Cory,
Thank you for the wealth of information you provide us. Please keep us updated on what you hear as far as when the 2012s will begin production. Perhaps if you could let us know when you start seeing VINs assigned, that would be nice to know too. Especially if it is mine
To the best I can tell from what I've read here and from Craig on Facebook, MY2012 is to begin production on July 18, 2011. I hope Ford keeps to that date.
I've found this interesting site,
arifleet.com, that seems to suggest this date is accurate (though I don't know how accurate their info is). If you click around in their publications, there is a wealth of information. See
here and
here. They seem to be a company that does fleet orders, but their website has lots of info about delay, holds, and production dates. Also, reading through their site also makes me think the OP's dealer was just wrong in stating that there is a 6 month delay. I think that dealer was confused with F150s or Mustangs, which seem to be having an issue.
Finally, for all those interested, here is a great link to a post about how the ordering process works -
http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f61/ford-dealer-discusses-orders-allocation-19747/. I think this clarifies Cory's comment about commodities, which at times can become low or in short supply based on which orders request it, which is a different issue than a material hold for something that doesn't exist right now.