Does buying in December actually produce better savings?

I am in the market for a new car. I am looking at either a 2026 Honda CR-V 2 wheel drive EX-L or a 2025 Toyota Rav 4 two wheel drive XLE.

I have visited both dealerships near me. For the Honda, I was originally quoted at about $38k for a new one, without a trade in. I came back and had my car looked at for trade in value and they gave me $3,500 but the final quote was still for $38,000. When I pointed this out they dropped it to $36,000 but wouldn’t go any lower.

I have only been to the Toyota dealership once and for trade in they were willing to get down to $34,500.

Are these offers reflective of December pricing? I thought the whole point was this time of year has the best deals. Any thoughts are appreciated!