The industry SAAR jumped to 16.77 million units, up from last May’s 15.48 million-unit rate and last month’s 16.04 million-unit SAAR.
The weather cleared in time to drive up April sales by 4.1% from a year ago. April’s SAAR was 16.04 million, up from March’s SAAR but down from a year ago.
The spring thaw helped new-vehicle sales rebound in March, with the seasonally adjusted annual rate rising from last March’s 15.3 million rate to 16.4 million.
Vehicle OEMs are hopeful for a sales rebound after winter storms pushed down sales in late January. According to Autodata, both the industry SAAR and total sales were down from a year ago.
December sales were in line with last year’s total, while annual sales increased nearly 8% to 15.6 million units.
Manufacturers attribute the drop in the SAAR to fewer selling days in September and Labor Day sales being included in August sales totals. One manufacturer attributes the drop to troubles in Washington, D.C.
Year-to-date sales in May were up 7.3 percent, according to AutoData Corp., while the SAAR was up 1.36 million units from a year ago. Several manufacturers also reported record-breaking Mays.
The SAAR is up slightly vs. April of last year, and most manufacturers experienced an increase in sales during the month.
The majority of manufacturers reported an increase in sales over last March, with the exception of Mazda and Hyundai. March’s SAAR stood at 15.27 million units, up from 14.14 million units one year ago.
Just barely the majority of manufacturers saw an increase in sales in February over last year, with Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai breaking sales records for the month. Sales paced at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 15.38 million units, according to Autodata Corp.
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