#supply

You might have walked away disappointed after visiting a Mercedes-Benz dealership recently if the trip was based on bringing home a new CLA-Class.

With sales of the Chevrolet Cruze slowing down, General Motors will idle their Lordstown, Ohio plant to help bring supply levels of the Cruze down.

Nissan and Infiniti are operating at very different sales levels because of the March natural disasters that struck Japan. Nissan’s sales increased 6 percent in July over July 2010 to 77,191 cars and trucks but Infiniti’s sales slumped, declining 24 percent to 7,410.

Dealers may be in for an arduous summer as Japan’s auto parts shortage is on track to choke off new vehicle deliveries for months, with dealers potentially receiving no new vehicles until September.

Hyundai and Kia remain unscathed by the parts crunch that is affecting Japanese auto makers, with both companies running their United States-based plants at full capacity and overtime shifts to help meet demand at certain plants.