NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sara Panza

Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association

440.746.1500

Local New Car and Light Truck Sales Jump 18% in 2011 Over 2010

Cleveland, OH (January 10, 2012) – The Northern Ohio retail automotive industry sold a total 201,697 vehicles in 2011, an increase of 18.56% over 2010, according to figures released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA). Sales of new cars and light trucks grew by only 10.2% nationwide, according to figures from the National Automobile Dealers Association. Nationwide, franchised new car dealers sold 12.7 million units in 2011.

When comparing December of 2011 against the same month a year prior, local sales were up 14.87% for the month. Local franchised new car and light truck dealers sold a total of 15,940 vehicles in December of 2011 versus 13,876 the same month a year prior.

“Northern Ohio and the Greater Cleveland area outpaced the rest of the nation in terms of our sales growth this year,” says Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “As the economy continues to turn around, we expect to see strong continued growth. There is still a lot of pent up demand in the market, and a lot of aging vehicles on the road that need to be replaced. In addition, credit is becoming more affordable, leasing is coming back strong and manufacturers are coming up with very aggressive incentives.”

Additionally, the spring automotive selling season will kick off next month when the Cleveland Auto Show opens its doors at the I-X Center on Saturday, February 25. The show runs through Sunday, March 4.

“We typically see a strong boost in sales right around the Auto Show,” Vitantonio adds. “That should give us a nice bump to start 2012 off in the right way.”

A total of 21 brands posted sales increases for the month when comparing December 2011 with December 2010. For the year, 27 brands have posted sales increases over 2010.

Ford continued to lead the industry with 3,056 vehicles sold in December, an increase of more than 27.5% percent over December of 2010. Chevrolet came in second at 2,199 units, while Toyota came in third with 1,259 units sold in the month.

21 Brands Up in December (‘11 v. ‘10)

The following 21 brands posted sales increases in December 2011 versus December 2010: Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Volvo and Volkswagen.

27 Brands Up Year for the Year

The following 27 brand posted sales increases for the year versus 2010: Acura, Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Saab, Subaru, Suzuki, Volkswagen and Volvo.

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio

December ‘11 / December ’10 & YTD 

Retail sales figures are based on vehicle registration reports from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.  Vehicle sales data includes the counties of: Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas and Wayne.

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