As GM Authority has reported throughout this year, inventory of the Chevy Blazer is far from optimal at U.S. Chevrolet dealerships. In fact, it’s now running at eight days of supply as of the first week of August, GM Authority has learned.
Chevy Blazer supply has been low for nearly a year now. In September of 2020, GM Authority exclusively reported that it was running at 28 days as of the beginning of that month. The figure was the same in January of 2021. By the end of February, it had increased slightly to 31 days. Two months later, it had dropped again to just 16 days, falling to 12 days as of the beginning of July. And now, inventory is at a shockingly scant eight days as of the first week of August.
The optimal figure for the U.S. auto industry is 60 days. There is an upside to vehicles finding customers more quickly than that, but it also implies excess demand, insufficient supply, or a combination of the two. This means customers shopping at their local Chevy dealer have less choice, may see higher prices as a result of lower incentives, or find a dealer less willing to negotiate. All this could lead those customers to buy a different vehicle from another brand or manufacturer.
The continuing drop in inventory suggests a considerable excess of demand over supply in the Blazer. This can often be explained by the ongoing global semiconductor shortage which has been affecting vehicle production at auto plants around the world, such as Chevy Equinox at the GM Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico. That was the also the case for the Chevy Blazer in July, which is also built at Ramos. GM recently announced that Blazer production would be halted from August 23rd to September 6th.
At GM, smaller vehicles like the Equinox and Blazer have been impacted the most by the chip shortage. Since the automaker’s larger vehicles like full-size trucks and SUVs tend to be more profitable, the automaker continues to prioritize its chip supply for plants that build these vehicles.
A lack of ample Chevy Blazer supply has resulted in a marked decline in sales volume, with the midsize crossover posting a five percent decline during the first six months of 2021. Market share, as a result, has decreased from five to four percent.
Sales Numbers - Midsize & Full-Size Mainstream Crossovers - H1 2021 - United States
| MODEL | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 | YTD 21 SHARE | YTD 20 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA HIGHLANDER | +82.60% | 144,380 | 79,071 | 13% | 9% |
| FORD EXPLORER | +16.90% | 118,241 | 101,149 | 10% | 12% |
| JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE | +11.94% | 107,924 | 96,409 | 10% | 11% |
| CHEVROLET TRAVERSE | +59.19% | 83,431 | 52,409 | 7% | 6% |
| HONDA PILOT | +39.67% | 76,560 | 54,815 | 7% | 6% |
| VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS | +120.30% | 69,897 | 31,728 | 6% | 4% |
| HYUNDAI SANTA FE | +45.32% | 63,110 | 43,429 | 6% | 5% |
| KIA SORENTO | +27.83% | 48,313 | 37,796 | 4% | 4% |
| GMC ACADIA | +40.37% | 46,222 | 32,928 | 4% | 4% |
| KIA TELLURIDE | +79.06% | 45,438 | 25,376 | 4% | 3% |
| HYUNDAI PALISADE | +19.33% | 43,501 | 36,455 | 4% | 4% |
| CHEVROLET BLAZER | -4.81% | 39,855 | 41,870 | 4% | 5% |
| FORD EDGE | -22.30% | 39,355 | 50,651 | 3% | 6% |
| DODGE DURANGO | +30.22% | 38,415 | 29,499 | 3% | 3% |
| TOYOTA VENZA | * | 35,834 | 0 | 3% | 0% |
| SUBARU ASCENT | -9.63% | 28,373 | 31,397 | 3% | 4% |
| NISSAN MURANO | -9.86% | 27,019 | 29,975 | 2% | 4% |
| HONDA PASSPORT | +66.60% | 26,694 | 16,023 | 2% | 2% |
| MAZDA CX-9 | +50.66% | 20,265 | 13,451 | 2% | 2% |
| NISSAN PATHFINDER | -49.72% | 13,552 | 26,953 | 1% | 3% |
| MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER | -31.32% | 10,675 | 15,544 | 1% | 2% |
| TOTAL | +33.08% | 1,127,054 | 846,928 |
Meanwhile, the Blazer’s larger platform mate, the Chevy Traverse, is seeing even tighter supply. As GM Authority exclusively reported on August 21st, Traverse supply was sitting at a mere two days across U.S. Chevy dealers as of the beginning of August.
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Comments
Looks like just about everything else is up.
But because Covid.
GM needs to focus on GMC for this type of vehicle. FCA was able to transform niche Jeep into a top brand, displacing Dodge.
GMC is a clean slate with higher transaction prices. Unfortunately it’s been selling uncreative rebadged without any off road chops. A Wrangler fighter would provide a halo and was a worthwhile investment on par with what Camaro used top be.
Steve Colmar
In a lineup that includes: Sierra HD AT4, Yukon Denali & Hummer SUT a Jeep Wrangler competitor would look like a Chevy Spark.
What this has to do with low inventory?. I would say a Maverick competitor is more needed.
GM does need a Wrangler, Bronco competitor. This segment is taking off and has a solid male female buying demo. This is the new pony car segment,
The key is price so Chevy will need to be the base for this model.
These are life style vehicles. You can strap a Kayak to the top. Go off road or just remove the doors and top for a great summer vehicle.
GM could hold a great advantage here as their offering would not need to hung on heritage styling that is more often a liability than a plus.
The Blazer is fine but it is just another CUV for the family. There is room for the other real off road model and the many things that could be done with it.
Is there anything else that general motors can talk about other than an overpriced vehicle being in short supply and anyone who loves these things doesn’t love SUVs they left crossovers, almost bought one of these glad I didn’t was way too pricey and ended up with a terrain Denali, but this is almost laughable when I talk about all the fires in those Chevy bolts.
New 2022 Blazer on order for 90 days, NO PRODUCTION NOTICE or schedule of intent………..have $1K deposit stuck in GMC new ” bait & switch dealers”……………..NEVER AGAIN will I buy a CHEVY, look @ Toy’s for replacement in the future………30yr GM buyer GONE!