With huge wave in small cars and gas-sippers, some car companies are experiencing a new kind of problem. They’re running out of cars to sell.
The problem with many of the hybrid and fuel-economy cars that are hitting car lots as of late is that there aren’t enough of them in production. So while Ford is closing down SUV plants and GM is shutting out workers, other car companies are scrambling for more facilities to meet the growing consumer demand. The other side of the story in terms of the recession and the factory lockouts is a very real issue of not having enough vehicles or vehicle-making facilities.
A prime example of this is the top-selling Toyota Prius. This hybrid is selling like hotcakes, to put in mildly, and car dealers are running out of cars. Dealers like Mike Ross at Palmiero Toyota/Scion in Meadville are offering test drives of the Prius for consumers who simply come on their lot. The problem as of late has been that there haven’t been any models of the car to offer up for the test drive. There just aren’t enough to go around!
Mike says that most prospective drivers of the Prius wind up just putting their names on an increasing list and wait their turn. Many people are trading in larger clunkers and SUVs for the Prius or the popular Toyota Scion, which is creating another problem. The backlog of used trucks and SUVs will one day reach its boiling point, too. This is an issue that will need to be addressed, of course. Will anybody be buying these used SUVs soon? Doubtful.
At this point, dealers like Mike Ross are claiming that they could sell 20-25 Prius hybrids a month and who knows how many Scions. But due to the fact that the production of the cars isn’t coming fast enough or with enough volume, Mike’s sales are limited to what he has available.
Drop by your local Scion dealer today and find out if there are any left. If not, you’ll be waiting like the rest of us!
