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GCADA Reports Strong March Sales Figures as

Dealers Enjoy Bounce from Cleveland Auto Show

Cleveland, OH (April 10, 2013) – The retail automotive industry In Northeast Ohio enjoyed its typical bounce from a successful Cleveland Auto Show, with dealers in a 21-county area reporting a sales increases of nearly five percent when comparing March of this year with March of 2012. According to statistics released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA), dealers sold 20,596 vehicles in March of this year compared to 19,625 in March of 2012, which was considered a banner month last year.

“Even though we are coming up against some very strong months from last year, the industry continues to show strong and sustained growth,” says Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “While the industry continues to grow, there is still a lot of pent up demand in the market. The age of the average vehicle on the road is still increasing, which means they will eventually have to be replaced. In addition, financing is more readily available, and leasing has also come back in a big way. We expect these factors, along with renewed interest following the Cleveland Auto Show, to continue to drive the market in the months to come.”

For the year to date, sales are up 7.49 percent, with dealers selling 52,373 cars and light trucks through the end of March of this year versus 48,723 last year at the same time.

Ford solidified its grip on the title of Northeast Ohio’s favorite brand, selling 3,797 cars in March of 2013, an increase of 7.87 percent over the same period a year before. However, Chevrolet was not far behind, selling 3,269 vehicles in the month, an increase of 9.19 percent over the same month the previous year. All of General Motors’ brands performed extremely well, with its GMC, Buick and Cadillac brands each registering sales increases of between 19.65 percent and 28.33 percent over March of 2012. Honda and Toyota tied for third place, with both brands selling 1,632 vehicles in the month.

19 Brands Up in March (‘13 v. ‘12)

The following 19 brands posted sales increases in March 2013 versus March 2012: Acura, Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Porsche, Subaru, Volkswagen and Volvo.

23 Brands Up Year-to-Date Through March 2013

The following 24 brands posted sales increases for the year-to-date: Acura, Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio
March ‘13 / March ’12 & 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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