NEWS RELEASE 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

Car Sales Take a Back Seat
to Truck and SUV Sales

Cleveland, OH (August 9, 2016) –  Sales of trucks and SUVs continued to lead the local new vehicle market in Northern Ohio, with franchised new vehicle dealers selling 20,999 new vehicles in July versus 23,761 new vehicles over the same month a year prior.

The combined sales figures for cars, trucks and SUVs represent a decline of 11.62 percent for the month against July of 2015. For the year to date, new vehicle sales are off 2.87 percent, according to figures released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA). It should also be noted that 2015 was one of the strongest years on record in terms of total new vehicle sales.

“As expected, truck sales are still running strong as cars lag behind,” says Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “Overall, the market is slowly correcting as we enter the second half of the year; we do anticipate a single digit decline in overall sales for 2016 versus 2015.”

For the year to date, new truck and SUV sales are up 5.67 percent, with dealers selling 50,652 vehicles so far this year compared with 47,935 vehicles after July last year. Meanwhile, sales of new cars are off 7.07 percent so far this year.

Chevrolet took over the top spot from Ford as Northern Ohio’s favorite brand, with the Golden Bowtie selling 3,272 new vehicles to the Blue Oval’s 3,209 count. Honda came in third selling 1,924 new vehicles, besting its offshore rival Toyota, which sold 1,767 new vehicles in the month.

While many brands experienced sales losses for the month, there were some bright spots. The Volvo brand continued its resurgence, ringing up a sales increase of almost 44 percent for the month. Land Rover also continued its upward climb, registering an increase of 55.26 percent for the month. Jaguar is doing phenomenal as well, with a sales increase of 136.36 percent in July. Fiat’s sales also increased an amazing 133.33 percent, with Cadillac and Audi registering strong double digit increases for the month.

9 Brands Up in July (‘16 v. ‘15)
The following brands posted sales increases in July of 2016 versus July of 2015: Audi, Buick, Cadillac, Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda and Volvo.

14 Brands Up for the Year (’16 v. ’15)
The following brands have posted sales increases for the year to date in 2016: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Fiat, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mitsubishi, Ram, Toyota and Volvo.

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio
July ’16 / July ’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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