New Features for 2020 Models - Speculations?

[Five Cent Worth]

Isn't it all but confirmed that there is a 23 MXZ on the way for 2020?  This was mentioned numerous times during the Malibu Ride event here on Lake Norman a few weeks back.

[ahopkins22LSV]

8 hours ago, Chappy said:

@Ronnie I am sure this is what happened to some degree.  I worked with two dealers and neither of them informed of the slow roll out of additional features would be available for my boat.  The impression I got was that they were just adding the new features to the 25 LSV and not most of the other models too. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to order a new boat every couple of year so I probably didn't get preferential treatment.

Everyone can pile on but I am not going to get over the fact that I missed out on the new motor by 2 months when Malibu clearly knew this option would be coming and they should notify the people that place orders.  That alone makes my boat a 2018.5 IMO. 

I’m sorry but that’s like me complaining about my 2018 Silverado because they released a new one in 2019. It was announced it was going to be implemented through all models through year 2020, your dealer was well aware of this. I was told about it in June when we ordered ours, it was in the quarterly MBUU presentations and it was heavily discussed on here. And you know what? From an engineering side of things, that’s a good thing. You don’t want to flood your product line with a some new. A slow launch like that allows malibu to monitor their engines in the wild and ramp up production accordingly. And while they did that, they still equipped our boats with an upgraded engine from the raptor imo. It’s quieter, it seems to use less fuel, it’s just as easy to service - same basic drain procedure for winterization, same oil changes, and 8 less spark plugs and wires to replace, you don’t have to use full synthetic oil, for the 410 engines it can run on 87 octane. I give them kudos for that. It’s going to be beneficial for them and us in the future. If they would have launched it in all models then had an issue, everyone would be like omg Malibu launches it too fast without enough research and validation, etc...

[wakesonthesnake]

23 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

If they would have launched it in all models then had an issue, everyone would be like omg Malibu launches it too fast without enough research and validation, etc...

I am sure if it was 100% ready it would have been available.  I am always surprised by the amount of changes the boats go through on a yearly basis with not a ton of problems.  It is easy to say this or that option would be nice but to implement those options is a bunch of work.  If it is not quite ready why would they force it?  The talk on here a couple years ago was how some would not buy the first year of this motor because they were worried about issues.  If there was even a small glitch across the new motor line they would have been roasted here and every other forum.

[ahopkins22LSV]

31 minutes ago, wakesonthesnake said:

I am sure if it was 100% ready it would have been available.  I am always surprised by the amount of changes the boats go through on a yearly basis with not a ton of problems.  It is easy to say this or that option would be nice but to implement those options is a bunch of work.  If it is not quite ready why would they force it?  The talk on here a couple years ago was how some would not buy the first year of this motor because they were worried about issues.  If there was even a small glitch across the new motor line they would have been roasted here and every other forum.

The thing is, with any manufacturing, even if you are fully approved and passed all validation to your customer, internally, the government, whomever... there is always a production ramp up. When new cars get launched, they don’t just start manufacturing 20,000 a week on day one or even after a month. It’s normally a half of a year to a year long ramp up. And every manufacturer makes running changes throughout production. 

[Chappy]

1 hour ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

I’m sorry but that’s like me complaining about my 2018 Silverado because they released a new one in 2019. It was announced it was going to be implemented through all models through year 2020, your dealer was well aware of this. I was told about it in June when we ordered ours, it was in the quarterly MBUU presentations and it was heavily discussed on here. And you know what? From an engineering side of things, that’s a good thing. You don’t want to flood your product line with a some new. A slow launch like that allows malibu to monitor their engines in the wild and ramp up production accordingly. And while they did that, they still equipped our boats with an upgraded engine from the raptor imo. It’s quieter, it seems to use less fuel, it’s just as easy to service - same basic drain procedure for winterization, same oil changes, and 8 less spark plugs and wires to replace, you don’t have to use full synthetic oil, for the 410 engines it can run on 87 octane. I give them kudos for that. It’s going to be beneficial for them and us in the future. If they would have launched it in all models then had an issue, everyone would be like omg Malibu launches it too fast without enough research and validation, etc...

