15 May 2003 | Steven Garrity said...

This reminds me of the $0.99 vs. $1 issue. It's totally b.s., but we worry that it probably works.

16 May 2003 | Michael S. said...

Magazines do this too, sometimes two months ahead. At least cars have a longer development cycle.

16 May 2003 | Don Schenck said...

This trend has been increasing since 1983, when the 1984 Corvette debuted. Never was a 1983 Corvette!

We purchased our 2002 Rendezvous in May, 2001.

16 May 2003 | hurley#1 said...

Detroit's next marketing ploy: in May, 2004 you will be able to buy the 2004 model car at a discount, the 2005 model at full price, and the 2006 model at a premium for being the first in your neighborhood to have one. The very rich can buy the 2007 and 2008 models.

16 May 2003 | Stephen DesRoches said...

I thought this same thing back in February when I seen a commercial for a 2004 model.

16 May 2003 | Benjy said...

I think it has something to do with Japan being closer to the international date line.

I can actually see a benefit to debuting a car outside the busy fall release period because it'll get a lot of attention auto media and car buyers if it's the only "new kid in town" but didn't they used to label such models 2003 1/2?

16 May 2003 | Michael Spina said...

I think it has something to do with Japan being closer to the international date line.

LOL! That must be it.

Maybe cars should have version numbers like software. It isn't really fair to hold a manufacturer from shipping a car that's ready because it's "version number" (2004) doesn't correspond with the calendar year. If they want to get a head start on competition, why shouldn't they release mid (early)-year? And from their perspective, mismatching the year must be better than the confusing 2003 1/2.

16 May 2003 | Michael Spina said...

Actually, version numbers would be a mess. "I have a 3.2 A4 3.0"

16 May 2003 | Michael Spina said...

The other problem with 2003 1/2 is that most new and used-car Web sites don't take this into account. So if you searched for a car on AutoByTel you'd never know if it was the original 2003 or upgraded model, unless they included this in the notes. And most dealers selling used cars wouldn't think (or take the time) to enter this.

16 May 2003 | David Wertheimer said...

Automakers have done this for years--even the first Saturns were labeled nearly a year ahead of themselves. With a new model year starting October 1, it's in the automaker's interest to label midyear introductions forward rather than backward, which helps resale and, ultimately, initial sales.

16 May 2003 | JFR said...

Same thing happens in fashion.

"Preview Marc Jacob's fall 2008 collection this Friday at . . . "

16 May 2003 | Benjy said...

But how long before they start re-releasing old school cars, like the athletic shoe companies have been doing recently? Forget retro-inspired styling, they're going to bring back the actual retro cars!

Special Collectors Editions Available For Limited Time Only! Get your very own 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray. Only $65,000!

19 May 2003 | Steve said...

David stole my answer, almost verbatim. In June, it's already much closer to the start of the 2004 model year than the 2003. Simple rounding up gets you to 2004.

It's also a convenient way for manufacturers to mark eithe ra completely new car or a completely new version.

20 May 2003 | m said...

ford released the 1997 f-150 in february of 1995.

i don't know why i know this.

04 Nov 2003 | Osoyoos said...

28 Nov 2003 | Mike Oneil said...

When I bought my new car it was a really tough to decide where to get information and where to buy the car online. I wanted to buy it online, because I think car dealerships put too much pressure on buyers. I decided to try out a few different sites. First I tried buying a cars or SUV at Automotive.com because a friend has told me about them. I also compared them to Kelly Blue Book, CarsDirect, and some other sites. KBB had some great info, but so did Automotive.com and CarsDirect. Automotive.com had great car reviews and the free car prices were really helpful. CarsDirect was also helpful, but I found the site annoying to use. I ended up buying a new Lexus SUV from Automotive.com.

17 Jan 2004 | Grace said...

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