Check out the hottest selling cars in Jan.

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2...uary-2009.html

gee - I thought everyone wanted green hybrid cars. Why would the sport cars and luxury cars that suck gas the worst be selling the best?

 

Because gas is cheap and people have short memory spans.

 

That may be a component, certainly.

Consider the possibility that things which may be in shorter supply, for whatever reason, sell very well too...

 

The list makes sense to me. You have a combination of those who have a short memory about gas prices (eg, the trucks with huge discounts still on them), and you have the luxury vehicles who's buyers aren't as hard hit by the layoffs etc. It isn't like people who normally can't afford to buy GLK350s are swooping in and taking advantage of offers. It's simply people who could normally afford that kind of car anyways.

 

I don't think that they are selling well, but that there just is a shorter supply, and supply is more inline with demand.

Also, the article attributes some of this too...

I think almost all of the items on that list are new for 2009 (and possibly 2008). There is one sports car on that list, and it is new. Nothing novel about newer model cars coming off lots quicker as there is a smaller supply.

 

And that's what's wrong. My guess is most people don't care enough to buy a hybrid. I know I don't.

 

Because only rich people are buying cars at the moment.

 

Camaro should be on the winners list. They haven't hit the lot yet, and over 11,000 have been sold! That's negative days!



Of course, they count based on when the buyer drives off with the car, so I guess not. But the numbers should look very good for a while as they work on filling all of the preorders.

 

Screwy article.

I have a problem using "days of inventory" as a judge for what's moving well and what's not.

Suppose a vehicle sells 500,000 units/year but has 23 days of inventory... that averages selling 1404 units/day, and having 32,300 units on lots waiting to sell.

Now suppose you have a car that sells 20,000 units/year and has 9 days of inventory... that averages 55 units/day in sales and 493 units on lots.

WHICH VEHICLE WOULD YOU RATHER BE SELLING?!?!
1400/day or 55/day?
I know which one I think is the "hot mover" now.

 

Maybe it's a decent indicator of which vehicle is not selling as well as was expected or as the manufacturer needs for it to in order to remain sustainable.

And more importantly the vehicles that you're more likely able to get a good deal on.

 

Just a thought, how many people who ordered Camaros do you think will walk from the deal because of the wrosening financial state?