Normally, you may count on the common value of a brand new automotive to extend year-over-year. It occurs. We had been used to it. After which COVID hit, disrupting world provide chains, inflicting a chip scarcity, and sending automotive costs by the roof. With fewer new vehicles to purchase, individuals began paying extra for used vehicles, and anybody who needed a brand new automotive was compelled to pay a severe premium. Now, virtually three years later, the common value of a brand new automotive is the very best it’s ever been.
Kelly Blue E book experiences that, in keeping with Cox Automotive’s information, the common new automotive value in November was a record-high $48,681. Which is insane when you concentrate on how many individuals on this nation don’t even make that a lot cash in a yr.
However perhaps that determine isn’t actually reflective of the standard new automotive purchaser’s expertise. Certainly, the rich of us who can afford to splash out on six-figure luxurious vehicles to park at their rich-people properties of their rich-people suburbs are skewing the info. In case you simply eliminated the S-Courses and Mannequin S Plaids from the info, then the common value would drop considerably, proper?
Improper. In accordance with Cox’s information, the common value of a brand new luxurious automotive was $67,050 in November. However the common mainstream automotive nonetheless value $44,584. Is that lower than $67,000? In fact it’s. However does it make shopping for a brand new automotive sound any extra reasonably priced? Completely not.
The one excellent news is that individuals who do purchase new non-luxury vehicles are lastly capable of get them comparatively shut to MSRP now. Cox says the common seller markup was solely $410 final month. That’s higher than it’s been, however nonetheless isn’t nice.
In case you’re hoping to keep away from paying above sticker, Cox says to keep away from Honda and Kia dealerships. These manufacturers reportedly offered for a median of six % and eight % above MSRP, respectively. As a substitute, take a look at Buick, which frequently offered at a reduction.
That mentioned, simply since you discover a seller keen to promote you a brand new automotive and not using a important markup doesn’t imply the vehicles they’ll have on the lot will probably be in your value vary. With solely so many chips to go round, automakers are reportedly selecting to give attention to constructing increased trim ranges to extend earnings. So the truth that a base-mannequin technically exists is no assure that you just’ll truly be capable of discover one at your native seller.
In some unspecified time in the future, automakers will get again to some extent the place they’re capable of construct extra vehicles, and new automotive costs will hopefully return to one thing resembling what was regular earlier than COVID. Finally. We hope. It simply received’t be this yr. For the foreseeable future, new vehicles will mainly simply be for wealthy individuals.