NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

New Vehicle Sales Surge
Forward in April

Cleveland, OH (May 3, 2018) – New vehicle sales surged forward last month, rising almost nine percent when comparing April of 2018 with April of 2017. According to figures released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA), dealers sold 22,073 new vehicles in April, compared with 20,266 sold over the same time frame a year earlier, an increase of 8.92 percent.

“The dealers of Northern Ohio bucked the national trend with increased sales of new cars and trucks in April,” said Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “On the heels of the auto show, the momentum continued into April for most brands with a surprising surge for passenger cars.  We continue to anticipate a strong 2018 as compared to 2017.”

While trucks, SUVs and crossovers continued to grow at a faster pace than passenger cars, the latter performed exceptionally well, with dealers ringing up sales of 11,964 total new cars in April, an increase of 8.4 percent for the month. Dealers sold 10,109 new trucks, SUVs and crossovers in the month, compared to 9,229 units in April of 2017, an increase of 9.54 percent.  

Chevrolet dominated the new vehicle market in Northern Ohio, selling 3,378 vehicles in the month, an increase of more than 12 percent over April of 2017. Ford came in second selling 3,047 new vehicles followed by: Honda (1,835 units sold), Toyota (1,666 units sold) and Jeep (1,588 units sold), the latter representing an increase of more than 18 percent over April of 2017. Twenty-two brands registered sales increases in the month, compared to only 17 in March of 2018.

22 Brands Up in April (‘18 v. ‘17)
The following brands posted sales increases in April of 2018 versus April of 2017: Acura, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Ram, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

17 Brands Up Year to Date (’18 v. ’17)
The following brands have posted sales increases for the year to date: Acura, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Cadillac, GMC, Hyundai, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Ram, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo.

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio
April ’18 / April ’17 & 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 dealers, 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.