NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

Truck and SUV Sales
Continue to Drive New Vehicle Market

Cleveland, OH (May 8, 2015) –  Sales of trucks and SUVs continued to drive new vehicle sales in April, as dealers across Northeast Ohio reported an increase in the category of over 15 percent over April of 2014, according to figures released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA). Total new vehicle sales including cars increased 2.98 percent when comparing April of this year to April of 2014. For the year to date, new vehicle sales are essentially flat with last year, increasing approximately one percent when comparing 2015 to 2014.

“Favorable fuel prices continue to drive demand for larger trucks and SUVs, while sales of cars have slowed somewhat,” says Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “If fuel prices rise as they always do in summer, it could spur more car sales as consumers once again shop for more fuel efficient vehicles.”

“The most important statistic is that overall the market is continuing to grow, albeit at a slower rate.”

Franchised new vehicle dealers in Northern Ohio sold 23,729 new vehicles in April of 2015 over April of 2014’s total of 23,181. For the year to date, dealers have sold 77,740 new vehicles this year compared with 76,990 through the end of April 2014.

Ford continued to dominate the market in Northern Ohio, with the Blue Oval ringing up sales of 3,941 vehicles in the month, just six vehicles more than it sold in April of 2014. The Golden Bow Tie closed the gap on its rival, with Chevrolet dealers selling 3,190 new vehicles in April, an increase of 7.37 percent over the same month a year ago. Honda came in third with 1,971 new vehicles sold in the month compared to Toyota, which sold 1,730 new vehicles. Kia, Jeep, Nissan and Dodge followed in quick order.

Hot performers included Acura, Chrysler, Fiat, Jaguar, Jeep, Lincoln, Mini, Nissan, Porsche and Subaru all ringing up double-digit sale gains in the month.

18 Brands Up in April (‘15 v. ‘14)
The following brands posted sales increases in April of 2015 versus April of 2014: Acura, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Lincoln, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru and Volvo.

17 Brands Up Year-To-Date (’15 v. ’14)
The following brands have posted sales increases year-to-date through April of 2014: Acura, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, GMC, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Lexus, Lincoln, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru and Volvo.

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio
April ‘15 / April ‘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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