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
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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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
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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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
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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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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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
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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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.
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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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
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.
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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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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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
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
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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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
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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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
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
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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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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