We just got home from a Rhine River cruise, where one of the side trips was to the MB plant in Rastatt, Germany. The new GLA crossover was being built that day, the CLA other days plus the B-Class on a different line. We did note the busy prep area where, we're told, 200 cars a week are delivered to customers right there. I had visions of buying one in the US, then picking it up in Germany, blasting around the countryside for a couple of weeks, then having them ship the car to the dealer. Vetoed! My wife refused to navigate and she didn't want to mess with the nav system.

Question: Is there a program where a starry-eyed future TLX customer like myself could trek to the far away land called Ohio, watch the car being built, then blast around the hills and valleys of the nearby states on the way home? Or is that just a dream?

 

Just a dream. But a good idea!+++ I wish Honda would do this. As far as I can tell, they don't even offer factory tours anymore. Not sure why.

 

I mentioned in a couple other posts friends just got back from taking ED of a 435i M sport, specifically because Acura didn't have a sporty GT coupe to offer them. They were able to track the build online and then after the delivery they took some time to drive through Switzerland and Italy, spend a couple nights in each place, and hit both the Splugen and Stelvio passes on the trip. They had a great time and said it was an awesome experience. Oh and BTW my friends are taking redelivery at the BMW performance center in SC where they'll get track time in other BMWs.

If Acura wants to transform its image to be a more serious player in the real luxury segment they should consider similar things to add to the customer experience. My coworker who ordered a red SH-AWD TLX last month can't even get a production date, VIN, or any other updates on his car. That alone doesn't lend a sense of prestige or even a personalized experience.

 

It's probably because of liability insurance coverage to protect onlookers while in the production area (although it would be pretty intersting to see the cars assembled).

 

I always wanted to take Japanese delivery of a TSX, but of course that dream is dead now.

 

At the MB tour, we walked along a mezzanine that covered primarily the final-final assembly, from drive-train/body marry-up, to windshield install, instrument panel and seats. That's it. Similar situation at the F150 tour in Dearborn. They enforced the No Camera edict very closely.

 

I stopped by the plant last year and asked the guard for a tour. He told me that they stopped all tours after 9/11 and there was no plan on re-starting them.