To my mind it is really up to the dealers (who are after all the ones who've taken the deposits) to keep the punters informed as to what is going on, but it is up to the factory to supply the dealers with the necessary information. As is often the way, not being kept up to date is more annoying than the delay itself. The factory must make it a priority to come up with a viable and realistic timetable, and to communicate what the reasons for the delays and what the likely solutions are.
When I worked in the sales office at Contessa Yachts I suffered under a sales manager who to help close the deal went in for quoting customers the delivery date he thought they wanted to hear rather than one which bore any relation to reality. I was then left to field calls from angry clients who had maybe booked their holidays to sail the much anticipated new boat which had no chance of being ready in time. When people who have ordered 3 wheelers expecting them to be delivered over the winter find that they still haven't arrived & so attend (for example) Le Mans classic in the family mondeo instead, they are going to be greatly vexed.
I understand all the difficulties faced by MMC in this matter, but keeping the customers happy has to be one of the top priorities of any business.
