A High-Priced, Low-Choice Summer for Car Shoppers

It's been nearly two months since an earthquake and tsunami wracked Japan, and while U.S. car buyers might not yet feel the effect, it's coming, according to Edmunds analysts and car dealer groups. Both Honda and Toyota have told dealers that in the next few months, they will deliver half of their usual allocation of cars — or even less than half, in the case of Toyota's U.S.-built vehicles. Inventories are tightening already, and by summer, consumers can expect to find an increasingly spotty and expensive car-buying market.

There could still be good deals on some vehicles, but shoppers might ... Back to article