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Automotive

Supply chain woes caused US auto sales to fall 8% last year

Published

5 months ago

6 minute read

By Tom Krisher in Detroit

DETROIT (AP) — Shortages of computer chips and other parts continued to hobble the U.S. auto industry last year, contributing to vehicle sales dropping 8% from 2021 to their lowest level in more than a decade.

But there’s good news for consumers in the gloomy numbers: Vehicle supplies on dealer lots are growing, albeit slowly, and automakers expect at least a small easing in prices this year as inventories grow.

Automakers reported Wednesday that they sold 13.9 million cars, trucks, SUVs and vans last year as the parts shortage limited factory output amid high demand for new vehicles. It was the lowest sales number since 2011 when the economy was recovering from the Great Recession.

But sales were up slightly in the fourth quarter and inventories grew as parts supplies improved enough to increase production a little. Analysts are now expecting sales to grow by roughly 1 million to around 14.8 million this year as demand remains strong. But they’ll still be far short of the normal 17 million per year before the pandemic.

With many models still in short supply, though, the average new vehicle price rose 2.5% in December to a record of just over $46,000, according to J.D Power.

There are signs, however, that prices may be starting to ebb a little as inventories expand.

Toyota, for instance, finished the year with just under 24,000 vehicles on Toyota and Lexus brand dealer lots nationwide. That’s up from about 19,000 at the end of 2021, but still far short of the 300,000 during normal years before the pandemic.

The improvement, although small, is allowing consumers to haggle a little on some slower-selling vehicles such as sedans, and even some luxury vehicles. But they’re still getting top dollar for gas-electric hybrids and other more popular vehicles that are sold before they arrive on lots, said David Christ, general manager of the Toyota Division.

For most of last year, people who wanted new vehicles had to pay sticker price or above and take whatever models and colors dealers could get. But dealers have told Christ that changed a bit in the past two or three months for models that aren’t as popular. Plus, he said more people are interested in lower-cost vehicles because inflation and higher interest rates are taking a bite out of their budgets.

“They’re coming in and saying, ‘Hey, can I get a deal here?'” Christ said. “I do think that on some vehicles, not just in our brand, and across the industry, there has become a little more of a buyer’s market where the customer can negotiate.”

Whether that holds up all year remains to be seen. If demand stays strong and people are willing to pay sticker price, then dealers will get that, Christ said. But if demand wanes or supplies increase dramatically, discounts could rise and prices could drop a bit.

Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at Edmunds.com, said Toyota’s experience is likely to repeat itself through the industry with small price decreases on some models.

“There isn’t as much disposable income to be put into a vehicle,” she said. “We’ve seen prices high before, but we’ve never really seen higher prices with the (higher) interest rates.”

But electric vehicles and other hot sellers will remain expensive because people want to buy them now, she added.

Caldwell doesn’t see vehicle supplies or prices returning to pre-pandemic levels this year, and she’s not sure if we’ll ever get back to 2019 levels.

The computer chip shortage dates to the spring of 2020, when automakers were forced to shut down factories due to rapidly increasing COVID-19 cases. Chip makers shifted production to consumer electronics to feed a computer and gaming sales boom when people were stuck at home. When the auto plants restarted earlier than expected, chip makers weren’t making as many semiconductors for automobiles, which must be made to withstand vibration and huge temperature extremes.

Auto chip production has improved, but still isn’t back to pre-pandemic levels, so auto plants still aren’t back to their full output.

As a result, the 13.9 million vehicles that automakers sold last year was about 1.2 million below 2021 numbers, according to Motorintelligence.com.

General Motors, with full-year sales up 2.5%, retook its traditional spot as the nation’s top selling automaker. Toyota, which won the crown in 2021, saw its sales fall 9.6% last year. Ford reports sales on Thursday.

Sales at Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, dropped 13%, while Honda sales plummeted 32.9%. Hyundai posted just under a 1% increase to outsell Nissan, whose sales tumbled 25.4%. Kia sales fell 1.1% for the year, while Subaru was down 4.7%.

Electric vehicle sales hit more than 807,000 last year, up almost 65% from 2021.

Pickups and SUVs were 77.3% of sales while cars dropped to 22.7%.

