Sales of the Toyota Tacoma improved by 0.6% in February, offsetting a 5.4% decrease in overall sales for the Japanese manufacturer. Photo courtesy Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — America's 9,500 international nameplate franchises accounted for 54% of all new vehicle sold in the United States in February, the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) reported today.
AutoData Corp. reports that the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) in February 2017 was 17.58 million units, a slight drop from 17.69 million units a year ago. Industrywide, 1,333,637 light vehicles were sold in February, up from 1,143,549 units in January but down from 1,348,665 units in February 2016. Unadjusted for business days, sales for all brands were down 1.1% from a year ago. International brands as a group bucked that trend, rising 0.3% from a year ago.
Audi’s sales rose 17.3% from a year ago and Subaru improved its sales by 8.3%. Honda’s sales were up 4.3%, driven by customer demand for crossovers, particularly the bestselling CRV, for which sales rose 26% from a year ago. Hyundai saw sales slip 3% and Toyota was down 5.4% — its second consecutive monthly loss. For all automakers, car sales were down 12.1% from a year ago, while light truck sales were up 6.9%.
“At the moment, trucks are driving the market, and helping it sustain a record pace,” said AIADA President Cody Lusk. “As gas prices and interest rates remain low, international nameplate dealers are in an excellent position to meet the shifting demands of the American consumer.”
International auto sales in the United States totaled 719,503 units in February, up from 622,600 units in January and 717,600 units in February 2016. Asian brands occupied 45.5% of February’s auto market, up from 45.1% in January and behind the domestic nameplates’ 46% market share. Overall, Asian nameplate dealers sold 606,706 light vehicles last month, a 0.9% drop from a year ago.
European brands sold 112,797 light vehicles last month, up from 106,686 units in January and 105,578 units a year ago. Their February sales were up 6.8% from February 2016.
To read AIADA’s complete coverage of February’s international nameplate auto sales, click here.
