Where Are the New Cars?

The past year has been a wild ride for all of us, and that includes our dealership and inventory levels. You may have noticed that our lot looks a little sparse while driving by our Main Street location in Shelbyville. This isn’t necessarily new; it has been a persistent issue over the past year. It would be easy to blame it on Covid-19, but there’s more to the story than that. Covid definitely impacted car dealerships and inventory, but it’s not the only part of the story.

Is the store in danger of going out of business?

Low inventory does not mean that our business is in trouble or in danger of going out of business–just like the empty shelves at Walmart last year did not mean Walmart was about to shut down. There is actually a huge increase in demand for new vehicles, partially because of the still-amazing offers that have come from the manufacturers. We are striving to keep up with that demand, and right now that means we are selling more vehicles than we are receiving from GM.

How has Covid impacted this?

As said above, Covid did not help this situation, but the shortage actually began before the pandemic made its way to us. In the fall of 2019, the union workers that work on the production lines at most of GM’s plants went on strike for over a month. This halted production for most of that time. That ended in late October, putting production behind. Then, in March of 2020, the pandemic led to one of two things for almost every production line. 1) All work halted as plants shut down to prevent the disease from spreading, and/or 2) the teams at those plants began working to supply our healthcare workers with desperately needed personal protective equipment (PPE). This was an essential and necessary movement to help our nation fight this pandemic, which continues to this day. GM played a major role in this fight, and that’s something we should all be proud of! Even if it means that, once again, production skidded to a halt because of it.

The plants are open, but where are the new cars?

Thankfully, many plants are back open and production of new vehicles is going steady. So, why aren’t there more new cars on our lot here in Shelbyville? Some of this is because of the computer chips that keep all the safety and technology running smoothly in our vehicles are also behind in production. Even if new vehicles are churning out quickly at the GM plants, if we don’t have these chips, things like OnStar and safety features will not be able to operate properly or at all. This now puts three factors into play–all of which are keeping our lots empty.

In addition, there are also used car shortages because if people cannot find the new car they would like to buy, that means they won’t be trading in their used cars either. Thankfully, our used car inventory is full of many additional brands like Nissan and GMC.

Why are other lots full of new cars?

These factors, as well as others, have impacted every manufacturer differently. GM is one of the largest manufacturers in the world and has more dealerships than most. So they not only need to make more vehicles; they also have more dealerships in need of those vehicles. And the demand for new GM vehicles is especially strong, as one of the most-bought and beloved brands! This creates a perfect storm for shortages of the most popular models, like the Silverado 1500, which is why you might see plenty of Equinoxes and fewer Colorados.

What if I want to buy a new car? What do I do?

If you are ready to purchase your new Chevrolet or new GMC don’t despair! Newton Chevrolet GMC can still help you, even if we don’t have the vehicle on the lot at this moment. What is important to remember is that production is no longer at a standstill; it has only slowed. We’re still ordering and receiving new cars and trucks. On our website, you will see certain new vehicles marked as “in transit.” This means that they are on our way and we can still help you purchase them–even before they arrive. To make the process even easier, you can click the green “Newton Fastpass” button to begin to see how much your monthly payment on a new Silverado, for example, might be. You can even upload documents, talk with one of our helpful salespeople, and choose your needed warranty coverage! We want to help you get into the new truck or SUV of your dreams–whether or not the vehicle is on our lot or not.

Further, if you don’t see exactly what you are looking for, we can still help you shop and order the absolutely perfect truck or car! Chat in below or give us a call and we’ll be happy to help!

I’m ready to sell my used car. Can I sell it to you?

Absolutely! We are always on the lookout for quality used cars. You can evaluate your vehicle’s worth here, and then we will contact you to see it in person. In fact, seeing it in person usually means we can offer you a little bit more for it. It just depends on the condition of the vehicle and, of course, its service and maintenance history. We’d love to help you sell your car and, who knows, you may find the perfect replacement right on our lot!

Our used cars will also be a slow-rebuilding process, though we have plenty at the moment. This is because of our dedication to selling quality used cars. We recondition them in our service department to make sure they are completely ready for their new home. So this might look like a little bit longer time to have what you are looking for, but we promise you–it is will be worth the wait!

Thank you for trusting us with your new or used car buying process. Our promise is to Change Your Experience,™ and we won’t let any shortages shortchange that promise for you!