Chevrolet Trailblazer is Fastest-Selling New Car on the Market; Tesla Model 3 Tops Used List
Chevrolet’s new small crossover shows strong demand right off the bat, while Tesla’s Model 3 remains a popular used buy.
Automakers rightfully crow about sales figures, but how long do cars typically sit on dealer lots before finding their home? iSeeCars conducted a study of some 4.4 million new and used car sales between March and June of this year to find out just that. New models are self-explanatory, while used cars were from 2015 through 2019 model years. At the risk of sounding like a bad infomercial, the results may surprise you. Or not, if you’ve already read the headline.
Leading the new car charge is the diminutive Chevrolet Trailblazer. The American automaker brought back the nameplate this spring for a pint-size soft-roader, not a body-on-frame model like the original. The sub-compact crossover spends just 19 days on dealer lots before purchase, shipping off five times faster than the new-car industry average of 96.9 days. iSeeCars states the ongoing coronavirus pandemic plays a part here. Not only are new car sales way down across the board, but COVID-19 also affected the Trailblazer’s production in South Korea. With less examples on showroom floors and an attractive starting price around $20,000, the Trailblazer is a hot commodity.
The Trailblazer’s lux-oriented sibling, the Buick Encore GX, notches into 11th place, with an average on-lot time of 46.6 days. Chevrolet also scored a seventh-place spot with the Bolt EV. It’s one of the most affordable electric cars on the market. What’s more, the Bolt is also the only car in the top 12; everything else is a crossover.
Kia’s popular Telluride slots into second behind the Trailblazer, needing 25.7 days to shift, on average. The Kia Seltos, Honda CR-V Hybrid, Hyundai Palisade, and Mercedes-Benz GLB round out the top six. All four models were introduced within the last year, showing strong demand right from the get-go.
The used market is, on average, a faster-moving machine: the average here was 68.9 days. Tesla dominates the used car list, scoring three of the ten spots with the chart-topping Model 3 (29.3 days), Model X (47.6 days) and Model S (50.7 days). Toyota and Honda both score two spots each with the Yaris (44.8 days), Corolla hatchback (50.2), Civic (47.4 days), and Accord (50 days). BMW’s X6 “Sport Activity Vehicle” nets second place, while the Subaru BRZ remains an affordable, approachable used sports car buy.
iSeeCars attributes Tesla’s popularity to the brand’s early adoption of over-the-air updates, which other brands are only now introducing. It helps keep a slightly older car feeling more modern.
In the truck world, mid-size models were king, with the Toyota Tacoma and Honda Ridgeline topping the new and used lists, respectively. Used trucks have sold quicker than their new siblings this year, needing a little over a month’s less time (70.4 versus 104 days).
The closest margin, rather surprisingly, comes from EVs. The new Porsche Taycan reigns supreme here—it was excluded from the overall list due to lower volume—with a wait time of just 37 days, beating the Bolt (41.7 days) and Hyundai Ioniq (50.5 days). The used leader, the Model 3, sits at 29.3 days.
Tesla obviously leads the used brand list, while Subaru tops the new car one.You can check out the full list at iSeeCars.com.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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