Bénéteau has announced the Figaro 3 . A two-speed fare. Indeed, the Figaro 3 has not one, but two prices: an introductory price for the first 50 copies and a rate for the rest of the production.
In their press release, the group explains: "The yard's latest commitment to La Classe Figaro Bénéteau was to offer an affordable price for this long-awaited new boat, in line with the expectations of the skippers. It's a promise kept!
The first fifty Bénéteau Figaro 3 boats, reserved for members of the Figaro class, will be marketed at a price of 155,000 euros excluding VAT. After that, the boat will be marketed at the price of 175,000 euros HT (excluding sails, electronics and safety equipment)"
The first 50 boats to be delivered at the start of 2019 are therefore reserved for Figaro Class members. It seems clever to favour the racers and offer them a preferential rate. But what about the organisations (associations, institutions, schools...) who equip themselves with this type of one-design to make them available to skippers who will be recruited later on?
Under the guise of favouring the skippers, Bénéteau is planting a thorn in the side of these organisations, a set-up that is nevertheless very often used in the Figaro Class. It's a shame to create a distortion with a 2-speed price. Even if Bénéteau defends itself against it in its press release "Then the boat will be marketed at the price of 175,000 euros excluding tax. This corresponds to the launch price of the FB2, taking into account inflation since 2003, the year of its birth."
