NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A Bahamian auto dealer said yesterday that while demand for new vehicles remains “robust”, supply challenges coupled with inflation have created quite the “predicament”.
Ben Albury, General Manager of Bahamas Bus and Truck, told Eyewitness News: “I would say the foot traffic and interest has been very robust, especially on the commercial end and the high-end passenger vehicles and SUVs.
You have dealers here with almost nothing to sell.
– Ben Albury
“Unfortunately, we still face challenges with supply, especially with American vehicles.
“Inflation is now also a challenge.
“We just got our updated pricing list for 2022 and there have been drastic price increases ranging anywhere from about two percent to about eight percent, and when you compound that with increased shipping costs and higher amounts of duty that would be applied, it’s not a good thing.”
Albury added: “I think I’m kind of fortunate at the moment because I think I found myself in [a] slightly better stock situation than the majority of my competitors and that led to us coming out the gates blazing last month, but I am concerned about how sustainable it is.
“I have American vehicles I have had on order for 12 months that haven’t even been built yet. I have a lot of vehicles on order.
“I think we will be seeing this kind of thing until the end of this calendar year.
“You have dealers here with almost nothing to sell.”
Albury said that while he is encouraged by demand, he remains cautious about the situation until supply issues are abated.
“It’s quite the predicament. I would have never predicted that I would have so much more demand than I’m able to satisfy at this point in time,” said Albury.
Loading ...
