New-vehicle inventory fell in December from its 2024 peak as late-year shoppers picked up deals in a burst of post-election optimism. But it’s still well above the level seen a year earlier.
Supply declined 9% in the shopping spree to about 2.9 million units, according to Cox Automotive data, though that’s still up 18% year-over-year.
The decline made for a national average 75-day supply, down 14% month-over-month but flat year-over-year.
Inventory fell even more in the luxury segment. Due to the holiday-season penchant for pricey vehicle purchases, sales of vehicles priced above $80,000 surged in December, and the segment’s days’ supply fell to 62. The BMW and Lexus brands fell the furthest, to 47 and 21 days, respectively.
Two other segments selling like hotcakes, in keeping with Americans’ love affair with big vehicles, were compact SUVs and full-size pickups, Cox said. Toyota’s RAV4 ended the year at 18 days’ supply.
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