In a word, NO. The inventory shortage is not over. Are there more vehicles available now than 4-5 months ago, yes. Has the inventory returned to pre-pandemic levels, not even close.
The bugger of it is, the number of available vehicles to sell may never return to the "old days". There are simply far too many facets of the manufacturing and supply chain process that are still heavily disrupted.
Prior to 2020, It was not uncommon for New Vehicle franchise operators to stock 4-5 months' worth of inventory. the prevailing thought process has always been if you have a great selection and attractive pricing, the public will come and buy them. Today, a dealer may have a month or two supply of vehicles to sell, depending on the manufacturer.
There is a prevailing opinion that the manufacturers of automobiles have figured out it is better to build one less than they need, rather than one more. By doing so, the resulting lack of inventory will drive up demand, decreasing the need for the Automakers to heavily incentivize current stock to assist dealers in liquidating their inventory.
Even if they wanted to ramp up production, they couldn't. There are not enough workers to assemble the vehicles, not enough parts to build them in large numbers, and the freight delivery system is completely crippled with a shortage of drivers and a backlog of deliveries.
I think it is going to be a very long time indeed........... before we can call anything normal.
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