The Great Carpocalypse

[Monster Dave]

So going along with the "bigger is better, and more is less" philosophy of auto manufacturers, complimented by a stifled industry and market, has anyone wondered where auto manufacturers stash their over produced unsellable cars? It looks like many have decided to RETIRE their NEW cars to various test tracks, parking lots, and ports around the globe.

F-150's stacking up Outside Dearborn:


Toyota's in Long Beach:


More at Long Beach:


Citroens in Corby, England:


More Citroens:


MORE CITROENS:


ALL CITROENS!!!!


Honda at a storage lot in Sheerness, England:


Nissan's Test Track in Sunderland, England:


....so where are the great low low prices on all of these surplus cars?

Doesn't it make you wonder (after having discovered that most of these are stored in England) if England is covered from end to end with brand new, totally unsellable cars?

[mitt]

A couple thoughts-

Where to they hang all the keys?

Good place for car thieves.

We should see more good deals on new cars to get them moving.

mitt

[Monster Dave]

Where to they hang all the keys?

Good Point!!! I hadn't thought of that!!!

[acalles]

Good Point!!! I hadn't thought of that!!!

test tracks and lots are secure.

keys are in a bag, probably on the pass seat, maybe in the trunk, with monroney sticker and owners manual, and various items to be installed by the dealer that sells them.

[He Man]

what happens to all the cars that dont get sold or auctioned off?

[Autostrada Pilot]

I'll be glad to take one off of their hands.....I'll even pay the taxes on the MSRP (which will help our government have money to bailout-I'll stop here before I get political).

[Monster Dave]

I have two ideas about what happens to the unsold cars:

Robosaurus:


or

Monster Truck:


...for promotional service of course..... 

[Duck-Stew]

In the late '90s when the Ford Expedition was 'new', some thieves paid off the security gaurds...  masqueraded as the employees who drive the cars off the end of the assembly line...  and just drove them right off the lot.


Don't recall if they got caught or not, but the theory that those lots are 'secure'....is relatively true...

[nateqwik]

In the late '90s when the Ford Expedition was 'new', some thieves paid off the security gaurds...  masqueraded as the employees who drive the cars off the end of the assembly line...  and just drove them right off the lot.


Don't recall if they got caught or not, but the theory that those lots are 'secure'....is relatively true...

I know for a FACT it's not true. A co-worker of mine worked for Ford about 5 years ago. One of the "secure" storage lots at his factory had so many new mustangs stolen out of it every night the foreman finally resorted toparking the cars in a railyard surrounded by TRAINS! Guess what, the STILL stole them!

[Randimus Maximus]

with all the production cuts that damn near everyone has been making lately, this situation will be over soon.

[NeufUnSix]

Picture six looks more like Minis, not Citroens.

They have always piled up cars like this at ports, it's not necessarily indicative of a problem. In fact during Hurricane Juan several years ago thousands of new cars were damaged in the Halifax port holding facility and had to be written off.

[lethe]

Picture six looks more like Minis, not Citroens.

They have always piled up cars like this at ports, it's not necessarily indicative of a problem. In fact during Hurricane Juan several years ago thousands of new cars were damaged in the Halifax port holding facility and had to be written off.

According to this month's Car and Driver, Mini sales were up 31% in the US and they're talking about adding 10 more dealers.