New Year, New Car? What to expect buying a new vehicle in 2022

Happy new year! Today marks the first business day in the automotive world for 2022. Last year held a lot of changes for our staff and customers alike. If you visited our dealership anytime in 2021, you will have noticed just how empty the lots have been. One upside is that it certainly makes the job of our snow clearing team much easier!

Early into the pandemic, there was still a reasonable supply of vehicles on dealer lots and some trickling in from manufacturers. Then phrases like “delayed shipments” “micro-chip shortage” and “supply chain challenges” have become commonplace across all industries. With that, dealer lots looked nearly empty all last year. This has completely changed the experience of buying (and selling!) a new vehicle.

But here’s something surprising: In 2021, we delivered more new vehicles to customers than we did in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

So why were the lots empty?

Well, thanks to good communication from our friends at Toyota Canada we have been able to see vehicles that have left the factory and are on their way to the dealership before they arrive. This has allowed us to work with customers to pre-sell inventory before it gets to the dealership. We’ve had a gradual but consistent stream of car carriers full of new Toyota vehicles arriving through the whole year – but all of them had homes already. Our lot has been empty because once these pre-sold vehicles arrive, they’re usually in their home driveway within two days. 

For 2022, this looks much the same. Like COVID, it doesn’t seem like supply chain challenges are going away anytime soon.

What does this mean for you?

It means if 2022 is going to be the year for you to get a new Toyota, you should get started shopping right now.

Don’t take this the wrong way – this isn’t a sales pitch. We’re trying to let you in on something that challenges us every single day: The era of deciding you want a new vehicle, picking one from the showroom and driving home is gone. Maybe forever.

Our friends at Google put it this way, “In just one year the automotive landscape drastically shifted in ways that would have normally taken five.”

The pandemic changes certainly brought new challenges, but demand for Toyota vehicles was also higher than it’s ever been before. In fact, last year in the U.S. more people chose a new Toyota than any other vehicle. (Canadian numbers still pending at the time of publication). 

The current reality is many customers are waiting several months to take delivery of their new vehicle once they’ve decided what to order. In one exceptional example, a Toyota customer in Nova Scotia ordered a Sienna Hybrid when they got news their family was growing… and the new baby was delivered before the new vehicle!

There’s a ton of information on your new vehicle available on the internet. We understand and respect it takes time to make an informed decision on your next vehicle. In fact, the average Canadian spends over two months online before visiting a dealer.

We know it takes time to come to a decision on a new vehicle. We want you to put our team to work for you. Our Product Advisors have all the tools to help you choose the Toyota that’s right for you and your life, we can walk through your payment options 100% remotely and 100% transparently. Once you’ve decided, a small deposit and credit application is all that’s required to reserve your new vehicle.

If the vehicle you’re interested in isn’t already on the way, we’ll submit a “Sold Order Request” on your behalf and work to get your vehicle as soon as there is one made. We’ll work with you to keep you updated on estimated times of arrival. Our system isn’t quite as easy as clicking a tracking code, but we’ve come a long way in the last year and it’s certainly better than your package being lost in Dieppe.

Of course, all vehicle availability is on a first come, first-serve basis. We’ll do our very best to get you in your new vehicle as soon as possible, but please expect this time to look a little different than you’re used to.

Our focus is on having the most loyal customers by providing the best ownership experience. Right now, that looks like giving you a friendly inside look and a little “heads up” that the standard wait for a new vehicle is several months. This of course varies by model, and changes often. Please get in touch with someone on our team today to get started.

2022 absolutely can be “New year, new car!” for you.