Wheels: New model year

The New Year holiday brings resolutions for the coming calendar along with lists of bests, worsts and favorites of the previous year. One thing it doesn’t generally bring is new vehicle model introductions. Cars don’t follow the calendar year; they’re typically introduced in the fall. But why is that? It turns out there are a few reasons for this automotive oddity.

In the early days of automobile manufacturing, it was a challenge and expense to heat and light factories, so building cars in the warmer, longer days of spring and summer made sense. Often, the following year models were made well in advance and shipped to dealers before weather became a factor so new models would arrive in the fall.