As we reach the halfway point through 2022, automakers are chiming in to report sales for the second quarter and year-to-date thus far. Generally speaking, the news is terrible. But buried in the data are some cars that refuse to die. Yes, it's time for another round of zombie cars.
Making a return to the world of undead motoring is the Dodge Viper. The last Viper rolled off the line in 2017, but unsold models still exist in 2022. Sales data from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles shows a single Viper sold between April and June, though we don't have specifics as to the year or the trim level. We've seen zombie Vipers before, with earlier sales reports showing four were sold last year, and another four in 2020. How many more are still out there?
The hybrid BMW i8 isn't quite as old as the Viper. Its production run for the US ended in 2019, but an unsold i8 found a new home last quarter. The sleek sports car launched BMW's electric i brand, injecting some excitement with 369 combined horsepower from its turbocharged inline-three engine and electric motor. As with the Viper, we don't know the specific year or trim level of this i8, but we can tell you BMW has actually sold five i8s so far this year. Will we see more sales before 2023 arrives?
As for current model-year vehicles, supply chain issues continue to hamper automakers in a dramatic fashion. 2021 also saw production woes, but through the first half of 2022, nearly every major auto manufacturer has posted a double-digit decline in sales. Honda reported a sales drop of over 50 percent for the second quarter, with its luxury division Acura even lower at 51 percent. Many brands are down between 10 and 30 percent, but Subaru bucked the trend with a 0.7 percent year-over-year gain. Chrysler shocked everyone with a staggering 95 percent increase, but the automaker cited a backlog of fleet orders as the reason for the jump.
