Only 12.4% of new-car inventory was 2027 models in late August, which could mean discounts on 2026 cars

The auto industry is clinging to 2026.

At the end of August, just 12.4% of new-vehicle inventory was 2027 model-year, according to CarGurus data shared with Business Insider. That’s a sharp break from recent patterns: At the same point in each of the past three years, roughly one-quarter of new dealership inventory was for the next model year.

Kevin Roberts, the director of economic and market intelligence for CarGurus, told Business Insider that the transition looks similar to the period from 2020 through 2022, when the industry was dealing with Covid-era assembly-line shutdowns and chip shortages.

This year is different and less existential, he said, because “a lot of factors all came together to create something kind of unique this year.”

https://www.businessinsider.com/2027-cars-late-good-news-car-prices-2026-9