Yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Buick jeffe Susan Docherty promised to “restrict” supplies of the new LaCrosse to a 75 to 90-day dealer inventory. As we pointed out in our blog, that’s 15 to 30 days above the industry ideal. We also highlighted the lunacy of Docherty’s comparison to the slow-selling Acura TL. As PFC Pyle used to say, surprise, suprise, surprise! Docherty’s spinning and backpedalling furiously. What’s worse: Autoblog has appointed itself apologist-in-chief. Make the jump to span the “plausibility gap.”
In fact, after Docherty first stated that number, Motor Trend’s Todd Lassa immediately asked her for further clarification. Docherty then explained to a group of journalists, including this blogger, that the 75-to-90-day supply number refers to total supply, including cars on dealer lots plus cars in transit and cars at the factory awaiting shipment. Thus, the actual corresponding dealer inventory number is really 45 to 60 days. Industry publications such as Automotive News typically report only the smaller dealer inventory numbers, not the total supply figure Docherty referred to in her media presentation.
Huh? In all my years in this business, I have never heard anyone in the industry refer to “day’s supply” as anything other than the inventory on dealer lots, awaiting purchase. (Especially not Chrysler during its channel stuffing days.) While I’d LOVE to hear New GM’s TOTAL inventory—including the cars parked in lots and airfields—that’s not the figure that Automotive News or anyone else uses, and Docherty knows it. And does Autoblog.
Source: www.thetruthaboutcars.com
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