Dealers Get December Gift of Good Business
Forecast shows rising sales, inventory, and good 2023 outlook.
Forecast shows rising sales, inventory, and good 2023 outlook.
The 3.1% year-over-year increase in new-vehicle sales in December was more than enough to push the industry’s annual sales tally above the 17.5 million-unit mark for 2016, according to Autodata Corp.
New-vehicle sales for 2015 totaled 17.5 million units, with the industry closing out the year with December sales of 1.6 million units, according to Autodata Corp.
Significant retail discounts drove up both December and fourth-quarter new-vehicle sales for the nation’s largest dealer group, but they also cut into the group’s sales margins, AutoNation officials said this week.
Edmunds said this week the industry is on pace to break the previous December sales record set in 2004. It predicts the industry will retail 1.7 million units in December, a 29.7% increase from November and a 12.3% increase from a year ago.
A 10.8% new-vehicle sales increase in December capped off a year in which the industry broke through the 16 million-unit mark.
New-vehicle retail sales in December are expected to reach a SAAR of 14.2 million units, the highest level since 2006.
Carmakers reported a favorable December and year-end sales. Mercedes and BMW posted record sales for the year, while Mazda realized its best December since ’94. Volkswagen also posted its best month since 1970 and its best year since 1973.
In their monthly sales forecast, J.D. Power and Associates and LMC Automotive predict that December will record a SAAR of 12.2 million units. The two firms also expect luxury share to reach its highest level since 2009.
November’s SAAR reached its highest level since the start of the Great Recession, and TrueCar predicts even bigger things for December.
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