NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sara Panza

Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association

440.746.1500

New Vehicle Sales Up Three Percent for the Year

Cleveland, OH (January 9, 2013) –  Franchised new car and truck dealers sold 208,099 vehicles in 2012 up from 201,697 sold in 2011, an increase of 3.17 percent, according to figures released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA). The figures represent the second straight year of growth for the retail automotive industry in Northern Ohio. In 2010, dealers in Northern Ohio sold 169,817 vehicles for the year.

When comparing December of 2012 with December of 2011, sales were off 6.76 percent.

“Despite softer than anticipated sales in December, the industry continued to grow overall in 2012,” says Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “What we are seeing is a very historic pattern in terms of our local industry. We are also coming up against some very significant gains during the previous year.”

When the retail automotive industry comes out of a recession, Cleveland tends to recover quicker than the rest of the nation. Last year’s local annual growth rate of 18.7 percent outstripped the industry’s national sales growth rate of just over ten percent. This year’s growth of just over three percent was behind the national auto sales growth rate of 13 percent. However, industry auto analysts are projecting a national growth rate for the industry of just three percent in 2013, mirroring the growth rate seen in Northern Ohio this past year. Industry analysts and automakers are projecting that the industry will sell more than 15 million units in 2013.

“Local dealers are confident that the market will continue to grow in 2013,” adds Vitantonio. “In addition, we are anticipating some very strong months ahead that will coincide with the start of the spring selling season, kicked off with the Cleveland Auto Show, which opens to the public on Saturday, February 23.”

The Cleveland Auto Show runs through Sunday, March 3 at the I-X Center.

A total of 12 brands registered increases during December, when comparing it to the same month a year prior. For the year, Ford was Northern Ohio’s favorite brand, selling a total of 36,139 vehicles for the year versus 36,073 in 2011. Chevrolet came in second with 28,232 vehicles sold. Honda was the area’s third most popular, selling 18,733 vehicles during 2013, an increase of almost nine percent over 2011’s figure. Nipping at Honda’s heels was Toyota, which sold 18,044 units, an increase of almost ten percent over 2011.

Hyundai and its sister brand Kia combined to sell 23,985 vehicles during the year. Chrysler’s three brands; Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep sold 23,482 vehicles during the year, registering strong double-digit growth over 2011.

12 Brands Up in December (‘12 v. ‘11)

The following 12 brands posted sales increases in December of 2012 versus December of 2011: Acura, Buick, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Honda, Mazda, Mini, Smart, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

20 Brands Up For The Year (’12 v. ’11)

The following 20 brands posted sales increases for the year: Acura, Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Porsche, Smart, Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen.

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio

December ‘12 / December ’11 & 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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