@ahopkinsVTX I have the utmost respect for your insight, knowledge and opinion on all things Bu. You are clearly way more tapped into the Malibu inner circle than I am and I agree with you 90% of the time but on this one we are going have to agree to disagree. Still love my 2018.5

Edited June 18, 2019 by Chappy

[Ronnie]

5 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

The thing is, with any manufacturing, even if you are fully approved and passed all validation to your customer, internally, the government, whomever... there is always a production ramp up. When new cars get launched, they don’t just start manufacturing 20,000 a week on day one or even after a month. It’s normally a half of a year to a year long ramp up. And every manufacturer makes running changes throughout production. 

Exactly. 

At GM we built 60 vehicles an hour vs. Malibu at <20 a day. Not near as many chances to build all options when you’re trying to stock dealers floor models with all models to get them out for all to see and buy. The big percentage of custom orders isn’t in the first month. 

[ahopkins22LSV]

4 minutes ago, Chappy said:

@ahopkinsVTX I have the utmost respect for your insight, knowledge and opinion on all things Bu. You are clearly way more tapped into the Malibu inner circle than I am and I agree with you 90% of the time but on this one we are going have to agree to disagree. Still love my 2018.5

No worries man, just trying to help everyone out and maybe try to explain the situation a bit better. Maybe your dealer should throw you a gift card or something for not telling you all the info

[greg2222]

I want to order swim platform with folding step for already ordered 2019 Mxz and I was informed this is exclusive for new 2019 25LSV , so when I see 2019 mxz with this platform at boat show 2 months later I got furious same as new Malibu engine . I don’t have idea why they change engine from raptor to PCM ( I was told this is the new for future Malibu Boats) and then 2 months later again to new Malibu engine. 

[85 Barefoot]

Dealers know whats coming.  Dealers know whats going to be rolled out and when.  And if they have a question, they can call their rep. 

 I ordered a 2013 VTX from dealer that magically enough, had "Surfgate" as an option.  It was ordered well before its spray date, the 3rd week of production in 2012.   The point is, if you want to be on the cutting edge of a new model year, your dealer can absolutely educate you on the new models, options, and colors.  

 

[gregtay]

46 minutes ago, greg2222 said:

I want to order swim platform with folding step for already ordered 2019 Mxz and I was informed this is exclusive for new 2019 25LSV , so when I see 2019 mxz with this platform at boat show 2 months later I got furious same as new Malibu engine . I don’t have idea why they change engine from raptor to PCM ( I was told this is the new for future Malibu Boats) and then 2 months later again to new Malibu engine. 

Platform is certainly for more than the 25 now but I think there is where it started first, so when you ordered that was likely a true statement (same with the M6 motor).  As I said above... after placing an order with your dealer it is good to keep going back to your dealer before your spray date to review what new options are available in the ordering tool (new options since you built your order.)  Malibu can reopen your build and allow your dealer to make changes. It is possible that if you had called your dealer and asked them to look they could have changed and added the swimstep, motor, etc.)  Has your boat already been built or just ordered?

There is a long history with the motor change. Basically Malibu didn't love the Raptor due to the torque curve not being ideal for boats/surfing (and they were loud), they wanted to go back to the PCM/GM motors but Nautique purchased PCM and wouldn't sell Malibu the new gen5 motors, Malibu.  Malibu had been working on their own motors but they weren't quite ready at the beginning of 2019 so they started with the older gen PCMs (they were already using them in Axis... so it wasn't like they were spinning up something new, they just dropped the Raptors and put the PCMs in everything.) In Jan they started a limited rollout of the new M5/M6 (GM Gen5) motors.  In 2020 we will see the new motors go across the axis/malibu lineup.

 

[gregtay]

58 minutes ago, 85 Barefoot said:

Dealers know whats coming.  Dealers know whats going to be rolled out and when.  And if they have a question, they can call their rep. 

 I ordered a 2013 VTX from dealer that magically enough, had "Surfgate" as an option.  It was ordered well before its spray date, the 3rd week of production in 2012.   The point is, if you want to be on the cutting edge of a new model year, your dealer can absolutely educate you on the new models, options, and colors.  

