Do you know that there are many things out there that happen but don’t make a lot of sense? Although these things are very important to us, you’ll just sit down and feel like; why aren’t people always talking about them?
Here’s an example – why do price tags in most countries are always without taxes included? Well, you need to understand that most of the questions that we try so hard to get answers to actually have explanations, which are sometimes complicated.
In the automobile industry, most manufacturers follow the same culture of releasing new car models a year early. That said, the burning question is – why do new car model years fail to sync with the calendar?
There are a few explanations as to why most new car models drop a year early. One of them is that a car model year started in the past decades with farmers, who only have money to spend when they harvest their crops in the fall. Another one has a lot to do with the winter season’s production limitations, caused by lighting.
Why do new vehicle models come out a year early? This is one of the frequently asked questions about car production that come with different explanations, which are very complicated. In the rest of this article, you’ll find out the answers to the burning question. In addition to that, as you read through this post, you”ll also learn a few other things, such as the best time of the year to buy a new car?
Why Do New Car Models Come Out a Year Early?
As earlier mentioned, there are several different explanations to explain the phenomenon of why new car models get released a year early. Let’s have a look at a couple of them below.
Farmers’ harvest time
One of the major factors, why the new car model years fail to sync with the calendar year, has a lot to do with the harvest period of farmers.
According to John Wolkonowicz, an independent auto analyst and historian in Boston, US, the automotive model year started in the early 1900s. At the time, farmers only get to harvest their crops and make enough money to purchase a car in the fall season. As such, the model year was birthed as a result of this phenomenon.
Here’s what the independent auto analyst said regarding the car model year theory, as mentioned by the Chicago Tribune:
“The automotive model year started back in the teens. Farmers would harvest their crops and sell them every fall, and that’s when they had enough cash in their pockets to go out and buy a car. And that’s how the model year started, and eventually, that’s how the fall introduction of new cars started.”
Winter season
In another explanation, it was revealed that the new car model years fail to sync with the calendar because of a few issues, such as lighting and heating, encountered by the assembly plants in northern states during the winter season.
According to Bob Kreipke, a Ford Motor Co. historian, that car assembly plants in the northern states usually encounter lighting and heating issues in the winter months. Due to that, new car models mostly get produced in the summer seasons before getting sold during the fall periods.
Here’s a brief of what the Ford historian said, as cited by The Detroit News:
In the early days, assembly plants in northern states had trouble with lighting and heating in the winter months. So, they mostly produced in the summer months and then put the cars out for sale in the fall.”
Industry accepted date
As earlier mentioned, there are several different explanations as to why the automobile makers prefer to roll out new car models a year early. Another theory says that the automotive industry settled for October 1, after World War II, as the beginning of the model year and the time new cars get released.
Emission and fuel economy regulations
Another explanation given to the burning question of why the new car model years fail to sync with the calendar year has something to do with the federal safety, emission, and fuel economy regulations in the 1960s and 1970s.
At the time, the regulations made it pretty much difficult for automotive manufacturers to only concentrate on inventing new technologies to improve their cars. Instead, they were also focused on scheduling timetables to meet their goals.
What Is the Best Time of the Year to Buy a New Car?
According to automotive experts, there are several different periods of the year that you can settle for to buy a new car.
First, you can always consider buying a new car at the end of any month of the year. At this time, all you need to do is work on your negotiating techniques and keep in mind that sales managers at dealerships are eager to sell their vehicles, as there are quotas for them to hit every month.
Another good time of the year to buy a new vehicle is when new car models are about to get rolled out. At this time, most sales managers at dealerships will be willing to quickly sell out the old models and bring in the new ones immediately when they get released. For this to happen, all you need to do is pay attention to automotive sales, understand when new car models are rolling out and when prices of older models go down.
Conclusion
Why do new car model years fail to sync with the calendar year? Now, I’m sure you know that there are several different explanations as to why that is so.
Of all the theories listed above, farmers’ harvest time and the assembly plant winter month’s lighting and heating issues are the two major explanations for the burning question.