A New Subaru Crosstrek Is Now The Hardest To Find Model In The Lineup

Subaru just announced 2021 Crosstrek sales, and the results reveal what's ahead for compact SUV shoppers in July. See why it's now the hardest to find all-wheel-drive vehicle in the lineup.

If you are shopping for a new 2021 Subaru Crosstrek, you likely won't find any model to buy. Subaru of America announced its June 2021 sales and reports the hot-selling Crosstrek dropped in sales 37.4 percent compared with June 2020. The reason is that the Camden, N.J. automaker, runs low on new Crosstrek subcompact SUVs to sell its customers.

Subaru of America delivered just 6,415 models to customers last month compared with 10,241 the previous June. In May, the recently-refreshed Crosstrek posted a 62.9 percent increase and was on pace for a record year. But June tells a different story.

photo credit: Patrick Subaru

Why is Subaru running out of new Crosstrek models to sell?

It's due to the global microchip shortage affecting all automakers. Still, it hit Subaru harder than other car brands because the Camden, N.J. automaker typically keeps its inventories low in a regular market. Because of recent plant shutdowns in Japan where the Crosstrek is manufactured, the popular Crosstrek small SUV is nearly or completely sold out in some regions. The same is true for the Forester compact SUV.

Even with a 37 percent drop in June, the Crosstrek is still up 40.4 percent for the year and only second in the lineup in percentage increase next to the 2021 Outback (up 40.6 percent in 2021).

Jeff Walters, Senior Vice President of Sales, said in the announcement, "While the global microchip shortage affecting the automotive industry continues to pose challenges, our retailer network went above and beyond to deliver the very best for our customers in June."

We checked with a large Subaru retailer near Denver, and a source told us customers are now buying new Crosstrek SUVs that are still in transit from Japan because they have run out of new models to sell.

Subaru Report recently wrote about iSeeCars finding some used cars like a one-year-old Subaru Crosstrek now cost more than a new 2021 model because of the limited inventory of new vehicles. Read the complete report here.

When will Subaru inventory improve?

Customers could see 2021 Crosstrek hard to find until August. A report from News 5 in Cleveland says Pat Primm from Cascade Subaru in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio told them, "Subaru assures us that probably by August we'll be back to normal levels."

When will customers see the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek?

Subaru should announce the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek this summer, and it will have few upgrades in the fifth year of its second-generation life cycle. Look for minor 2022 Crosstrek changes, but the 2023 Crosstrek will be the model to watch. Recent reports say the compact SUV will get a new fuel-efficient 1.5-liter direct-injection turbocharged engine. Read the Torque News report here.

The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek drops a whopping 37.4 percent in June, and it could be the most challenging model to find this summer. Subaru Report via Torque News will bring news of the 2022 model change upgrades when it's announced. Stay tuned for more Crosstrek availability reports.

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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Photo credit: Subaru