The Mercedes G-Class Just Overtook The Corvette In Sales

Jun. 20, 2021 4:01 PM ET by Jake Lingeman Industry News / 12 Comments

They barely stay on the lot.

The new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has been tearing up the sales charts in 2021, logging four full months of sales leadership for new cars. But in May, it lost the honor to something just as ridiculous, and a lot more expensive, according to iSeeCars.

It's not a compact crossover, though a bunch of those made the list. Instead, it's the not-so-humble Mercedes G-Class, which has an average transaction price of an eye-watering $174,887. Compare that to the new Vette's average price of $85,359.

The fastest-selling new cars move 2.8 to 5 times faster than the average at about 13.7 days. Overall, a new car takes about 47.1 days to sell, while used cars are moving in 34.8 days.

2019-2021 Mercedes-Benz G-Class G550 Rear Angle View

2019-2021 Mercedes-Benz G-Class G550 Front Angle View

2019-2021 Mercedes-Benz G-Class G550 Front View

2019-2021 Mercedes-Benz G-Class G550 Dashboard

These fast movers are made more impressive because new car prices are up a few percentage points this year. However, used cars are up even farther, costing 13% more than they did in January overall.

"The microchip shortage continues to impact new and used car sales, with new car inventory decreasing by 15.7 percent and used car inventory decreasing by 2.1 percent in May over April, intensifying the already high demand for used cars and driving up prices," said iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer. "For new cars, both higher priced full-size SUVs and alternative fuel vehicles continue to be in high demand, striking an interesting dichotomy between practical and not-so-practical consumers."

The Corvette and G-Wagen were followed by the new Cadillac Escalade, which took about 10.8 days to sell at an average cost of $101,836. The next few cars are cheaper including the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid (11.1 days, $34,076), Kia Telluride (11.6 days, $44,066) and the Toyota RAV4 Prime (11.9 days, $43,755). The top 20 list houses just three vehicles considered cars, including the Volkswagen ID.4, and 17 SUVs and crossovers.

Back to the Corvette: America's sports car has been a hot seller since its debut because of huge demand and short supply. "Production for the Corvette idled from May 10 through May 17 and again on May 24 through the end of the month due to a parts shortage, and production of the 2021 model year is being cut short to make way for the 2022 Corvettes," said Brauer.

That doesn't sound like Chevy is going to take back that crown anytime soon, but we have been surprised before.