NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

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

New Vehicle Sales End Year Strong

Cleveland, OH (January 8, 2015) –  Franchised new vehicle dealers across Northern Ohio sold 20,465 total new vehicles in the month of December, an increase of more than six percent over the same month a year prior, according to figures released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA). For 2015, sales of cars and light trucks and SUVs were up 2.69 percent over 2014.

“The market exhibited strong, steady growth in 2015. However, we did see a dramatic shift in its makeup with SUVs and trucks showing double digit growth over the previous year,” said Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “This trend can be attributed to lower fuel prices, as well as the fact that many SUVs and trucks on the road today offer improved ride, handling and fuel economy, as well as many of the creature comforts and features that consumers seek on today’s vehicles.”   For the month, sales of trucks and SUVs increased 17.39 percent over December of 2014. For the year, sales of trucks and SUVs rose 16.31 percent over 2014. Sales of cars grew a modest 0.46 percent when comparing December of 2015 with December of 2014; however, sales in the category were off just over three percent for the year. Sales of used vehicles rose 1.34 percent for the year.

Ford continued to be Northern Ohio’s bestselling brand in 2015, selling 41,691 vehicles compared to Chevrolet’s 36,674. However, the Golden Bowtie almost caught the Blue Oval in terms of sales for the month. Ford sold 3,172 vehicles in December (an increase of 4.76 over December of 2014) while Chevrolet sold 3,083 vehicles (an increase of 13.39 percent over December of 2014).

For the year, Honda came in third with a total of 21,043 vehicles sold while Toyota took fourth with 20,724 vehicles. For the month, the places were reversed, with Toyota selling 1,850 vehicles to Honda’s 1,509. Toyota’s sales grew at a whopping 26.71 percent when comparing December of 2015 with December of 2014.

Kudos also go to Acura, GMC, Jeep, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mini, Ram, Subaru and Volvo, each brand ringing up strong double-digit sales increases for the year.

17 Brands Up in December (‘15 v. ‘14)
The following brands posted sales increases in December of 2015 versus December of 2014: Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Toyota and Volvo.

18 Brands Up for the Year (’15 v. ’14)
The following brands posted sales increases for 2015: Acura, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, GMC, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Ram, Subaru, Toyota and Volvo.

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio
December ’15 / December ’14 & YTD

*RAM truck sales have been separated from Dodge numbers for purposes of this report. 

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.

About the GCADA
The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association (GCADA) has served the retail-automobile industry and community with integrity and distinction since 1915. Today, located in Brecksville, Ohio, GCADA represents over 250 franchised motor vehicle dealer, which include new-car, truck, motorcycle and RV dealers in a 21-county region of Northern Ohio along the Lake Erie shore and beyond.  More information on the GCADA can be found at www.gcada.org. Contact us at 440-746-1500.

About the Cleveland Auto Show 
The Cleveland Auto Show marks the start of the spring selling season in Northern Ohio. Featuring concept, pre-production and production vehicles from the world’s auto manufacturers, the show is held annually at the I-X Center with nearly 1.2 million square feet of exhibits. The Show also features an array of entertainment including sports celebrity appearances from the Browns, Cavs, and more. The Cleveland Auto Show is a consumer show and a favorite family tradition since 1903. Find us at facebook.com/TheClevelandAutoShow.

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If you no longer wish to receive email advertisements from GCADA, please call 440-746-1500, send a fax to 440-746-1504, or send an email to gcada@gcada.org and provide the following information so we can process your request: your name, the name of your company (if applicable), your email address(es), and that you do not wish to receive email advertisements from GCADA. We must process your request within 10 days.  GCADA is located at 10100 Brecksville Road, Brecksville, Ohio 44141.