Nearly 40% Of Cars Financed Since 2022 Are Underwater

November 18, 2024 in News by RBN Staff

source:  zerohedge

BY TYLER DURDEN
MONDAY, NOV 18, 2024 – 11:45 AM

The delayed day of reckoning has arrived for millions of Americans who purchased vehicles during the pandemic auto boom. Many are now finding themselves trapped in a shitstorm of negative equity and burdened by costly monthly payments, all while low- and mid-tier consumers face mounting financial strain amid elevated inflation and high interest rates.

Before we dive into the new auto data, let’s revisit our latest coverage of the slow-rolling auto crisis:

Bloomberg Intelligence’s Joel Levington published a new report Monday, citing new data from CarEdge that showed a staggering 39% of vehicles financed since 2022 carry negative equity, including 46% of EVs …

39% of automobiles financed since 2022 have negative equity, including 46% of electric vehicles in the hole in 2024, according to a recent study by CarEdge. The affordability struggle is real, with 60% of loans and 34% of leases over the benchmark levels that consumers seek, based on data from Edmunds and CarEdge. Financially stretched buyers may further weigh on captive finance units and auto asset-backed indexes. The equity cushion at Tesla is notably troubling, while Toyota, GM, Ford and VW have ample flexibility

BI provided clients with a chartpack showing the negative equity storm brewing for Americans will only worsen:

84-Month Auto Loans With 114% Loan-to-Value Scream Risk

60% of Loans, 34% of Leases Over Customer Preference Levels

Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Toyota bz4X Among Most Leased

Audi, Porsche, Mercedes, Polestar and Volvo Among Most Leased

Subprime Loan Delinquencies Near Record Highs

Residual Values Down, Returns Up

Recoveries Plunge as Used Vehicle Values Decline

Median Tesla Loans Have Negative Equity

The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index has tumbled into a bear market since peaking in early 2022. Falling auto prices and lengthy loan terms for borrowers spell bad news.

Bankrate data shows that new 60-month auto loans peaked at around 8% (a two-decade high) earlier this year and fell to around 7.29% at the end of October.

What a mess for consumers with these underwater loans.