Buyers of any product are a fickle bunch. Products that experts think would be a major seller don't excite consumers, who ignore it on the shelves or in dealers' parking lots. Trying to determine what consumers want and will buy can be a difficult game at best.
Auto analysts may give a new car the thumbs up and expect sales to go through the roof. Journalists jump on board and write glowing reviews to entice consumers.
But, to a great surprise to all, those cars just don't sell.
And as they continue to gather dust in the parking lots of dealerships, such models become targets to be slashed from an auto makers line.
BusinessWeek examined several factors involved in whether a car stays on a lot or is driven off by an excited consumer. One example is the Hyundai Azera. In a recent J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study, owners gave the car the highest marks in the large car segment. There are better than the perennial favorite, the Toyota Avalon, and the new Dodge Charger.
Yet it does not sell well. One reason for its underachieving is the fact that Hyundai is not helping it out with model specific advertising. The thing is, not every model of a car companies stable can be heavily promoted.
Of course, the proper promotion by a manufacturer is not just the only major reason why a car may or may not sell. Another element that can affect things other than advertising is where the car or model is positioned in a car company's stable of models. A car, for example, may be too expensive for a particular segment of the market while not prestigious enough for the next level.
The Volkswagen Passat is an example of this. It is more expensive than competitors like Honda Accord and it is less prestigious than the Audi A4. The fact that it is hard to categorize may be one of the reasons sales were down 33 percent compared to last year.
Another factor that could influence things is the car's design. In short, it just might be too radical or too bland for the consumers it is supposed to attract.
Then there are trends. When a car maker designs and constructs a car the trends they may have been relying on could have changed. For example, there was a time when the SUV was a heavy hitter for car makers. Many companies continued to make them on through the time when they were no longer appreciated by the buying public which has switched to crossovers and smaller cars. Thus, dealers have to cut SUV prices deeply to get them off their lots.
More details can be found above. Our take? It is a never ending game auto makers must play year after year after year. And some models work out well and are snapped up by consumers while others just remain in that little corner space in the dealership?s parking lot. It appears that these cars -- also called wallflowers -- are destined to exist.