Since the end of 2020, it started in the automotive industry a scenario never seen before. On the one hand, the lack of semiconductors, which were prioritized for the manufacture of electronic equipment such as tablets and cell phones, halted the production lines for vehicle assembly, while the prices of other inputs, such as steel, rose by double digits and the cost of ocean freight reached all-time highs.
With this panorama, buying a new car has become an exercise in patience, taking the waiting times for a unit from four to 10 months. But now the waiting times are beginning to reduce.
How long should I wait now for a new car?
Guillermo Rosales, president of the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA), says in an interview that “there is a well-marked trend of recovery of supply chainsof the logistics networks, and this is reflected in the behavior of prices, mainly of maritime freight”.
From his perspective, for the second half of the year the purchase process could return to its usual times compared to before the covid-19 health contingency, when it took an average of 15 days between administrative procedures and unit assignment. Nowadays, Rosales places waiting times below two months.
Between the gradual recovery of production levels and an offer that is not enough to satisfy the demand, assemblers have had to prioritize markets to those who command their units.
“It is not being easy for the automakersbecause from the headquarters they have to choose where the vehicles are sent, highlighting that there are markings that can be more attractive than Mexico, which unfortunately we see in the price, since many vehicles have the same price in Mexican pesos as in dollars, when we know that in Mexico the purchasing power is very different”, says Brais Álvarez, JD Power account manager, in an interview with Expansionwho places the waiting times between one and six months.
In the special case of Suzuki University in Mexico City, the firm has been in charge of supplying more of the models Ertiga, Swift Y S-Crosswhich at the same time stand out as one of the best sellers by the company in the country.
Oscar Martínez, belonging to the marketing area of said dealer, stresses that these models are “practically immediate delivery”however, in other models such as ignis Y Baleno the waiting time can be up to two months. In the case of jimnythe wait is longer, since it is only obtained through pre-sale.
“We try to ask for all that they offer us. If there is a model, even if we don’t have it with a section, we ask for it, because there are certain models that we launch in promotions and they come out quickly. we never have too many”, he adds.