Not sure where all these dealerships are getting this limited production idea. I haven't heard a definite number of exactly how many Ford is producing, but I would imagine they aren't going to limit it at all on pre-orders. If they got massive amounts of ST pre-orders by Mid-July I doubt they would cut them off.
I can't remember where I read about the limited production, but when we asked a Team Detroit rep at the commercial shoot, he said it wouldn't be more than 11-12k units. Not that this makes it official, but he seemed to be confident in the number, and he knew that he was talking to folks who would likely take such info out to the Web. I believe it was Cypress who was with me at the time, maybe he can corroborate this.
Now, that doesn't necessarily justify a sales price of MSRP or over. They still have to have enough demand to command those prices, and I think here in the early days, it simply isn't there. There has been a lot of hype for the car, but for a relatively small demographic.
I've thought for some time now that what Ford wants to do is use this model year (2013) to get the car out there in the hands of the enthusiasts, let a wider audience see it on the road and read the comparos, and then, assuming it delivers as expected, have a much larger production for the following model year. They have been so methodical (okay, maybe its just slow) in getting this to market, I have to think that they are trying to get it right, straight out of the gate, avoiding the MFT mess, and auto transmission standard Focus frustrations. Just my .02, and by no means an expert opinion.
