New Vehicle Sales Continue Upward Climb in Northern Ohio

From the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA)

Cleveland, OH (August 3, 2017) –  While many regions across the United States are reporting softer new vehicle sales this year, Northern Ohio continued to be a bright spot for many brands. Across Northern Ohio, total new vehicle sales grew by almost two percent when comparing July of 2017 with the same month last year, according to figures released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA).

Trucks and SUVs continued to be the fastest growing market segment, with sales increasing more than 21 percent across the same time frame. Meanwhile, new car sales were off over nine percent during the same period.

“Attractive new 2018 models and strong incentives should continue to draw customers into local dealers’ showrooms,” said Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “Despite having softer sales across the nation, the basic market dynamics are still very healthy. Dealers are anticipating a national market of between 16 million and 17 million new vehicles sold. Locally, we anticipate a strong finish for 2017.”

Franchised new vehicle dealers sold 21,392 new vehicles in July, compared to 20,999 in July of 2016, an increase of 1.87 percent. For the year to date, total new vehicle sales are up 4.22 percent, with dealers selling 147,345 new vehicles this year compared to 141,378 sold last year at this time.

New car sales amounted to 12,026 units last month compared to 13,261 vehicles sold in July of last year, a decrease of 9.31 percent. Consumers continued to flock to new SUVs and trucks, with dealers ringing up a sales increase of 21.04 percent in July over the same period a year earlier. Dealers sold a total of 9,366 trucks and SUVs in July compared to 7,738 last year.

Thanks to strong truck and SUV sales, Ford beat out Chevrolet for Northern Ohio’s best-selling brand in the month, selling 3,336 total new vehicle sales compared to 3,274 for Chevy. Ford rang up an impressive 52.29 percent increase in truck and SUV sales in July, selling 1,759 units compared to 1,115 in July of 2016.

Honda held on to third place, selling 2,091 total new vehicles to Toyota’s 1,724 new vehicles sold in the month.

21 Brands Up in July (‘17 v. ‘16)
The following brands posted sales increases in July of 2017 versus July of 2016: Acura, Alfa Romeo, Buick, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jeep, Lexus, Lincoln, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Ram, Subaru and Volkswagen.

22 Brands Up for the Year (’17 v. ’16)
The following brands posted sales increases for the year to date in 2017: Acura, Alfa Romeo, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Lincoln, Maserati, Mazda, Mini, Porsche, Ram, Subaru and Volkswagen.

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio
July ’17 / July ’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 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.