EmailEconomic
Last Update: 02-May-13 09:18 ET
Auto Sales
Highlights
- Motor vehicle sales in April fell below 15.0 mln SAAR for the first time since October 2012. Sales fell from 15.3 mln SAAR in March to 14.9 mln.
- Car sales fell from 7.49 mln SAAR in March to 7.18 mln SAAR in April. Meanwhile, truck sales dipped slightly from 7.78 mln SAAR to 7.74 mln SAAR.
- After three consecutive months of sales holding at 12.1 mln SAAR, domestic motor vehicle sales dropped to 11.86 mln in April.
- Domestic car sales fell from 5.34 mln SAAR in March to 5.11 mln SAAR in April. Domestic truck sales were virtually unchanged at 6.75 mln SAAR.
- Import sales fell to 3.1 mln SAAR in April from 3.2 mln in March.
Key Factors
- Year-over-year, sales were up 9% in April. That was much stronger than the 3.0% y/y gain registered in March.
- For a second consecutive month, the Big 3 were the big winners. Ford (F, 18%), General Motors (GM, 11%), and Chrysler (11%) all gained significant market share in April.
- Sales at Toyota (TM) fell 1% in April as demand slipped across all models. Nissan (NSANY, 23%) and Honda (HMC, 7%) both were in the black.
- Hyundai-Kia reversed two consecutive months of declines and increased a modest 1% y/y in April. Year-to-date, sales are still down 2% from this time last year.
- Overall, sales are up 7% year-to-date and are still on track to match early 2013 sales estimates of 15.3 mln vehicles.
Big Picture
- The motor vehicle industry expects 15.3 mln vehicles to be sold in 2013, up from 14.5 mln vehicles sold in all of 2012.
| Category | APR | MAR | FEB | JAN | DEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic Light Vehicles | 11.9M | 12.1M | 12.1M | 12.1M | 12.0M |
| Autos | 5.1M | 5.3M | 5.5M | 5.6M | 5.5M |
| Light Trucks | 6.8M | 6.7M | 6.6M | 6.5M | 6.5M |
| Total Light Vehicles (incl imports) | 14.9M | 15.3M | 15.4M | 15.3M | 15.4M |
