Vehicle shortages caused by parts supply problems have led to serious disruptions in sales. Some manufacturers are even posting strange data, such as that of General Motors during the second quarter of 2022. Curiously, there is a considerable jump in its car sales. Even more intriguing is that the Chevy Malibu an end-of-life midsize sedan, was the star of the phenomenon.
It’s when we compare the sales figures for GM thermal cars in Canada and the United States to the previous year that we see how popular the Malibu was last spring.
Indeed, 1,134 copies of the sedan were sold between April and June 2022 in the country against 460 last year. It’s more than double. On the side of the United States, it is a dazzling increase of 563%, going from 4,899 to 32,487 Malibu sold this year.
In Canada, the Chevrolet Camaro also experienced a slight increase in sales, going from 257 to 332 models sold, which represents an increase of 29%.
In fact, across our neighbors to the south, all of GM’s gas-powered cars except the Chevrolet Spark sold significantly better than last year. There is a 70% increase for the Cadillac CT5, 14% for its little sister, the CT4, a 63% increase for the Chevrolet Camaro and an 8% increase for the Corvette.
The return of the pendulum
What can we attribute this sudden rise in popularity to? On the one hand, we see that GM is quietly solving its parts supply problems and that the production of its cars is going much better.
Recall that the production of the Chevrolet Malibu had been stopped between February and November 2021. The assembly lines of the Chevrolet Camaro, as well as the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 also faced some challenges related to the supply of rooms. The sudden rise in sales therefore fits well with the return of more constant production.
But there are also the waiting times for certain models that have led consumers to a car rather than an SUV. Demand for SUVs, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electrics has been so great over the past year – largely due to rising gas prices – that very few buyers were interested in cars like the Malibu.
However, in a context of shortages, consumers, often guided by dealership salespeople, have turned to the most accessible models, such as cars. This priority movement by consumers has absolutely had its part in this story.
But let’s be realistic: no, these sales do not represent a sudden interest in cars from consumers, but rather a sign that things are slowly returning to normal and that the industry is recovering from the effects of the pandemic.
