NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:
Sara Panza
Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association
440.746.1500

Double-Digit Truck Sales Keep
Market Level with Last Year

Cleveland, OH (April 9, 2015) –  Strong sales of trucks and SUVs helped keep new vehicle sales in line with last year’s impressive total for March, according to figures released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association (GCADA). Franchised new vehicle dealers in Northern Ohio sold 21,048 cars and trucks in March, a decline of less than half a percent over March of 2014. For the year to date, sales of new cars and trucks are up .38 percent, essentially flat with last year. However, sales of trucks rose 12.83 percent when comparing March of this year with March of 2014. Truck sales are also up 10.46 percent for the year to date.

“Improved fuel economy on new models and lower fuel prices are driving the market for trucks and SUVs,” said Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “While year over year sales of cars have slowed, we’re still optimistic for continued growth in 2015. We are also coming up against some pretty impressive totals from last year.”

March is always one of the strongest months for new vehicle sales in Northern Ohio, the figure of 21,048 new cars and trucks sold in the month easily topping February’s total of 13,791. Used vehicle sales also grew in March of 2015 over March of 2014 by 2.93 percent.

Ford maintained its position as Northern Ohio’s number one selling brand, ringing up sales of 3,781 vehicles in the month, an increase of 1.26 percent when comparing March of 2015 versus the same month a year ago. Chevrolet was a strong second, selling 3,205 vehicles in the month. When it came to truck sales, both brands registered increases north of 21 percent last month over March of 2014.

Honda edged out Toyota for third place, selling 1,587 cars and trucks in the month, just two more than its rival. Audi, GMC, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mini, Porsche, Subaru and Volvo all registered strong double-digit or greater gains in the month.

17 Brands Up in March (‘15 v. ‘14)

The following brands posted sales increases in March of 2015 versus March of 2014: Audi, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru and Volvo.

16 Brands Up Year-To-Date (’15 v. ’14)

The following brands have posted sales increases year-to-date through March of 2014: Acura, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, GMC, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Lexus, Lincoln, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru and Volvo.

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio
Mar ‘15 / Mar ‘14 & 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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