not a special order? Thanks again, and just let me know when time permits. Thanks again.

P.S.I'm following up on my order. I've been reviewing the documents, and the change request includes an "ES hybrid" reference. I was looking at all the documents I received, and the change request that you sent me had an ES hybrid at the bottom. I wasn't sure if you had to give up an allocationof an ES hybrid to be able to get my Ult. Lux. Could you clarify what the "ES hybrid" reference signifies in this context and confirm whether any such adjustments to existing allocations were necessary? I want to ensure everything aligns with what we discussed.

There seems to be a lot of confusion and ambiguity surrounding Lexus's order process, particularly concerning the terms "special order" and "change request," especially given Lexus's stated policy on custom orders. I understand they don't officially do custom builds, leading many to believe "special order" might be a misnomer or that all such orders are effectively handled as change requests. I've even heard from others who contacted Lexus corporate that they were told Lexus, as a rule, does not accept custom orders. This also raises questions about how Lexus classifies adjustments to allocated vehicles before the specs are frozen, such as changing exterior color or adding options, further adding to the confusion surrounding their ordering terminology. Specifically, was my order considered a special order or just a change request? Any additional context you can offer would be great.

Thanks


****

*****


All very good questions.The verbiage is what gets confusing with these. A custom order makes someone think they can add something that does not normally come on a vehicle. For instance, you may think it would be possible to get rear DVDs added from the factory on an ES350. However, you cannot get this because it is not a ‘normal’ build. So it will be declined if you request it (which cannot be done through the portal, thus the reason Lexus says it does not accept custom orders).

A special order is a request for a vehicle that is not normally made in your area, but can be produced based on the build allowances. Your order was considered a ‘special order’ or ‘SPO’ due to this. It is possible to make the vehicle you received, they just didn’t have the intention of doing so until I submitted your request.

It is sometimes possible to complete a ‘BOS’ change on an incoming allocated vehicle. However, the window to do so is VERY small and I have not had any luck in getting anything to stick since COVID. You can sometimes change color, equipment, etc, but it’s been impossible recently so we have completely stopped pitching that idea.

*****