When it comes to negotiating the price of a vehicle, one of the advantages a buyer can exploit is the number of days the model they’re interested sits on a dealer's lot, on average.
That’s clear enough when shopping for a used vehicle, which generally is on the market for a few days or weeks at a time. With new vehicles, it takes a little more work.
But there are those out there who analyze sales data for these kinds of things. For instance, which models of new vehicles take the longest to leave the dealership. That’s handy because it can tell shoppers where they might enjoy greater bargaining power.
Naturally, we can’t help but wonder what makes one model unable to draw in buyers. The model could be a dud, of course, but sometimes it's a question of price. And that's where it can be interesting for shoppers ready to bargain. Just be aware, however, that if a vehicle model is irrelevant or unreliable, say, a lower the price won't necessarily make it a better buy.
Slowest-moving new vehicles (on the lot)
So let's take a look at the vehicles that take the longest to leave dealerships, as per results compiled by CarEdge, which looked at dealer inventory data and calculated market supply in days (the number of days it takes to sell a model).
The big winner/loser is the Dodge Hornet, an SUV that has been a disaster since its inception. Mainly because of its price, but also because of its performance. It takes an average of 428 days to find a buyer, which is gigantic. According to CarEdge, Dodge currently has 14,596 units in stock at the brand's U.S. dealers. In the last 45 days, only 1,536 have been sold in that massive market.
The Jeep Grand Wagoneer is next-worse with an average of 428 days - not much better. Then we have the Mercedes-Benz EQB, the electric version of the GLB. We can probably assume its very high price is to blame. Average time spent on lots is 427 days.
In fourth place, the Maserati Levante SUV, sitting at 410 days. It’s followed by the Lincoln Aviator, at 392 days. The sixth vehicle that takes the longest to win over a buyer is the Jeep Grand Wagoneer L, the stretched variant of the other model of the same name. At 354 days, it takes just under a year on average to leave a dealer’s lot.
Other models struggling to find customers include Alfa Romeo’s Giulia and Stelvio, the Mini Cooper (4-door), the Fiat 500e and the Mercedes-Benz GLC.
Note that this type of ranking is highly changeable from one month to the next, as a promotion on a vehicle can change things quickly. Still, we can see trends with these models.
Fastest-selling new vehicles
On the other hand, models such as the Toyota Highlander (23 days), Toyota RAV4 (30 days) and Honda Civic (34 days) continue to prove popular.
There’s a big caveat here, in that some low-volume models won’t pile up at dealers, so their numbers for days spent at dealers will be low.
