Lethbridge buyers possibly waiting up to 6 months for new vehicles – Lethbridge
Driving off the lot in a brand new automobile may take longer than anticipated.
Lethbridge Toyota common supervisor Tim Schipper says, relying on the automobile’s mannequin, it might take as much as six months for the automobile to reach at a dealership.
“Earlier than all this disruption occurred, we’d common about between 90 and 130 vehicles in inventory. Now we’re round two,” Schipper mentioned.
“Hovering between two and 10 relying on the month and timeframe.”
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A lot of the autos presently parked in Schipper’s lot are already offered and gross sales aren’t slowing down.
“Huge efforts are being put forth to attempt to get the autos as quick as attainable, however loads of locations are seeing an enormous quantity of demand nonetheless,” Schipper mentioned.
That strain is extending into the second-hand automobile market.
“All people is filtering in direction of used autos proper now,” Home of Vehicles gross sales supervisor Kelly Plausteiner mentioned.
Nonetheless, it’s not simply used-car dealerships which are seeing an increase in demand, but additionally personal sellers.
Whereas Plausteiner’s stock stays constant, he mentioned auto sellers are trying to find used autos.
“We pay fairly a bit extra for used autos, simply because of the market development,” Plausteiner mentioned.
“(We’re) paying high greenback for all the things we are able to get our palms on.”
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Gross sales are additionally reflecting present financial traits. Schipper mentioned he’s seeing extra customers turning to fuel-efficient choices as gasoline costs stay excessive.
“Large demand for hybrid autos and new electrical autos are coming down the pipeline. That’s true for each producer on the market,” Schipper mentioned. “Gas financial system has been prior to now — and now greater than ever — part of the dialog.”
If attainable, Schipper recommends folks looking for a brand new automobile take motion sooner relatively than later.
“Plan forward is the very best recommendation I can provide you. We completely perceive unexpected circumstances, like breakdowns or accidents do happen, and we do our greatest to accommodate these conditions,” he mentioned.
