Subaru’s U.S. sales slid 20 percent in December to 51,146 as inventory and production bottlenecks continue to plague the Japanese automaker.
It was the company’s seventh straight monthly decline.
Each of Subaru’s higher-volume crossovers saw declines while three lower-volume cars posted increases.
For the year, Subaru said U.S. sales finished down 4.6 percent to 583,810.
Notable nameplates: Outback, down 27%; Forester, down 13%; Crosstrek, down 37%; Ascent, down 9%; Impreza, up 4.7%; WRX/STI, up 3.5%; BRZ, up 525% (1,069 vehicles)
Incentives: For the fourth quarter, $1,006 per vehicle, down 32% from a year earlier, TrueCar says.
Average transaction price: For the fourth quarter, $31,360, up 3% from a year earlier, according to TrueCar.
Quote: “2021 is now in the record books and we know it could have been so much better had we not had to deal with the microchip shortage and the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Tom Doll, CEO of Subaru of America, said in a statement. “We look forward to improving conditions in 2022 which should allow us to return to growth mode.”
Did you know? The Forester compact crossover finished 2021 just 100 sales ahead of the Outback midsize crossover — 154,723 to 154,623 — to remain the brand’s top-selling model. In 2020, the Forester outsold the Outback by over 23,000 vehicles.