NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

Truck and SUV Sales Drive
Local New Vehicle Sales Upward

Cleveland, OH (April 12, 2016) –  New vehicle sales in March returned to an industry trend seen throughout last year across Northern Ohio, as sales of trucks and SUVs drove the market upward for the month.

According to figures released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA), sales of new vehicles rose nearly five percent when comparing March of 2016 with the same month a year prior. While car sales remained essentially flat with last year, sales of trucks and SUVs rose nearly 15 percent for the month.

“We realized that we would be going up against some very strong numbers from March of 2015, as much of the traditional sales bump from the Cleveland Auto Show was contained in the month due to the later date of the show last year,” says Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the Cleveland Auto Show. “While car sales were about what we expected them to be, sales of trucks and SUVs continued to climb, driving the market upward.”

Franchised new vehicle dealers sold 22,085 vehicles in March versus 21,048 over the same period a year ago, an increase of 4.93 percent. For the year to date, total new vehicle sales are up 7.35 percent.

Dealers sold 13,967 new cars in the month, compared with 13,984 a year ago, a negligible decrease for the month. However, new truck and SUV sales rose from 7,064 in March of 2015 to 8,118 this year, an increase of nearly 15 percent.

Most industry analysts are predicting that new vehicle sales will rise by only single digits this year.

“So locally, we are off to a pretty good start,” Vitantonio adds. “Favorable fuel prices, greater utility offered by SUVs and great incentives on both trucks and SUVs pushed the market higher in March. Expectations remain positive for 2016, however we are beginning to see a plateau.”

Ford regained its title as Northern Ohio’s best-selling brand in March, selling 3,629 total new vehicles to Chevrolet’s 3,562 units. However, Chevrolet did register a strong double-digit increase in the month. Honda edged out Toyota for third place in total new vehicle sales—selling 1,823 new vehicles to Toyota’s 1,787—both brands registering double-digit increases as well.

Big winners for the month included Jeep, Kia, Lincoln and Ram, each brand ringing up a sales increase of more than 20 percent for the month. Smart, Mitsubishi, Maserati and Fiat performed exceptionally well, with each brand increasing sales by more than 50 percent in the month.

18 Brands Up in March (‘16 v. ‘15)
The following brands posted sales increases in March of 2016 versus March of 2015: Acura, Buick, Chevrolet, Dodge, Fiat, Honda, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, Lincoln, Maserati, Mitsubishi, Ram, Smart, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

21 Brands Up for the Year (’16 v. ’15)
The following brands posted sales increases for the year to date in 2016: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Ram, Smart, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio
March ’16 / March ’15 & 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.

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.

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