In the past several years, one of the topics covered in detail on these pages has been the surge in such gimmicks designed to disguise lack of demand and end customer sales, used extensively by US automotive manufacturers, better known as "channel stuffing", of which General Motors is particularly guilty and whose inventory at dealer lots just hit a new record high. But did you know that when it comes to flat or declining sales and stagnant end demand, channel stuffing is merely the beginning?
Presenting...
Where the World's Unsold Cars Go To Die (courtesy of Vincent Lewis' Unsold Cars)
It is more important to have keep your stock prices up than it is to actually sell cars in this business anymore. Most dealers in out area have taken over all the lots of the vacant retail spots to store all their cars. They used to keep 30 days of inventory on hand because once the dealer took delivery, he was on the hook for the finance charges. Now these guys have 90 day inventory. It is a disaster in the making.
The dealers are also doing 87 month sub prime loans just to unload all these cars. How well will that turn out when people stop paying the note on 4 and 5 year old cars no one wants?
Chevrolet....Building A Better Way To See The U.S.A. (or St Peter depending on which deathtrap you bought).