Obviously everyone's using the Covid business as an excuse for just about everything at the moment, some of which may be true but, as per Chippy's point, it only takes a few minutes to reply to customer emails, send updates etc - what else were they doing while everything was shut down? I think it's these little things that make any interactions a much better experience... just be honest about timeframes as a start, then keep your customers updated. Even a weekly or monthly newsletter throughout this period with news from HQ, problems with suppliers, shipping etc would make you feel like they cared a little.
Not that the monetary value of a sale should really matter when it comes to customer service, when I'm spending north of £60k on a vehicle, realistic or not, my expectations of the experience go up. I'm sure the dealers are telling the truth when they say they don't know what's going on but that isn't really good enough - I suspect franchised dealers feel like they can't put pressure on VW UK (and ultimately VW HQ) in case they lose some level of standing in the network but to me that isn't treating your customers fairly. I mentioned in an earlier post that this vehicle will be my personal recreational toy but if my business was reliant on delivery of a vehicle that I was told would take 12-14 weeks, then I get nothing more when that deadline arrives and is substantially overshot, I'd be furious. This is the kind of thing that leaves a sour taste, mostly aimed at the brand but it also forces you to question the ability and integrity of the dealer you bought from... in these competitive times, dealers should be breaking their backs for customers and an update email or courtesy call can be all it takes to make a difference.