Why the “delivery time” of cars is so long…there is a “secret technique” to get a car right away!

Recently, people have been saying that the delivery time for cars is long, but this situation has escalated further. Many car models have been so long in delivery that dealers have stopped accepting orders from users.

A Toyota dealership explains the situation as follows.

There are two patterns in the suspension of orders. One is the suspension of orders as a result of a significant increase in delivery time. For example, orders for the Land Cruiser were halted because the delivery date for the current model has been delayed by more than four years. The second is a pattern in which orders are stopped prematurely when a full model change or a major minor change is approaching, as in the case of Prius and Alphard.

The delay in delivery dates is complicated when a full model change or major minor change is added to the delay. For example, the Prius will undergo a full model change from the end of 2022 to the beginning of 2023, while the Alphard will undergo a full model change in the spring of 2023.

In the case of the Alphard, under normal circumstances, the conventional model would be sold under favorable conditions at the end of the model year by now. Now, however, delivery times are long, especially for popular cars, and the Alphard has been extended to around eight months. Then, if the Alphard is fully remodeled in April 2023, orders for the next fully remodeled model must be taken from around August 2022.

However, since that preparation is not ready, the company has decided to stop taking orders for the Alphard. The dealers said , “We will not be able to resume taking orders for the Alphard until 2023 for the next model year. The same goes for the Prius; we will probably start taking orders for the next model at the end of 2022.

And the suspension of orders will occur frequently, as minor changes may also be implemented. Toyota dealers say, “There are times when orders for our best-selling models are halted across the board, and there are no more cars to sell. Even if orders are resumed, delivery will be delayed significantly. Among the best-selling models, the delivery date for the Yaris Cross will be after May 2023, and the Corolla Cross after August. The delivery date has been extended to about a year, mainly for popular models,” said the troubled automaker.

Toyota’s high-end brand Lexus is also experiencing significant delays in delivery. A dealer stated the following.

The NX and LX are Lexus’ best-selling models, but the delivery date has reached the end of 2023, so we had to stop taking orders for them. The RX, which is also a new model, has not yet been priced as of yet; around November 2022, the price will be revealed and pre-orders will begin. Still, it is hard to not be able to sell three of the most popular SUVs, the NX, LX, and RX, in effect.”

In addition to this, Honda says , “Delivery times for most models now extend to six months or more, from the new Step Wagon to the best-selling Fit and N-BOX. In the past, delivery times for mini cars were relatively short, but now they are almost the same as for compact cars,” he said.

Nissan stated the following.

“Delivery times are generally longer. In addition, since the Serena, our best-selling model, will undergo a full model change between the end of 2022 and 2023, we have eliminated the normal engine models and focused on the e-POWER hybrid model. The only grade that can be sold is practically the Highway Star, so sales volume has also been declining. The new Extrail, now a new model, will be contracted in late September 2022 and will not be delivered until July 2023 or later.”

Imported cars are by nature prone to supply instability. For example, the delivery of the Volkswagen Golf Variant station wagon can be delayed by about a year. Imported cars require more attention than Japanese cars, and price increases are also being implemented.

As mentioned above, all manufacturers and brands are delaying delivery dates significantly. Although “semiconductor shortages” are reported as the reason for this, a manufacturer official said, “It is not that simple.

It is true that there is a global shortage of semiconductors, but there are also delays in the supply of wire harnesses that transmit various electrical signals, plastic parts, paints, and many other items.

The background of the supply delays can be attributed in part to the effects of the new coronavirus and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While some factories were closed, production picked up in some areas due to increased economic activity, resulting in a worldwide shortage of semiconductors and other products.

However, not all delivery delays were caused by the new coronavirus and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Even before the new coronavirus, some car models had been produced in much smaller quantities than demand, resulting in delivery delays. The Suzuki Jimny, for example, had its delivery date extended by about a year immediately after its launch in 2018, before the COVID-19 crisis. The reason for this was that the production scale of the Jimny was fundamentally small.

After this, Jimny increased its production; immediately after its launch in 2018, the average number of vehicles reported per month was about 1,800, but from January to August 2022, the average monthly volume will reach about 3,600. Despite the impact of the new coronavirus, production of the Japanese version has doubled.

Even so, delivery times have not shortened. Dealers say , “Production volume has increased compared to the past, but delivery time is still more than one year. They say, “It seems as if the more units are produced, the more orders are received.

As mentioned earlier, the delivery time for the Land Cruiser has increased to more than four years with the current model. This is also because supply was low relative to demand. Approximately 50% of the Land Cruiser’s total production is sold in the Middle East. It is also supplied to Australia and other countries, and less than 10% is allocated to Japan.

This led to a significant delay in delivery and the suspension of orders. Behind the delay in delivery as described above, the manufacturer’s miscalculation of demand and lack of production facilities are also influencing the situation.

When we asked the manufacturers about their future prospects, we received the following response.

We are working closely with our suppliers to ensure that production is as rational and systematic as possible. However, it is difficult to predict the situation, as supplies from overseas sometimes stop suddenly.

Manufacturers are also taking measures to prioritize production of only certain grades. For example, for the new Toyota Senta, if priority is given to the top-of-the-line Z and certain factory-installed options are installed on the G and X, production will not start until April 2023 or later.

The new Toyota Crown crossover also gives priority to grades with the “Advanced” designation, and production of all other grades will be after January 2023. For the Mazda CX-60, the earlier delivery date is for the type that combines an inline 6-cylinder 3.3L clean diesel turbo with a mild hybrid.

The manufacturer’s developers said, “If we produce all specifications, the delivery date for all vehicles will be delayed. Therefore, we prioritized certain specifications to ensure as stable a supply as possible.

While there are few approaches to shortening delivery times on the part of buyers, some subscription-based car leases do offer shorter delivery times. For example, Toyota’s KINTO subscription service offers shorter delivery times than regular purchases.

The dealership says, “With the Noah Hybrid, it takes about a year for delivery,” but with KINTO, the delivery time is within “about one and a half to two months. The dealership states, “KINTO has a much shorter delivery time and is clearly more preferential compared to ordinary purchases, including residual value-setting loans. To be honest, it is not pleasant,” he says.

Because KINTO is a lease, it is essentially different from a purchase, including a loan. The car must be returned at the end of the contract period, and unlike a loan, it cannot be bought back. Therefore, although it cannot be directly compared to purchasing, the short delivery time is now also a major advantage of KINTO, especially for popular cars.

In particular, recently, as the number of new cars sold has dropped, the number of cars taken from the market has also decreased, and even the number of used cars in circulation has declined. The balance between supply and demand has changed, and used car prices have skyrocketed. In other words, with long delivery times for new cars and used cars being difficult to purchase, there are ways to choose KINTO to shorten delivery times even if you are not attracted to car leasing.

Today, the replacement demand for trading in a beloved car for a new car reaches about 80%. Many users buy a new car in time for the expiration of their beloved car’s inspection. Therefore, if the delivery date of a new car is delayed, the user will have to reapply for the inspection of the car he trades in, which is both time-consuming and costly.

In this situation, it is necessary to start business negotiations early and proceed with the contract more than one year before the expiration of the car inspection. If this does not fit your replacement cycle, you may want to consider using a service with a short delivery time, such as KINTO.