RV sales might be spiking, but the rest of the auto industry is suffering. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has shut down most of the world, and the auto world is getting hit harder than most. Potential buyers whose workplaces have been shut down have put purchasing a new vehicle on the back burner, and it’s had a major impact on dealerships. 

Some are outright shutting down, while others are being restructured to help make PPE. So how is this impacting newer models? According to i See Cars, sales have come to a complete halt for many models, but the Dodge Journey and the Dodge Caravan had been hit harder than most.

How is COVID-19 impacting the auto industry?

COVID-19 has drastically changed the auto industry, and it might never be the same again. Facilities like Nissan have shut down in an effort to slow the spread of the virus, and it has hurt both workers and automakers alike.

Plants like Fiat-Chrysler are fighting to stay open by creating stringent screening processes to make sure that their workers are healthy, and not spreading COVID-19 to their fellow coworkers.

As tragic as all this is, things are not all bad, however. In the midst of this pandemic, many automakers are developing ways to help health care workers and provide hope to those on the front lines. The auto sales are still suffering, however, and Dodge seems to be getting hit the hardest.

Why is the Dodge Journey sitting on car lots?

The SUV division is more popular than ever, but most potential buyers are steering clear of the Dodge Journey. According to i See Cars, Dodge currently has 45.8% of its inventory still sitting on the lot. If current sales are any indication, that’s not going to change any time soon.

According to Good Car, Bad Car, in 2017 the Dodge Journey sold 89,470 vehicles. Things got a little better in 2018 when owners bought 94,096. In 2019, the number dropped by 20,000 to 74,687. Just this year alone, only 15,151 have been purchased.

Critics have been brutal on the Journey, going so far as to suggest the only decent thing about it is the price. Not only do they consider it unreliable, but the engine is weak, the fuel economy is abominable, and beloved features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are nowhere to be found. 

Dodge Caravans are the worst-selling vehicle in America

The 2019 Dodge Journey clearly isn’t performing well, but the Dodge Caravan is performing even worse. In fact, it’s currently the worst-selling vehicle in America. According to i See Cars, 66.3% of Dodge’s inventory of Caravans is still sitting on the lot. 

The market for minivans isn’t huge anymore, since the SUV division has heated up, but the sales numbers haven’t been terrible. Good Cars, Bad Cars reports in 2017, the Caravan sold 125,196 vehicles. In 2018, that number rose to 151,927. In 2019, it dropped down to 122,648. This year, only 24,931 vehicles have been sold.

The question now is, why is the Dodge Caravan performing so much worse than other vehicles? The poor sales numbers are most likely due to the Coronavirus, but there is also another factor to consider. Dodge seems to have little to no interest in advertising when it comes to the Dodge Caravan. 

A quick glance at their Twitter feed reveals no recent posts of the Caravan. In fact, most of the vehicles listed are the Dodge Charger and Challenger. There are a few pictures of the Durango scattered throughout, but even those are rare. 

There are rumors that sedans are on the way out, but there’s an argument to be made that minivans are the ones that are really gone. There are still a few holdouts, but for the most part, there aren’t many minivans on the market. The Dodge Caravan has valiantly held in there, but the sales numbers prove that most minivans don’t have a place in consumer’s driveways.