Car dealer urges customers to ‘buy a car while there’s still time’

Sheena Leaman received the keys to the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox and breathed a sigh of relief.

Leaman is one of many customers who are unsure what to expect from the impact of the epidemic, as tightened social distancing regulations affect shopping choices.

Kayla Ode (left) of car dealership Brian Carroll Automotive Group delivered the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox to Sheena Leaman on May 27.

`We have a backlog of orders everywhere,` said Sam Pack, president and CEO of Pack Auto Group in Dallas-Fort Worth. `Ford Edge, Escape, Expedition, Explorer, F-150, Super Duty,

`We are out of stock in every vehicle model. Chevrolet inventory is more serious than Ford, especially the Silverado model. We have 22 pickups left and will run out in June. F-150 will also run out. Production speed

That is also the reason why Ford, General Motors (GM) and Fiat Chrysler (FCA) as well as the entire industry are accelerating speed and output as quickly as possible.

Chris Ferlito, 32, a lawyer, wanted to rent the fastest 2020 Chevrolet Suburban possible to transport his family of five.

Chris Ferlito and his wife, Anne Marie, received the keys to the 2020 Chevrolet Suburban on May 28.

Out of stock also happens with other models, such as Ram Truck or Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited.

Only three Silverados remained at the Gordon Chevrolet dealership in Garden City as of May 28.

Among the `big three Detroit`, GM was most affected.

`We have 300 vehicles left in Detroit, normally 700 or 800. This is peak sales season. It will take a long time to fill the inventory again and satisfy the pent-up demand,` said Stewart.

Now, customers can still get good deals when buying cars, because if dealers cannot sell a certain percentage of the cars in stock, they cannot order new models from the company.

`So we have to sell cars at a flexible price point. But that’s with the models still in stock. I can satisfy everyone, except Silverado buyers. We’re going to have to work very, very hard.`

The situation of the Ford F-150 also causes headaches for dealers.

At the same time, King has 600 other orders, mostly for Ford Police Interceptor and Super Duty models for transportation and construction jobs throughout Florida.

`We think the F-150 will be out of stock soon,` said Chad Wilson, general manager of Wilson Ford at Saginaw & Midland Ford. `We typically sell 80 new vehicles a month, of which 40 are F-150s. You can

But running out of F-150s isn’t the only concern.

The second half of March is usually a sales break, because customers will wait until the ice melts to buy cars again.

Just keeping loyal customers at this point is a top priority, said Mohamad `Catfish` Baidoun, a longtime car salesman at Jorgensen Ford in Dearborn.

Mohamad `Catfish` Baidoun next to a 2020 Ford F-150 in April at the dealership’s front yard in Dearborn Heights.

Now, Jorgensen Ford has very few Explorers, Edges and Escapes left.

Ford Explorer, Police Interceptor and Lincoln Aviator are being produced at the factory in Chicago, which continues to close just one day after resuming operations due to two employees testing positive for nCoV.

At the Dick Genthe Chevrolet dealership in Southgate, there are only two Silverados left, according to Bruce Genthe, dealership president.

The dealership currently has a total of about 200 vehicles, slightly lower than normal.

Matthew Kennedy of LaSalle rented a dark red 2020 Chevrolet Traverse from a Genthe dealership after doing some searching.

The 2018 Traverse that Kennedy previously rented didn’t expire until August, but he wanted to exchange it immediately to get a better deal.

Wes Lutz at Extreme Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Jackson said those who have decided to buy a new car can’t wait any longer.

Even used cars are not easy to buy.

Lutz’s dealership usually sells about 200 vehicles a month, but he’s worried that he can’t meet his quota now without getting more Ram 1500 and Jeep models to stock.

Currently, Extreme Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram only has 30 Ram cars and eight Jeep Gladiators left, according to general manager Mark Trudell.

Latest report from J.D.

Deutsche Bank analyst Emmanuel Rosner wrote on May 22 that `dealers are concerned they may run out of stock in June due to production delays across North America.`

But the scarcity of supply in high-margin pickup lines could push prices up.

Scarcity also leads to `crazy` actions.

At Pack Auto Group in Dallas, at the end of February they had $212 million worth of new vehicles in inventory, by the end of April it was $157 million.

Scarcity of new cars will force dealers to turn to used cars.