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Wheels of commerce
Herald Sun, Melbourne  08 Sep 2023
General News - Page 49 - 253 words - ID 1925954754 - Photo: Yes - Type: Advertorial - Size: 247.00cm2

TURNING TIDES Geoff Gwilym VACC CEO T he tide has turned from the gloomy days of the global pandemic, where everything came to a grinding halt and any attempt to buy a new car became a non-event or just plain di?cult.

And not a day too soon.

Buying a new vehicle should be memorable for all the right reasons.

However, new car sales became significantly hampered by pandemic induced production delays, dealership trading restrictions and our ability to go car shopping during lock-down.

The ensuing reversal of supply at dealerships caused customer frustration and a blank stare into the delivery date crystal ball produced no clear answers about when you would get your new vehicle.

I'm buoyed by my recent discussions with new car dealers, though, about inventory levels with new car stock flowing back to our shores.

Some dealerships have even stockpiled their more popular models.

So, if you are looking to buy a new car in the lead up to Christmas, you no longer need a forensic qualification and a white jumpsuit to find one. You just have to shop around to find what you want.

And with improving stock levels, we might even see the industry's post-Christmas sale events return.

But proof of whether the tide has fully turned will come when delivery times for Toyota's most popular hybrid models revert to under three months.

However, with the improvement in stock supply, I wouldn't count on a used car market price crash.

Prepared by Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce

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