Originally published by Auto Finance News | Aidan Bush | July 10, 2026
While rising auto sales in June caused inventories to dip year over year, opportunities exist for dealers to grow sales by marketing inventory on a model-by-model basis, experts say.
New vehicle inventories dropped 3% YoY to 72 days in June, as new sales have risen, Jeremy Robb, chief economist at Cox Automotive, said during a July 8 company presentation.
Retail used vehicle inventories dropped 2% YoY to 45 days, he said, noting that used inventory drops are a result of rising used-vehicle prices.
While dealers’ used vehicles are selling amid renewed demand, those retailers should proactively assess how they can optimize demand for individual vehicles in their remaining inventory, Randy Kobat, chief commercial officer at inventory management platform Lotlinx, told Auto Finance News.
About 48% of more than 200 dealership employees surveyed in June said they had little to no visibility into how individual vehicles on their lots were over- or under-supported by advertising, according to a Lotlinx study published July 8.
Without more detailed insights on vehicle-by-vehicle marketing, dealers could suffer if demand for used vehicles wanes, he said.
“Good economics minimize good execution,” he said. “Dealers that are driving profitability higher are those that are still executing well during an environment that allows them to not focus on the details.”
One way dealers can improve profitability is by waiting longer to mark a potential customer as a lost sale, Kobat said. If the vehicle that customer originally wanted is sold, dealers can instead point them toward vehicles at similar prices through personalized marketing.
“We actually see some of those customers back on that same dealer’s website looking at other cars,” he said. “We can alert the dealer that consumer … is actively still shopping.”
Wholesale supply up
Meanwhile, wholesale inventory rose to 26.9 days, up 1.3 days YoY at the end of June, according to Cox. The share of vehicles sold at auction also ticked up 0.8 percentage points YoY to 57.5%.
Higher conversion rates at auction alongside a balanced supply of vehicles is keeping wholesale vehicle prices elevated, Cox Automotive Senior Director of Economic and Industry Insights Jonathan Gregory said during the presentation, noting that that might change as “off-lease volumes continue to build.”
Wholesale supply is projected to total 11.9 million units in 2026 and could grow to 12.2 million units by 2027, according to Cox.
Auto Finance Summit, the premier industry event for auto lending and leasing, returns October 5-7 at Caesars Las Vegas. To learn more about the 2026 event and register for early-bird pricing through Aug. 21, visit www.AutoFinance.live/AFS.
The insights don’t stop here.
See the complete results from the Lotlinx Inventory Health Survey, including dealer benchmarks and key findings on inventory visibility, aging, and profitability.