Buick Dealer Inventory Rises Back Up In January 2025

After red-hot December 2024 sales put a notable dent in dealership inventories across auto brands and makes throughout the United States, Buick dealer inventory is rebounding in the post-Christmas sales doldrums, rising to a whopping 138 days supply in January 2025.

As Cox Automotive revealed through its research, Buick inventory is well above the 96 days supply average across the United States auto market, which is itself elevated significantly from the optimal level of a 60 days supply.

Buick’s inventory followed much the same seasonal pattern as the rest of the automotive market, though with a bigger backlog of unsold new vehicles than most other brands. Tri-Shield brand inventory climbed to a 128 days supply in November, dropped to a 120 days supply in December and increased back up to a 138 days supply in January.

This follows the overall market, in which the year-end sees people buying vehicles – especially more expensive models – at an accelerated rate last year. Economic factors and the relief of the U.S. presidential elections being over appear to have given an extra jolt of energy to December 2024 sales, reaching levels not seen for several years.

After the December surge, January usually sees dropping sales and surging inventories. Holiday spending is over and cold, unpleasant, snowy weather cuts back on trips to the dealership. January 2025 fits this pattern perfectly, with sales dropping 25 percent and days supply growing 26 percent month-over-month. However, some sales momentum lingers, with sales up 7.1 percent from January 2024 one year ago.

Buick now has the dubious distinction of having some of the highest days supply averages piled up at its dealerships. Stellantis brands such as Jeep and Chrysler were previously higher, but “lower prices and aggressive sales work have helped bring Stellantis inventory into relatively normal levels” according to Cox senior analyst Erin Keating.

Among individual Tri-Shield brand models, the Enclave and Envision have a higher days supply figure than the Encore GX and the Envista. The Buick Envista has the lowest days supply of the four Buick models and, according to our estimates, is the only one currently running below the 96 days supply industry average.

Erin Keating also notes that “weather disruptions and the general desire to focus on the year ahead leave more buyers on the sidelines, but sales are expected to pick up as tax refund season begins.”