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Why Hyundai and Kia have everyone else playing catch-up

Published on May 20, 2023

By

This photo provided by Hyundai shows the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5, which was named the Edmunds Top Rated Electric SUV for 2023. (Courtesy of Hyundai Motor America via AP)

By Nick Kurczewski

In the past few years, Hyundai and Kia vehicles have skyrocketed to the top of Edmunds’ rankings in some of the most popular vehicle segments. For example, you’ll find a Hyundai or Kia in the top spots for three-row midsize SUVs, midsize sedans, and multiple categories of electric vehicles. This changing of the guard can come as a surprise for car shoppers expecting to see more familiar brands like Chevrolet, Ford, Honda and Toyota.

This success isn’t attributable to one single factor, such as short-lived marketing schemes like rock-bottom pricing or unsustainable rebates. Let’s take a closer look at what these sister South Korean automakers are doing well and where they’re still coming up short.

DISTINCTIVE DESIGN

First impressions matter, and this holds true when people are shopping for a new vehicle. Hyundai and Kia clearly recognize the importance of standing out in a crowd. Whether it’s a family-friendly SUV with three rows of seating or an electric SUV on the technological cutting edge, a bold exterior draws attention and holds interest.

We’ll start with EVs. While they share a platform and electric powertrains, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 take very different approaches to turning heads in the EV market. The Ioniq 5 is all edges and sharp angles, evoking Marty McFly’s time-traveling DeLorean from 1984’s “Back to the Future.” The Kia EV6, on the other hand, is more traditionally handsome with its pointed front end, chunky fenders and sleek tapered tail. More is on the way too. The recently introduced Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric sedan is wildly curvaceous and has a swooping roofline that extends nearly to the rear bumper.

This bravado extends to the realm of conventional SUVs. When it arrived for the 2020 model year, the three-row Kia Telluriderocketed up sales charts thanks partly to its broad-shouldered stance and rugged design. However, style isn’t everything. For example, the Kia Forte and Hyundai Elantra sedans also have distinctive looks but come up a little short on the fundamentals. That’s why the relatively conservative Honda Civic is still Edmunds’ top-rated small sedan.

THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY

Modern vehicles are now as much four-wheeled computers as they are traditional cars or trucks. As the recent microchip shortage proved, the technology beneath a car’s sheetmetal is extremely complex. But if the interface to this technology is so nuanced that it takes a degree from MIT to master, what’s the point?

Hyundai and Kia have met this challenge with infotainment systems that are simple to operate and come with sought-after features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite radio and multiple USB ports. Many of the companies’ latest vehicles also feature sleek-looking displays for both the instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen, making some rival systems appear rudimentary by comparison.

A focus on technology shows up in the automakers’ powertrain technology too. For example, the Ioniq 5 and EV6 have the capability to charge much more quickly at high-powered public DC fast-charging stations than many EVs. The South Korean companies have also been front-runners by offering hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of their small SUVs, the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage. However, shoppers should know that the regular non-hybrid versions of the Tucson and Sportage suffer from lackluster power and fuel economy and drop in Edmunds’ rankings as a result.

STANDARD FEATURES AND VALUE

Kia and Hyundai have upped the quotient of desirable technology and safety features across their vehicle lineups. Most importantly, they’ve done so without making car shoppers pay thousands extra. Many rival brands have routinely bundled tech and comfort touches into pricey option packages or limited availability to the priciest trims.

While the gap has narrowed, Hyundai and Kia cars and SUVs have a well-earned reputation for offering more features for a given price. The brands also provide exceptionally long warranty coverage, including a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty that no competitors match.

High consumer demand for certain Hyundais and Kias has put a damper on value, however. Particularly during the height of pandemic-related shortages, Kia Tellurides were known to carry dealer markups of thousands more than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. It’s not as bad now, but Kia and Hyundai consumers still need to be wary of dealer markups that can easily erase a lot of baseline value.

EDMUNDS SAYS: Hyundai and Kia are on a roll with vehicles that have expressive designs, competitive prices and extensive standard features. These automakers have become the ones to beat in many car segments, but savvy shoppers will bear in mind that not every Hyundai and Kia is golden.

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This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

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