Last summer, with gasoline at $ 4 a gallon, customers buying small cars so fast that Retailers could not get in stock. Now, with gasoline costs half that, about 500,000 low-power models are piling up unsold in the country. This reversal comes at a bad time for the American auto industry, which has renewed its factories and revised business plans to produce more small cars in the coming years. These moves are driven by new federal policies on energy consumption and help the Obama plan, which encourages vehicle manufacturers to increase energy self-sufficiency of their vehicles.
Virtually every small car market is still at the dealership. At the end of February, Honda Motor Co. had 22,191 unsold Fit, an offer of 125 days at the current sales pace, according to Autodata Corp. In July, he had an offer equal to nine days, while an offer is considered normal 55-60 days.
For other models, the situation is even worse. Toyota Motor Corp. Yaris has enough to last 175 days. Chrysler LLC has a sufficient supply for 205 days of the Dodge Caliber. Chevrolet Aveo, and dealers have enough for 427 days. At today's pace of sales, General Motors Corp. could stop the production of Aveo until May 24, 2010 before ending stocks.
"I think that Americans do not like small cars," said Beau Boeckmann, Galpin Ford, whose company in Southern California is the largest dealership in the country. "The driving when are forced, when the price of gasoline is high. But we are great people and we like big cars. "
The impasse for small cars is partly caused by the recession, which weakened sales of each type of vehicle. But it highlights how the industry is been made fun of by gasoline prices. A year ago, the American auto industry reacted quickly when the Americans stopped buying big vehicles virtually moved and demand on hybrid models and small.
Ford decided to convert some plants shifting some production from trucks to small cars. General Motors added a segment of production to Lordstown, Ohio, to produce the Chevy Cobalt, a small sedan. Even the imported brands increased their production of small cars.
Autoway Honda in Clearwater, Fla., last summer was struggling to keep up sales of models like the Civic or the Fit. "When someone came in, went out with a pattern almost the same day," says Brian Speas, director of the dealership.
Now, Mr. Speas customers who are struggling to find a look. Has a whole row of little interest Civic hybrid, and half a dozen unsold Fit for about three months.
Despite the excess of small cars, many builder are convinced that the increase in gasoline prices was the start a shift towards long-term demands of the small cars. The head of Ford sales analyst, George Pipas, said that from October to February, sales of small cars were 718,000. A drop of 28% over the same period in 2008, but the small cars were up 18.4% of the total market, up 2.1 points over the previous year.
"Our forecast is that we will change the social, demographic and economic factors that induce acquisition of small and medium-sized car," says Mr. Pipas.
For now, however, dealers are struggling to get rid of the cheap car is now covered with dust. Mr. Speas, a dealer in Florida, has just launched a radio advertising campaign offering to lease the Civic for the same price of the reference models with petrol. Last summer, the hybrid model cost about $ 130 a month more than the traditional model.
But the charm of these incentives disappear when the price of gasoline does not seem as high.
Wes Bean, manager of 37 years of a mortgage company in Charlotte, NC, began looking for a small car this summer, including Civic. But soon, the father of two small children and his wife direct their attention toward the market. A few weeks later, they bought a used Nissan Quest on the Internet through eBay Motors.
"The gas was a big problem at the time, "he says." Fortunately, knock on wood, the prices will not come back easily to three or four dollars a gallon. "
Industry's big hope for small cars fades
see also:
Inflation Deflation Red inflation inflation blue
collapse in the prices of used cars
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