Famine or Feast - Auto Dealers Now Desperate For New Vehicles To Meet Growing Buyer Demand

Editor's Note: If after reading this article you think the buyer has leverage with the dealer when negotiating the purchase of a new car...think again.

Washington DC July 6, 2020; The AIADA newsletter reported that according to an Automotive News article the pickups that dealers have been clamoring for are at last arriving on their lots — at least in small numbers.

But the dealers' relief is now followed by a reality, how will such small shipments get them the inventory they need to meet growing buyer wants over the rest of the summer?

Nationwide plant shutdowns from mid-March to mid-May wiped out many dealers' inventories. Rebounding demand, combined with that loss of production, has reduced inventory levels to the lowest the industry has seen in nearly nine years, according to Cox Automotive.

Six weeks after most plants reopened, dealers remain desperate for top-selling vehicles, especially pickups. Automakers are trying to accelerate production and deliveries while also abiding by new health and safety protocols.

"The manufacturers are doing everything they can," said Casey Best, general manager at Capital Chevrolet in Wake Forest, N.C. "They want us to have the inventory as bad as we want it, because they're not making anything if they're not shipping inventory to us."

For more on how dealers are responding to inventory shortages, click here.