I will ask him. But I think I know the answer, at least as far as Ford is concerned. There is very little unsold, new-car inventory on Ford's books. For several years now, they only built cars to orders placed by dealers. Then other OEM's have pretty much done the same. When the vehicle leaves the assembly plant lot on a car carrier, it is immediately paid for in cash by the ordering dealer using "floor plan" financing provided by banks or finance companies. There are always a few odds and ends in unsold inventory, assembly plant repairs or cars damaged in preparation for shipment, etc. But very few new and unsold on Ford's books. That's not to say that there is unsold new vehicle inventory on the dealer's lots, but nowhere near a "two year supply".

Potentially, unsold truck inventories are a bigger problem than cars. As of June, Ford is in better shape than the other manufacturers. Ford had a 39-day supply of Rangers and a 54-day supply of Escapes which helped lower their truck inventory average to 80 days by month's end. The F-Series' dealer inventory jumped from April's 97-day end-of-month supply, to May's 129 days. The Expedition's inventory rose from 67 to 98 days. Even though it's one of Ford's best-selling models, the Edge went from a 69-day to a 107-day supply.

You'd think GM's production "hiatus" would have reduced the General's truck inventory. But the U.S. automaker ended May with a 109-day supply of trucks, up from the previous month's 98-day supply. The Buick Enclave's and GMC Acadia's low dealer stock (38 and 54 days, respectively) couldn't offset stagnant Chevrolet Silverados (122-day supply), Tahoes (125 days), GMC Sierras (122 days) and Yukons (188 days). All four trucks were more abundant than they were during the month previous.

With Chrysler's plummeting sales, it's no surprise their inventory is up. The lame duck Dodge Ram's inventory jumped from 99 days to a 109-day supply. Dealer stock of the unloved Dodge Dakota ballooned from 73 to 110 days' supply. After starting with an 81-day supply, Jeep ended May with a 102-day stock of Grand Cherokees. The new Dodge Journey was Chrysler's sole bright spot. The CUV started April with a 130-day supply and ended with 57 days' supply on the lots.

Of the two truck-producing transplants Toyota fared best. They don't list inventory by model, but they finished the month with a 52-day supply of trucks, up only two days from the end of April. Nissan's numbers represent the nadir. Murano (76 days) and Rogue (82 days) clogged dealers lots the least, while Armada (203 days), Titan (232), Xterra (198) and Frontier (137) were more abundant than any other truck models.

All of these inventory numbers will be substantially lower in early August because very few assembly plants have been operating for the past 4-6 weeks.