I read a reprint in my local newspaper from The NY Times this morning. It shows some discounts in new cars and trucks from the manufacturers. A new 2023 RAM Classic has a discount of $4000. A dealer in Michigan said that he has several Chargers and Challengers with up to $11,000 off. The author also quoted Edmunds saying that the average new car price is about $47,000. Some manufacturers are regulating production to keep inventory low while others have more than 100 days worth of vehicles on dealer lots. The latter are the discounters.
Yup! This bar graph, published about 1 month ago, show which brands are selling in adequate numbers, and which ones are languishing on dealers’ lots.
The biggest “loser” in this situation is the new Dodge Hornet (an “American” vehicle with the reliability of a vehicle made in Italy), for which there is currently a 646 day supply sitting on dealers’ lots. As a result, someone could score $15k+ off the sticker price at a Dodge dealership in PA:
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Manufacturers would like to keep their workers working, even at a slower pace, than lay them off but the “holding companies” that take delivery of those cars after assembly do not want inventory piling up on their lots waiting for dealer orders.
Car building is a tough business to be in during economic swings.
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… especially when a manufacturer misreads public buying behavior.
I seriously doubt if most folks in the US are aware that the Dodge Hornet is made in Italy, and is a low-rent version of the unreliable Alfa Romeo Tonale.
So, why are so few people interested in buying a Hornet that there is now a 21 month supply of them sitting on dealers’ lots in The US? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I think that if the mfr conducted sufficient focus groups and other types of research, they might not have stumbled into this sales disaster.
I’m afraid the hornet is not the only models collecting dust at the dealers. Yeah it’s a tough business and what is not needed is the government deciding what should be manufactured and what the dealers should sell. In class we used to discuss the folly of the Soviet five year plan folly.
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The government’s been involved in specifying various aspects of cars since at least 1940 (sealed beam headlights).
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The government told Stellantis to build a poor-quality vehicle in Italy, and try to pass it off as a “US” marque? Who knew?
As to government incentives, the stats seem to indicate that hybrids are favored by the public. Not necessarily poor-quality hybrids built in Italy, however… 
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I just looked at the Dodge Hornet build it site . The first thing that stood out was Premium fuel , no thanks . Second at the listed price it does not appear to have a lot of features that vehicles listing for less have. Third, the same problem that a lot of vehicles have now is the styling just is not much different from other vehicles.
Possibly related. Some of the major retailers in this area (e.g. Target) are also now cutting their prices. Many of their customers apparently are simply refusing to pay the inflation-caused price hikes, so the items sit on the shelves for months. They figure it is better for the company’s profits in the long term to keep items moving briskly off the shelf, sell them for a little less profit.
Now that dealers are slashing Hornet prices by $7k to $16k, somebody can buy one “relatively” cheaply. I still wouldn’t want one, but if someone is looking for a deal and isn’t wary of the likely reliability problems, it might be something to consider… and then dump it when the warranty expires.
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I think we should still be able to drive cars with carbureted engines and no catalytic converters, don’t you? To heck with people with respiratory issues. They just need to toughen up, right?
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My guess, if this vehicle is perceived to have a quality problem, it is b/c the only non-hybrid versions uses a 4 cylinder turbocharged engine linked with a 9 speed automatic transmission. I doubt its build-location is the problem. More likely it’s the complexity/reliability compromise.
The only way to know is if they also sold a similar vehicle with a NA 4 cylinder engine and manual transmission.
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People are able to still drive vehicles with carbs and no cats… I have one… lol
@Rainflurry is probably referring to new cars.
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Good catch! That’s my mistake. I meant to say “we should still be able to buy new cars with…”
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Yes George, I knew exactly what Rainflurry meant, But as lots of folks on here have to nitpick every little thing that someone says, I thought I would get in on the fun… 
RainFlurry was obviously being sarcastic, so I was being sarcastic also, having a little fun…
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That maybe they would find 10 people that want that vehicle .
Just stop George !!
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And then willing to buy it, I know we have multiple people on here that say that the OEM’s should offer a truly basic vehicle, but they also all drive 25+ yo vehicles and I doubt any of them would actually buy one even if it was offered…
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Compared to a CRV Hybrid or Rav4 Hybrid the hornet really doesn’t have much to offer even with some of the discounts. Priced too high and unknown reliability aren’t helping Hornet sales. Unless you can get a decent lease deal and hand it back before the warranty’s up.
Agreed.
I miss leaded gasoline, too, and hand cranking the starter on my engine. And seat belts are for wusses too.
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