Tue, 07/27/2021 - 7:07pm
A nearly empty lot for staging new cars is seen outside Kendall Toyota of Anchorage July 23. A microship shortage reducing new car inventory has sent used vehicle prices soaring by 47 percent in Alaska. (Photo/Emily Mesner/Anchorage Daily News)
The global slowdown in auto manufacturing has left many showroom floors and car lots in Alaska nearly empty.
Auto dealers say the situation follows a national trend that has boosted demand for used cars and trucks, causing prices of those vehicles to skyrocket.
They say the problem is unprecedented, and rooted in pandemic-related supply snarls that reduced the availability of microchips and other parts for new cars.