 

I agree but I'd say that at bigger dealer that sell more than one brand it is not universal that every salesperson is going to know every new option on each model and when it shows up in the tool.  I found sitting down and going through the ordering tool option by option is key.  There were some options in there that me and my salesperson couldn't even figure out based on the name/title (there is no description in the tool, just a name.)   What Malibu could use is a better online shipping tool (online builder on the website) that lists all the options and what they are (with a photo!)  That would go a LONG way in helping people understand what options they want when they walk into a dealer.  OR at least give the dealer access to a tool that has photos and a description of each option.

[JeffC]

11 hours ago, Chappy said:

@Ronnie I am sure this is what happened to some degree.  I worked with two dealers and neither of them informed of the slow roll out of additional features would be available for my boat.  The impression I got was that they were just adding the new features to the 25 LSV and not most of the other models too. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to order a new boat every couple of year so I probably didn't get preferential treatment.

Everyone can pile on but I am not going to get over the fact that I missed out on the new motor by 2 months when Malibu clearly knew this option would be coming and they should notify the people that place orders.  That alone makes my boat a 2018.5 IMO. 

I feel your pain... the pace of improvement in Malibu boats is mind bending... having said that, Ill offer a few thoughts:

• Having the Raptor motor COULD be an advantage to you.   The Indmar marinization of the raptor has been around for a while now, not just in Malibu boats.   For what its worth, my 410 has been rock solid in my 2017 22 VLX.  The new Chevy block with the Malibu Marinization may well be a market killer (I hope so since I own a small bit if MBUU), but it may also take a year or two to settle in - it may well have some early delivery issues.
• A good chunk of my career was in technology Product and Brand Management.   Figuring out the release strategy, and especially the COMMUNICATION of the release strategy was a significant and important part of what I had to do.   Sharing vision of where you were going was very useful in drawing in clients who were on the fence comparing competitive offerings.   But it was also a nasty double edged sword - new tech developments often had a difficult road to market.  Unexpected challenges often delayed delivery - and if they were things that we had already communicated to the market, it could have massive negative implications to the business.    Clients would delay purchases waiting for the new thing that was no longer on the schedule we anticipated, and consequently there business was exposed to competitive offerings.   Generally, we would not want to announce until we were pretty darn sure that we could make the plan.  The absolute WORST scenario was if we pushed something out to make a date, and then had problems with the product (dont ask me how I know this).   We would lose sales, and piss off our existing customers.  So as already noted, we often would start with a quiet limited, and controlled release where we could clearly set expectations, and provide a high touch experience for the early customers. 
• If you are happy with your 2018.5, then IMHO don't torture yourself with what you COULD have had.    I crawled around all the new boats at the boat show in Denver.   I was blown away... the evolution is awesome, but I also am not ever going to be a frequent purchaser.   I intend to keep the 22 VLX for a LONG time... I see no reason to eat the big early depreciation so someone else can have my beautiful, well cared for, meticulously maintained boat for a song  

[85 Barefoot]

1 hour ago, gregtay said:

I agree but I'd say that at bigger dealer that sell more than one brand it is not universal that every salesperson is going to know every new option on each model and when it shows up in the tool.  I found sitting down and going through the ordering tool option by option is key.  There were some options in there that me and my salesperson couldn't even figure out based on the name/title (there is no description in the tool, just a name.)   What Malibu could use is a better online shipping tool (online builder on the website) that lists all the options and what they are (with a photo!)  That would go a LONG way in helping people understand what options they want when they walk into a dealer.  OR at least give the dealer access to a tool that has photos and a description of each option.

 

[IXFE]

@weekender be like...

[TenTwentyOne]

1 hour ago, gregtay said:

I agree but I'd say that at bigger dealer that sell more than one brand it is not universal that every salesperson is going to know every new option on each model and when it shows up in the tool.  I found sitting down and going through the ordering tool option by option is key.  There were some options in there that me and my salesperson couldn't even figure out based on the name/title (there is no description in the tool, just a name.)   What Malibu could use is a better online shipping tool (online builder on the website) that lists all the options and what they are (with a photo!)  That would go a LONG way in helping people understand what options they want when they walk into a dealer.  OR at least give the dealer access to a tool that has photos and a description of each option.

