200,000 New-Car Shoppers Up for Grabs

The new-car shortages, caused by the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, will mean that nearly 197,000 shoppers who are looking for a new car and who prefer a major Japanese brand will have to look elsewhere, according to A.T. Kearney. Another 36,000 loyal owners of other Japanese automakers (such as Subaru) will also have to look somewhere else.

The study compared the total lost production and pent-up demand for new cars. The firm says some 9 million delayed new-car purchases that have been postponed since 2007 will materialize in the next five to seven years. New-car sales will return to near-historic levels, about 16 million new cars a year, by 2013, A.T. Kearney says.

Not all is lost. Some 42% of buyers who are loyal to Japanese brands will delay their purchases until there are more units to choose from, according to the firm. However, that will still affect sales this year to the tune of about 100,000 vehicles.

Most analysts predict that domestic and South Korean automakers will take the most advantage of that new pool of buyers.

A.T. Kearney’s 15th Annual Automotive Study (A.T. Kearney, via Reuters)