While crossovers, SUVs and pickup trucks continue to move like a firesale, sedans and sports cars are feeling the cold shoulder in today’s auto market. Specifically, six out of ten vehicles with the highest days’ supply inventory were General Motors vehicles.
And, not shockingly, they’re cars, not crossovers. A chart from the Associated Press, reported by Corvette Blogger, shows America’s sportscar at number four on the list with a 267 days’ supply of Corvettes across the United States. Days’ supply is calculated by the number of days inventory would meet consumer demand at the current sales rate.
As for the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro, it’s right behind the Corvette, with a 237 day supply at hand across the country.
Worse news surrounds Buick. The all-new recently introduced 2017 Buick LaCrosse tops the list with a whopping 330 day supply of sedans. A shame, because the LaCrosse is quite a nice package, as we found out last year during our first drive with it.
Rounding out the list are the Buick Cascada convertible (298 day supply), Buick Verano compact sedan (234 day supply) and the Buick Regal (222 day supply). Previous reports peg GM to have a 105-day supply of vehicles on average; a 60-day supply is deemed healthy in the industry.
Granted, cold weather and inclement weather don’t help move vehicles, after the Northeast was pounded with a winter storm, but the numbers are still shocking. As the North and Midwest states begin to thaw out into spring, sales may begin to rebound.
In the meantime, it could be an excellent opportunity to score some discounts on the Camaro, Corvette and various Buick passenger cars.
Comments
This isn’t anything new. The Corvette and Camaro are RWD sports cars/pony cars respectively. It is winter. Do the math. As for Buick…well, nothing they are putting out really appeals to the masses IMHO. Once spring officially breaks, Corvette and Camaro sales will increase.
I have never seen any ads for any of those three GM vehicles. GM puts out many ads for the Silverado (their best selling vehicle), but only a few group ads (the “Real People” ads) for the others, which NEVER have a Volt in them. Yet I see many ads for the small imports, whcih are as common and cheap as toilet paper.
I think the new Regal coming out this year will help. Regal is an old vehicle compared to the rest of the market, and the changes for this new model will really set it apart. I’m most excited for the five door hatchback/sportback design. I think it will be a great competitor to the new A5 Sportback, with Buick being a more attainable option. This, in addition to the wagon, will help them go after those white spaces they have been picking away at in recent years.
Buick is dead and a waste of resources in North America. It should have been slashed with Pontiac.
GM ads stink –how about bringing out aspects of the model — Buick — J.D.Power – ratings–power/great mileage, braking .interior comfort, styling, fun to drive –get the idea .. all they mention is birds flying into open windows or saying that”s not a Buick . Don’ t they see how the foreign company’s talk about their products . and maybe the AMERICAN people think all Buicks are not American made and will not buy foreign CRAP
FAKE NEWS, if there is an inventory glut on the C7 Corvette then the factory is building too many of them as Chevrolet sold 2,081 Corvettes in FEB 2017 up from 1,263 of JAN and might be the reason for the excess inventory.
More fake news as the Buick Verano is a discontinued model while everyone needs to know that the Cascada will never be a big seller especially as it’s under-powered and overpriced; further, it’s very difficult to sell a soft top convertible in winter and the fact they managed to sell 632 units in FEB 2017 is better than last year where they only sold 485 units in FEB 2016.
I think the Cascada was a miss. Decent style, slow engine, tight cabin. very few people think of Buick when looking for a convertible, especially since Buick is not known for speed. This car would’ve been much better off if GM had turned the ELR into a convertible, eliminated the EV system and sold it under the Cadillac nameplate.
On a positive note, during this weekend’s NCAA tourney, I saw my first-ever Buick ad that (briefly) featured the LaCrosse — progress!
Still, while it is a nice vehicle, it’s an overpriced product launched into a market segment (full-size, $30k-plus cars) that is in severe decline. Unless Buick really amps up the ads *and* cuts the price by a significant amount, this 2017 model will continue to be DOA.
I trace it back to the 29 year old with zero automotive experience who Obama appointed auto tzar in 2009. A fellow from NYC who probably never owned a car in his life dictated to GM that they drop the Pontiac nameplate. They were selling like hot cakes, and they would today if they were still available. Buick has never captured a younger demographic. Great vehicles but a dying brand.
It has been said to the satiety that all Pontiac models from 2009 were kinda redundant, with the obvious exception of the G8. Makes us wonder, if only GM tried to sell the brand in more countries than just the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Actually, GM got to pick between Buick and Pontiac as to which one got the axe. Pontiacs were not selling like hotcakes at that time, and were losing money while they were at it. Many of those final Grand Prixs and G6s went to fleets. GM chose Buick as the potential to higher ATPs was there over Pontiac. Buick is actually doing quite well for itself with crossovers, and it far from a dying brand. More like sedans are a dying segment. This problem is not Buick or GM specific.
False. Selling like hotcakes? Show the sales numbers. Every car sold was incurring a loss and they were cheapened to the point that no one wanted them.
Very disappointing and depressing news. The Lacrosse, in particular, deserves better than this as it’s an excellent product. What I really don’t get is why they are offering 16% off the already decently selling Encore, Envision and Enclave as part of the March madness promotion, but have not included the sedans. It’s almost like they don’t want to sell them, or just don’t care. The Lacrosse is featuring a $2000 rebate, but it requires the Essence package and financing through GM financial.
Wait…those 16% sales prices *don’t* include the sedans from Buick?! Holy cow!
I assumed they did, as I thought “Man, if an Envision or Sierra needs to be 16% off, what does LaCrosse need to be to move some metal — 16% plus we’ll pay your sales taxes and throw in a free set of replacement tires?”
