I definitely agree that Weber has done a horrible job of introducing and promoting this new product. I live in St. Louis and I can tell you personally that if you want to see a new Summit Charcoal grill in person, there are maybe only 4 or 5 places in the entire STL metro area that I know of where they are on display? Why is this? ...and in order to find these 4 or 5 retailers who have them on display, you really have to do some homework and make phone calls to seek them out. There shouldn't be this much work involved to see a new product.
I think they were overpriced from the beginning. Within 6-8 months after their introduction, we were already seeing brand new cart models pop up on Craigslist and eBay for $1499 and brand new stand alone units for $999. Why was this happening if the original MSRP was correct? IMO, the $1499/$999 price points are where the prices ought to be.
The last point I want to make is that I would love to see Weber make a standard kettle with the two level charcoal grate design that the Summit Charcoal grill has. A product like that would be unbelievably popular. (It will never be done). If somebody ever started the thread: "Products we wish Weber would make", this would be number one on my list.