Most of the time, this is just an indication of a lazy salesman. Every salesman should know every little detail about what they are selling. AFAIK, Malibu launches information webinars on new features and options before they become available (or at least this is what I was told). The problem is, a lot of dealers/salesman don’t take the time to watch/join in on the webinars.

This would make sense to me, as the competition does the same. I wouldn’t be one little bit surprised if Malibu has an informational presentation available on their dealer website that outlines 2020 changes, and instructions on discretion for the information given. They will basically tell you not to “yell it from the rooftops”, but use the information to properly guide a potential 2020 customer through the process, and be able to provide them with the details. Many of the sales reps probably haven’t bothered to watch it yet.....  They are probably not short. I recently sat through one that was almost 2 hours long (not Bu, so I can’t help this thread much)

These companies make a good effort to keep their sales reps educated...... but the sales reps often don’t go the extra mile to be educated on the changes.

[Five Cent Worth]

1 hour ago, IXFE said:

@weekender be like...

So true. #GetBackOnTopic

[NWBU]

I think enough of us still have screenshots of the MY2019 update list that some customer posted on TMC last summer to know there's a fairly comprehensive list of changes provided, along with approximate timing of when each will be released. Why sales reps won't know that at certain dealers, I can only guess.

[UWSkier]

34 minutes ago, NWBU said:

I think enough of us still have screenshots of the MY2019 update list that some customer posted on TMC last summer to know there's a fairly comprehensive list of changes provided, along with approximate timing of when each will be released. Why sales reps won't know that at certain dealers, I can only guess.

You screen shotted that?  Shame shame! 

Features for 2020... Let's see...  How about a surf rope cannon?  Most of my surfing falls are when I'm trying a spin or something and lose the wave.  I never fall off the board.  Fire that rope at me and let me recover without needing to slow the boat down and circle (the absolute worst part of surfing IMO (other than the ruined water)).

[Chappy]

10 hours ago, gregtay said:

As I said above... after placing an order with your dealer it is good to keep going back to your dealer before your spray date to review what new options are available in the ordering tool (new options since you built your order.)  

Should you really have to do this?  If new options become available before your spray date shouldn't Malibu and/or your dealer notify you?

[gregtay]

2 hours ago, Chappy said:

Should you really have to do this?  If new options become available before your spray date shouldn't Malibu and/or your dealer notify you?

Well I agree.. they should. But sadly that’s a risk I wasn’t willing to take. In my case it was busy boat show season and I know they were pretty swamped with orders, deliveries and test rides so i don’t really blame them for not calling me every time a new option/color showed up in the order form. I think it is going to come down to the dealer and your relationship with them. Some people might be offended if the dealer calls up after you placed and order for a boat and said “hey, there is a new motor avail for $7k, want me to add that to your order?”... some people might think it’s an upscale tactic vs. and honest question trying to make sure you get the best boat possible.

[Zac450720]

To get back on topic what do we know besides a new dash? And what does a new dash entail, new displays or just a new layout. I’d personally like to see more color options for the Malibu logo, possibly in floor cooler for 23 lsv.

[LucasC]

1 hour ago, Zac450720 said:

To get back on topic what do we know besides a new dash? And what does a new dash entail, new displays or just a new layout. I’d personally like to see more color options for the Malibu logo, possibly in floor cooler for 23 lsv.

Viper 3 faster procesor . 

Big HP engine , guessing M6 Supercharged ,  Updated M 

 

[jcon44]

On 6/18/2019 at 9:13 AM, Five Cent Worth said:

Isn't it all but confirmed that there is a 23 MXZ on the way for 2020?  This was mentioned numerous times during the Malibu Ride event here on Lake Norman a few weeks back.

I wish this read "23 MLX" instead!!!!!

[Zac450720]

Both dealers I’ve spoke to this week said there won’t be any changes this year to the 23lsv, I hope this isn’t true.

[AussieSkier]

4 hours ago, Zac450720 said:

Both dealers I’ve spoke to this week said there won’t be any changes this year to the 23lsv, I hope this isn’t true.

Find that hard to believe.....