Despite a decline in U.S. car sales in 2019 from a year earlier, car sales exceeded 17 million for the fifth year in a row. In early 2020, some analysts predicted that sales would fall below that total — and that was before the coronavirus pandemic ground the economy to a halt.
When travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders begin to lift, automakers and dealerships will no doubt hope buyers will rush to buy new cars. The expectations for some older models and those that were in poor demand last year will likely remain low.
One way to measure demand for vehicles is to look at the average number of days a car sits on a dealer’s lot before it is sold. Car pricing and data company Kelly Blue Book provided 24/7 Wall St. with this data for 2019 in the U.S. market. We reviewed the 25 models that spent the highest number of days on average in dealer inventory before being sold. The average across all models sold in 2019 was 80 days. All of the cars on this list sold in an average of more than 133 days, and in some cases almost two-thirds of a year. All car sales data were obtained from Kelly Blue Book. Base price either came from manufacturer websites for the most recent version of the vehicle, and in the case of discontinued models, prices are estimates from third party car data sites.
Americans are generally less interested in buying new cars that have been on the market for a long time. A number of the cars on this list have been on the market for years without a redesign and are at the end of their life cycles. Many have been discontinued completely, such as the Ford Focus. Other models on this list, such as the Toyota 86, either have recent or upcoming redesigns, and so the low demand is likely tied to the fact that buyers are waiting for the updated design before purchasing. This is a list of the cars that have been completely redesigned for 2020.
Click here to see the cars Americans don’t want to buy
Click here to see the cars so hot they’re out of stock
Source: alfaromeousa.com
25. Alfa Romeo Stelvio
> Avg. days on lot: 133.3
> 2019 sales: 9,444
> 2018 sales: 12,043
> Base price: $41,345
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
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Source: Courtesy of Chevrolet
24. Chevrolet Volt
> Avg. days on lot: 133.8
> 2019 sales: 4,910
> 2018 sales: 18,306
> Base price: $34,395
> Parent company: General Motors
23. Hyundai Santa Fe XL
> Avg. days on lot: 136.5
> 2019 sales: 9,271
> 2018 sales: 7,667
> Base price: $30,950
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
Source: Courtesy of BMW
22. BMW 6 Series
> Avg. days on lot: 136.8
> 2019 sales: 1,098
> 2018 sales: 3,764
> Base price: $70,300
> Parent company: BMW Group
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Source: Brian Ach / Getty Images
21. Cadillac XT5
> Avg. days on lot: 138.6
> 2019 sales: 49,879
> 2018 sales: 60,565
> Base price: $44,095
> Parent company: General Motors
Source: Courtesy of Infiniti
20. Infiniti QX30
> Avg. days on lot: 138.8
> 2019 sales: 3,229
> 2018 sales: 8,101
> Base price: $31,145
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
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Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images
19. Jaguar XJ
> Avg. days on lot: 140.0
> 2019 sales: 1,167
> 2018 sales: 1,579
> Base price: $76,000
> Parent company: Tata Motors
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Source: fiatusa.com
18. Fiat 500
> Avg. days on lot: 141.3
> 2019 sales: 3,267
> 2018 sales: 5,370
> Base price: $16,495
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Source: cadillac.com
17. Cadillac CTS
> Avg. days on lot: 141.4
> 2019 sales: 6,965
> 2018 sales: 11,219
> Base price: $46,995
> Parent company: General Motors
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Source: Courtesy of Toyota
16. Toyota 86
> Avg. days on lot: 141.8
> 2019 sales: 3,398
> 2018 sales: 4,133
> Base price: $27,060
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.
Source: vw.com
15. Volkswagen Passat
> Avg. days on lot: 142.3
> 2019 sales: 14,123
> 2018 sales: 41,401
> Base price: $22,995
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
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Source: Courtesy of Alfo Romeo USA
14. Alfa Romeo Giulia
> Avg. days on lot: 142.6
> 2019 sales: 8,704
> 2018 sales: 11,519
> Base price: $38,545
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
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Source: Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons
13. Ford Transit Connect
> Avg. days on lot: 143.3
> 2019 sales: 41,598
> 2018 sales: 31,923
> Base price: $27,020
> Parent company: Ford Motor Co.
Source: Bryan Thomas / Getty Images
12. Mitsubishi Outlander
> Avg. days on lot: 144.1
> 2019 sales: 40,775
> 2018 sales: 41,818
> Base price: $24,895
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
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Source: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images
11. GMC Canyon
> Avg. days on lot: 147.5
> 2019 sales: 32,825
> 2018 sales: 33,492
> Base price: $36,945
> Parent company: General Motors
10. Ford EcoSport
> Avg. days on lot: 148.4
> 2019 sales: 64,708
> 2018 sales: 54,348
> Base price: $19,995
> Parent company: Ford Motor Co.
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Source: cadillac.com
9. Cadillac XTS
> Avg. days on lot: 151.8
> 2019 sales: 11,304
> 2018 sales: 17,727
> Base price: $46,795
> Parent company: General Motors
24/7 Wall St.
8. Nissan Titan
> Avg. days on lot: 151.9
> 2019 sales: 31,514
> 2018 sales: 50,459
> Base price: $36,190
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
Source: Bryan Mitchell / Getty Images
7. Ford Taurus
> Avg. days on lot: 169.3
> 2019 sales: 13,351
> 2018 sales: 36,088
> Base price: $27,800
> Parent company: Ford Motor Co.
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Source: Robert Hradil / Getty Images
6. Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
> Avg. days on lot: 175.4
> 2019 sales: 19,661
> 2018 sales: 9,436
> Base price: $22,995
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
Source: 52248755@N03 / Flickr
5. Buick Regal
> Avg. days on lot: 179.3
> 2019 sales: 10,363
> 2018 sales: 14,118
> Base price: $25,370
> Parent company: General Motors
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Source: David McNew / Getty Images
4. Fiat 500X
> Avg. days on lot: 185.7
> 2019 sales: 2,518
> 2018 sales: 5,223
> Base price: $24,740
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images
3. Fiat 124 Spider
> Avg. days on lot: 197.8
> 2019 sales: 2,644
> 2018 sales: 3,515
> Base price: $25,390
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Source: Courtesy of Ford Motor Company
2. Ford Focus
> Avg. days on lot: 207.9
> 2019 sales: 12,480
> 2018 sales: 113,345
> Base price: $12,900
> Parent company: Ford Motor Co.
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Source: Courtesy of Toyota
1. Toyota Yaris iA
> Avg. days on lot: 233.8
> 2019 sales: 16,333
> 2018 sales: 25,115
> Base price: $16,880
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.
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