As GM Authority has reported since the fall of 2020, inventory of the Chevy Blazer is limited at Chevrolet dealerships across the United States, with the midsize crossover running at a mere 11 days as of the beginning of December.
Supply of the midsize crossover has been low for over a year now. As far back as September 2020, nationwide Blazer supply across the U.S. was running at 28 days as of the beginning of that month. The figure was the same in January 2021. By the end of February 2021, supply had increased slightly to 31 days. Two months later, it had dropped again to just 16 days before falling to 12 days as of the beginning of July, and eight days as of the first week of August. And in the beginning of November 2021, nationwide Blazer supply was less than a week’s worth, at a scant five days. A month later in December 2021 it rose slightly up to 11 days.
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. In some cases, dealers could even want more for the vehicle, charging over sticker – a practice GM recently officially discouraged. All this could lead those customers to buy a competing vehicle from another brand or manufacturer.
The continuing drop in inventory suggests a considerable excess of demand over supply for the Chevy Blazer. This can often be explained by the ongoing global semiconductor microchip shortage that is expected to remain well into 2022. The scenario has impacted vehicle production at auto plants around the world, including the GM Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico where the Blazer is produced. In fact, Blazer production was idled from August 23rd to September 6th, before finally restarting on October 18th.
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.
Dwindling inventory of the Chevy Blazer has continued to negatively impact sales. The Bow Tie brand’s popular crossover posted a 14 percent decline during the fourth quarter of 2021, placing it in the middle of the crowded mainstream midsize and full-size crossover segment while maintaining a mere 4 percent share.
Sales Numbers - Midsize & Full-Size Mainstream Crossovers - Q4 2021 - United States
MODEL | Q4 21 / Q4 20 | Q4 21 | Q4 20 | Q4 21 SHARE | Q4 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE | +31.42% | 74,816 | 56,930 | 15% | 10% | +26.05% | 264,444 | 209,786 |
FORD EXPLORER | -9.56% | 59,697 | 66,008 | 12% | 12% | -2.81% | 219,871 | 226,217 |
TOYOTA HIGHLANDER | -20.30% | 56,564 | 70,975 | 11% | 13% | +24.43% | 264,128 | 212,276 |
FORD EDGE | -5.46% | 30,274 | 32,024 | 6% | 6% | -21.73% | 85,225 | 108,886 |
HONDA PILOT | -16.02% | 28,395 | 33,811 | 6% | 6% | +15.55% | 143,062 | 123,813 |
KIA TELLURIDE | -19.40% | 22,981 | 28,514 | 5% | 5% | +24.73% | 93,705 | 75,129 |
VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS | -27.26% | 22,872 | 31,445 | 5% | 6% | +32.42% | 115,687 | 87,362 |
HYUNDAI SANTA FE | -26.11% | 22,415 | 30,337 | 5% | 6% | +11.23% | 112,071 | 100,757 |
CHEVROLET TRAVERSE | -46.91% | 22,052 | 41,534 | 4% | 8% | -7.40% | 116,250 | 125,546 |
HYUNDAI PALISADE | -0.96% | 21,866 | 22,078 | 4% | 4% | +4.69% | 86,539 | 82,661 |
CHEVROLET BLAZER | -14.01% | 19,986 | 23,243 | 4% | 4% | -25.66% | 70,325 | 94,599 |
KIA SORENTO | +37.68% | 19,530 | 14,185 | 4% | 3% | +9.52% | 81,785 | 74,677 |
SUBARU ASCENT | -4.78% | 16,937 | 17,788 | 3% | 3% | -11.30% | 59,980 | 67,623 |
DODGE DURANGO | +5.11% | 13,004 | 12,372 | 3% | 2% | +14.02% | 65,935 | 57,828 |
MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER | +243.96% | 12,606 | 3,665 | 3% | 1% | +24.88% | 33,883 | 27,132 |
NISSAN PATHFINDER | +237.59% | 12,439 | 3,685 | 3% | 1% | -14.93% | 41,324 | 48,579 |
TOYOTA VENZA | +0.79% | 11,495 | 11,405 | 2% | 2% | +374.17% | 61,988 | 13,073 |
HONDA PASSPORT | -6.58% | 11,119 | 11,902 | 2% | 2% | +34.29% | 53,133 | 39,567 |
NISSAN MURANO | +52.96% | 6,830 | 4,465 | 1% | 1% | -20.84% | 46,117 | 58,255 |
MAZDA CX-9 | -21.20% | 5,694 | 7,226 | 1% | 1% | +24.80% | 34,493 | 27,638 |
GMC ACADIA | -80.19% | 4,234 | 21,378 | 1% | 4% | -17.40% | 59,913 | 72,537 |
TOTAL | -9.02% | 495,806 | 544,970 | +9.10% | 2,109,858 | 1,933,941 |
Blazer sales performed worse than the segment as a whole, which saw sales decline an average 9 percent to 495,806 units during Q4 2021. However, the Blazer fared better than its larger platform mate, the Chevy Traverse, which saw a 47 percent drop in sales volume while also posting a mere 4 percent segment share, a 4 percent decrease from the 8 percent it commanded in Q4 2020.
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Comments
I have a 2022 Blazer I’ll sell someone. Never registered.