Cars Americans didn't want to buy in 2017

Grant Suneson | 24/7 Wall Street

The U.S. auto industry’s growth streak that began in 2010 ended in 2017 as car and light truck sales fell 1.8% from 2016. Some manufacturers, however, took a bigger hit than others.

Cars aren’t selling nearly as well as they used to as more American consumers are opting for larger SUVs and crossovers — and some manufacturers failed to anticipate this shift. “Not all the manufacturers were prepared for that, so they ended up producing too many units,” Tim Fleming, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book, said in interview with 24/7 Wall Street.

He said this caused the average days to turn, or the number of days a car sat on a dealer’s lot before being sold, to increase to 82 in 2017 compared with 75 in 2016. While some of the most in-demand vehicles may only last a few weeks, many vehicles will sit on dealership lots for months before they are sold.

Days to turn can be a useful metric in determining which car segments and models are going out of style. It specifically helps us learn how vehicles are performing against their manufacturers’ expectations. If a vehicles sits on the lot for six months, it likely means the manufacturer overestimated how popular it would be.

24/7 Wall Street reviewed data provided by Kelley Blue Book on average days to turn to determine the cars Americans don’t want to buy.

15. Buick Envision

Buick

Avg. days on lot: 161.8

2017 sales: 41,040

2016 sales: 14,193

Starting at: $33,995

After making its U.S. debut in late 2016, Buick sold over 41,000 Envision crossovers in 2017. No doubt trying to cash in on the popularity of crossovers, Buick may have overestimated how popular the Envision would be, as the average vehicle sat on the lot for 161.8 days before being sold. Buick is likely hoping that the redesigned Envision, coming out close to the third quarter of 2018, will sell more quickly.

14. Cadillac ATS

Avg. days on lot: 164.9

2017 sales: 13,100

2016 sales: 21,505

Starting at: $35,495

Though luxury cars have been fairly resilient amid the drop in sales overall, sales of the Cadillac ATS have decreased significantly every year since 2013, its first full year in production. After selling over 38,000 models in 2013, ATS sales plummeted to 13,100 in 2017. The Cadillac ATS is the only car to appear on this list for the fourth straight year.

13. Cadillac XTS

Avg. days on lot: 165.0

2017 sales: 16,275

2016 sales: 22,171

Starting at: $46,395

The Cadillac XTS is one of three Cadillac models on this list. Much like the ATS, the XTS debuted in 2012 and sold fewer and fewer cars each year after 2013. The sedan may have fallen victim to the overall trend of Americans shifting to SUVs and crossovers as their fuel efficiency gets better and gas relatively remains inexpensive.

12. Buick Cascada

Avg. days on lot: 167.3

2017 sales: 5,595

2016 sales: 7,153

Starting at: $33,065

Buick introduced the Cascada to American audiences in 2016, marking the company’s first convertible since the early 1990s. The car is sold under several different names in Europe, but Americans weren’t receptive to the car, and sales dropped to 5,595 units in 2017. The average Cascada took over 167 days to turn.

11. Hyundai Genesis

Scott Olson, Getty Images

Avg. days on lot: 169.2

2017 sales: 1,134

2016 sales: 23,230

Starting at: N/A

As consumers continue to shift away from cars in favor of SUVs, Hyundai is retooling its line of vehicle offerings. Dating back to 2008, Genesis has been available as both a sedan and a coupe, but both styles were discontinued, which likely made consumers reluctant to buy them. Hyundai is now rebranding the Genesis as a luxury vehicle, changing the name to Genesis G80.

10. Cadillac CTS

Avg. days on lot: 172.3

2017 sales: 10,344

2016 sales: 15,911

Starting at: $46,495

All three of Cadillac’s car offerings, the ATS, CTS, and XTS, are struggling to sell, but the CTS is the slowest moving among them. The CTS, which debuted its third generation in 2013, sold just over 10,000 units in 2017 — and each one took an average of 172.3 days to turn.

