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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sara Panza
Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association
440.746.1500

Northern Ohio New Vehicle Sales Grow,
Bucking National Trend

Cleveland, OH (April 10, 2017) –  New vehicle sales across Northern Ohio rose 6.57 percent in March when compared to the month a year earlier, bucking a national trend that saw many major brands off by as much as seven percent when making the same month-to-month comparison. Northern Ohio franchised new vehicle dealers sold 23,535 new vehicles in March of 2017 compared with 22,085 last year. For the year to date, new vehicle sales in Northern Ohio are up 6.49 percent, well above the national average as well.

“March sales have certainly bucked the national trend here in Northern Ohio,” says Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA). “We continue to see growth over the previous year, however our 2017 forecast anticipates a slowing down of sales by year end. Trucks and SUV's continue to support struggling car sales as fuel costs remain low.”

Sales of trucks and SUVs continued on a blistering sales pace across Northern Ohio, with dealers selling a total of 11,088 new trucks and SUVs in March of 2017 compared with 8,118 in March of last year—an increase of 36.59 percent. For the year to date, new truck and SUV sales are up a whopping 40.22 percent. Meanwhile, sales of cars declined, with franchised new vehicle dealers selling 12,447 units in March of this year compared with 13,967 over the same period a year prior, a decrease of 10.88 percent.

While market factors such as lower fuel costs and available financing have helped drive truck and SUV sales for the last 15 months, manufacturers have also continued to blur the line between traditional cars and smaller SUVs such as crossovers.

“They are blurring the lines,” says Vitantonio of automakers’ recent product introductions. “But as our baby boomers get older, they are also looking for vehicles that are smaller, but are easy to operate and get in and out of. The boomers have money to spend on new vehicles, and they are making a significant amount of purchases.”

Ford’s sales grew a modest 1.49 percent in March of 2017, with the Blue Oval selling 3,683 units. It was not enough to keep pace with Chevrolet, which sold 3,806 new vehicles in the month, making the Golden Bow Tie Northern Ohio’s best-selling brand for the third straight month. Honda outdistanced Toyota for third, selling 1,982 new vehicles compared to 1,794 new vehicles for the former.

22 Brands Up in March (‘17 v. ‘16)
The following brands posted sales increases in March of 2017 versus March of 2016: Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Lexus, Maserati, Mazda, Mini, Porsche, Ram, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

23 Brands Up for the Year (’17 v. ’16)
The following brands posted sales increases for the year to date in 2017: Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Porsche, Ram, Subaru, Volkswagen and Volvo.

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio
March ’17 / March ’16 & 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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