90 day wait for first delivery

Although the Job1 date for the new Thunderbird is still 5/21, it appears that delivery may be held back for several months, a'la the Explorer. When I asked my dealer about the rumored delay, he preplied:

"Our field rep told me that Ford will hold the first units produced for 90 days prior to shipping. That won't necessarily push back your order. Production will continue while units are in storage. The idea behind the delay in shipping the first three months build is to identify any problems in the initial build that could potentially be recalled later. If something needs to be changed, Ford can do it at the plant and then ship. Ford is using this same approach with the new Explorer. Explorer production started in December, and the first units shipped February 15th. They are coming in at a normal rate now."

Dealers were crying about too many recalls. This looks like Ford's answer. Too bad for customers who paid an extra premium in hopes of early delivery. They'll get theirs at the same time as those with lower priority.