9. Buick LaCrosse

General Motors

Avg. days on lot: 175.9

2017 sales: 20,161

2016 sales: 27,582

Starting at: $29,565

When Buick updated the LaCrosse in 2009, it sold 61,000 units the following year. Since then, sales have dwindled. A 2017 redesign couldn’t reignite interest in the Lacrosse, and sales dropped to just over 20,000 last year, the lowest full-year sales figure for the Lacrosse.

8. Jeep Patriot

Avg. days on lot: 176.0

2017 sales: 40,735

2016 sales: 121,926

Starting at: N/A

The Patriot sold well for a decade, but sales plummeted in 2017 after news broke that the model would be phased out of production. Jeep sold over 120,000 Patriots in both 2015 and 2016, but once Jeep stopped producing the SUVs, they sat on the lot for nearly six months on average.

7. Buick Regal

Avg. days on lot: 177.7

2017 sales: 11,559

2016 sales: 19,833

Starting at: $27,065

After a seven-year hiatus, Buick revived the Regal in 2010 — just before consumers started to turn away from cars in favor of SUVs. Buick is hoping a reshaped Regal could help revive sales and is introducing a sixth generation of the sedan for the 2018 model year.

6. Toyota Yaris

Avg. days on lot: 178.4

2017 sales: 8,653

2016 sales: 10,872

Starting at: $15,635

Sales for the Toyota Yaris are slowing down as consumers anticipate a slightly updated version of the sedan will be released in 2018. The new Yaris will be rid of the last remnant of its former status as a Scion model, including shedding the “iA” from the end of its name.

5. Nissan Quest

Nissan

Avg. days on lot: 185.1

2017 sales: 4,950

2016 sales: 11,115

Starting at: N/A

Minivans are falling out of favor as car owners who need spacious vehicles are increasingly opting for SUVs. The Nissan Quest appears to be a victim of this trend. While the minivan was discontinued after the 2016 model year, the Quests still in stock took over six months to find a buyer.

4. Chrysler 200

Avg. days on lot: 187.4

2017 sales: 18,457

2016 sales: 57,294

Starting at: N/A

The Chrysler 200 has been discontinued, and for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne, it wasn’t a moment too soon. Marchionne said the 200, along with the Dodge Dart, was one of the “least financially rewarding enterprises that we’ve carried out.” Sales of the 200, which replaced the Sebring in 2010, peaked in 2015 at nearly 178,000, but it wasn’t enough to make the 200 profitable.

3. Volkswagen CC

Avg. days on lot: 189.4

2017 sales: 1,355

2016 sales: 3,237

Starting at: N/A

Volkswagen’s CC is out of production after several years of sliding sales. The CC was redesigned in 2012, but fewer people bought the car each year and Volkswagen ended its production. The sedan will be replaced by the new Arteon.

2. Dodge Dart

Avg. days on lot: 207.8

2017 sales: 10,082

2016 sales: 43,402

Starting at: N/A

Dodge’s attempt to revive the Dart — a brand popular in the 1960s and 1970s — proved to be short-lived. The Dart was discontinued in 2016 after just four years in production. The Dart’s sales fell well short of its competitors, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles quickly pulled the plug. After the announcement that new Darts would no longer be produced, the cars took over 200 days to sell on average in 2017.

1. Buick Verano

General Motors

Avg. days on lot: 223.6

2017 sales: 4,277

2016 sales: 30,277

Starting at: $21,065

The Buick Verano encapsulates many of the difficulties that sedan makers have faced in recent years. The Verano struggled to compete against crossovers and SUVs, so Buick discontinued the model in 2016. Selling over 1,000 units in 2017, the car still qualified for this list, but the discontinuation made Veranos a tough sell. Sales fell from over 30,000 in 2016 to under 5,000 in 2017. Those Veranos that sold sat on dealer lots for 223.6 days on average, much longer than any other vehicle.

Detailed findings and methodology

To determine the cars Americans don’t want to buy, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed days to turn figures in 2017 provided by Kelley Blue Book. Days to turn refers to the average number of days a model sat on the dealer’s lot before being sold. Cars that sold under 1,000 units were not considered. Each car’s starting price is from the manufacturer’s website. Vehicles with “N/A” listed as their starting price no longer have a starting price listed on their manufacturer’s website. For more on how this list was determined, click here.

24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

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