I think you’re right — there is something weird going on. If you wrote a playbook on how *not* to sell a vehicle, LaCross would have an entry.
Pontiac has always been a performance brand years ago every GM brand did their own projects then you throw greedy execs who don’t care about quality just how many cars how much cheap work to make two ingredients that had GM loyalists fleeing the scene.They kept Buick over Pontiac cause when they killed Oldsmobile our Asian friends bought a lot of Olds and they sell Buick overseas Pontiac should have been kept as a niche brand allowed to continue performance and handling cars and I bet they would probably have waiting lists of people wanting the products from their portfolio. We barely have anything to compete with the foreign makes.
Don’t think for a second that folks cross shopping the LaCrosse with an Avalon don’t get told by the Toyota salesman that “Buick imports their cars from China, Korea, and Poland now but the Avalon is made in Georgetown, Kentucky”. That line can sell a Toyota faster than a Consumer Reports’ “Best Bet” accolade.
It may be misleading but I know for a fact that prospective Buick buyers, and especially the older ones, are being told that Buicks are imported from China now.
The Corvette is too expensive.
The Good Camaro’s are too expensive.
Who wants a Buick?
Well I’m thrilled with my 14 regal turbo I picked up Saturday.
can people get their head out of their ass for Pontiac? I mean I too love pontiacs but it’s history!
Vic I agree. I finally accepted it a few years back it’s gone. And it ain’t coming back.
Good time to buy , just got a 2017 Camaro SS 1le for 5,000 off sticker … Oasis Chevy Old Bridge NJ
I was on the phone yesterday with a local Chevy dealer trying to buy a new Corvette. Not the salesman’s fault – he’s working very hard for me and is as frustrated as I – but GM’s byzantine pricing strategy/model keeps getting in the way. He’d contacted me because he knew of my interest and was excited GM is offering new incentives on Corvettes. But…
While I can find examples of many Corvettes in my region with discounts in the $6,000 or more range, he’s not able offer any Corvettes with those incentives meeting my preferences. GM is cherry-picking which ‘Vettes get discounted by VIN. And since incentives vary month by month special ordering a ‘Vette, my best option, is completely off the table.
So while I keep hearing people talk incentives moving the metal, the reality is the GM incentive system (which is so last century) is a complex, in-bred web of non-transparent gimmicks. Their monthly/annual sales bonus strategy is so complex dealers tell me they can’t even tell me the actual cost of a vehicle. Oh, if I’m a current Corvette owner we’ll give you $2,000 off. Why? Even the salesman admits it’s a sales gimmick to get certain people in the door. The cost of ‘Vettes don’t vary if a military vet or a school teacher or a previous Chevy owner or whatever walk in the door. Offer consistent, transparent pricing or choke on your inventory.
Walk into a Porsche dealer. When you leave, you’ll feel violated.
So change your preference or buy a different car! Just please stop complaining!
Camaros, Corvettes and Buicks appeal primarily to people over 50. Guess what? People over 50 have stopped spending money. They know if they get laid off, they will be looking at monthly health insurance premiums that would buy a $100,000 car! Even those still working have seen so many people their age lose their jobs and never find another, that they know it would be foolish to buy a new car when the new health insurance reality is going to be $800-$1600 per month, for ONE person.
It’s sad that the US is the only country in the Western world without free health care. Even Cuba has terrific health care. That’s what happens when the military complex sucks all the money including education and people are angry without knowing what’s going on. And then an ignorant and lying con man appears…
The average buyer age of all brands, foreign & domestic, is over 50 (except for Lamborghini & 1 other). If people over 50 have stopped buying cars, how are OEMS selling around 17 million units a year?
Did you just pull this out of your ass. This is blatantly false. The average buyer isn’t over 50.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-01-04/millennials-are-buying-cars-after-all
It’s sad that the US is the only country in the Western world without free health care. Even Cuba has terrific health care. That’s what happens when the military complex sucks all the money including education and people are angry without knowing what’s going on. And then an ignorant and lying con man appears…
Those countries that have free health care don’t have to pay for a military because if and when someone attacks their country they start screaming at the USA to please come help save us.
You can have all of these programs if the USA didn’t have to send billions to other countries or defending their countries!
That’s pure BS. The US spends more per ca pita on healthcare than anybody else in the world yet has very poor results. France spends 2/3 less per individual than the US and has far superior health care including fully paid maternity and paternity leave, free medication and home visits by doctors. US corporations and pharmaceuticals are gouging Americans. A fraction of the near 700 billion spent on defense could provide all health services civilized Western countries offer to all their citizens. Trumps recent increase to the military, done at the expense of education, healthcare, environment could accomplish all that.
The proof that you come up with such an idiotic statement proves that the American education system has failed you. Having gone from the best education and healthcare system in the world in the 50s to the very worst in the Western world is symptomatic of a country run by corrupt oligarchs who own 90% of all US assets, and run/own the military complex at the expense of the population.
If education and healthcare were given a deserving priority in the US, genetically challenged cretins wouldn’t be running the country.
Would you like to explain what is BS? Am I lying when I say the USA sends billions to other countries? Or sends troops to other countries to defend their country from a next door neighbor because they didn’t spend enough money on their own military.
So please explain.
As for your point of the US spending a huge amount on health care, your right on that.
Shopping for a 2017 camaro 2ss…so far i got an offer for 41k with taxes already …should i wait it out until the end of the month? My first sports car AND I WAS WONDERING IF THE GLUT OF INVENTORY WAS TRUE
Last time I bought a new car was 1/2014 and interest was 1% and now it’s a high 4.9%. Corvettes and Camaros aren’t
afefee