Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup became fastest-selling new car in August
The Chevrolet Corvette had been the fastest-selling new car for months this year, but the Santa Cruz overtook the sports car, according to the latest data.
August sales of the Hyundai Santa Cruz may be a promising sign for the Korean automaker. According to new data iSeeCars released on Tuesday, the oddball pickup truck was the fastest-selling new car last month. With the Santa Cruz's ascension to the top of the chart, it dethroned the Chevrolet Corvette. Chevy's sports car held the top spot for months this year.
According to the data, which looked at 900,000 new and used cars sold last month, the Santa Cruz sits at a Hyundai dealership for just eight days on average. That's just a smidge quicker than the Corvette, which only hands around at a dealer for 8.3 days on average.
Bear in mind these figures take more than demand into account, and aren't based on the total number of vehicles sold. With the ongoing chip shortage, the supply of new cars remains very low, which leads to car buyers snapping up cars quicker than ever from dealers. In other words, typical production schedules for various cars could shake this list up, but we're living through quite the supply chain crunch at the moment.
Still, even noting that, the average new car still takes 26 days to sell, so eight-day turnaround times are super quick no matter how you look at it.
However, the list definitely showcases the new-car shortage. For example, Subaru continues to work through massive shortage issues, which reflects the fact three Subarus make the fastest-selling cars list for August. That includes the WRX, which saw sales increase over 2020 figures. Again, as car shoppers don't find what they're looking for, they may turn to the next closest brand to shop, simply because they need a set of wheels. On the flip side, demand for Subarus is up, just as the company builds fewer cars.
There's another fun newcomer to the list this month, too: the Ford Bronco. The SUV takes just 10.6 days on average to sell, according to this data. It's tied with the WRX and Land Rover Defender for the 14th spot, though 11th through 13th place are separated by just a single decimal point. If anything, August showed the new car market remains highly volatile.
Fastest Selling New Cars in August 2021
| Rank | Vehicle | Avg. days to sell | Avg. price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hyundai Santa Cruz | 8 | $34,485 |
| 2 | Chevrolet Corvette | 8.3 | $89,788 |
| 3 | Mercedes-Benz GLS | 8.7 | $97,359 |
| 4 | Subaru Crosstrek | 9 | $28,882 |
| 5 | Toyota RAV4 | 9.5 | $31,533 |
| 6 | Toyota Sienna | 9.5 | $43,979 |
| 7 | Subaru Forester | 9.7 | $32,750 |
| 8 | Hyundai Tucson Hybrid | 9.8 | $33,732 |
| 9 | Toyota 4Runner | 9.8 | $46,258 |
| 10 | Lexus RX 450h | 9.9 | $59,349 |
| 11 | Kia Seltos | 10.3 | $26,962 |
| 12 | Toyota Corolla Hybrid | 10.4 | $25,399 |
| 13 | GMC Yukon | 10.5 | $71,192 |
| 14 | Subaru WRX | 10.6 | $35,112 |
| 15 | Land Rover Defender | 10.6 | $76,847 |
| 16 | Ford Bronco | 10.6 | $49,712 |
| 17 | Kia Telluride | 10.7 | $45,001 |
| 18 | Cadillac Escalade | 10.7 | $99,798 |
| 19 | Kia Carnival | 10.8 | $37,409 |
| 20 | Toyota Tacoma | 10.8 | $38,449 |
| Average for all new vehicles | 26 | $40,180 |
