ALEXANDRIA, Va. ─ The nation’s 9,600 international nameplate franchises registered their fourth straight sales dip in June, but dealers remain satisfied with what they view as a healthy market, according to the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA).
International auto sales in the United States totaled 816,332 units in June, down 31,936 units from May and 5,455 from June 2016. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), according to AutoData Corp., was 16.51 million, down from 16.80 million in June 2016.
“Dealers are feeling confident about the second half of 2017,” said AIADA President Cody Lusk. “In this healthy but flat market, they are focusing on the basics ─ excellent customer service, competitive pricing, and great products.”
Asian brands occupied 46% of June’s market, down from 47% in May and ahead of the 44.6% share posted by domestic nameplates. Overall, Asian nameplate dealers sold 678,171 light vehicles in June, a 1.5% decline from a year ago.
European brands sold 138,161 units last month, up from 134,006 in May and 133,370 units in the year-ago period. European brands occupied 9.4% of the U.S. market last month, up from 8.8% in the year-ago period.
As for consumer preference, trucks and SUVs continued to lead the way, with sales of cars falling 13.2% from a year ago in June. In fact, six of the month’s top-selling vehicles fell into the truck or SUV/crossover categories. The Ford F-Series took top honors, following by the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram pickups.
In fourth place was the Nissan Rogue, which displaced the Toyota RAV4 as the most popular crossover for the month. The RAV4 fell into fifth place, while the Chevrolet Equinox fell into the No. 10 spot.
As for cars, even models that made June’s Top 10 sellers list still experienced a decline in overall sales. The Honda Civic, for instance, was the most popular car for the month, taking sixth place. However, sales were down 2.8% from a year ago. The Toyota Camry finished in eighth place with sales down 9.5%, while the Toyota Corolla finished at No. 9. Despite recording a 4.9% sales decline.
Prices and profits remain high, according to the AIADA, with the average vehicle in June selling for a record $31,720.
By brand, Infiniti led the way with an 11% sales improvement from a year ago, while Subaru was up 11.7%. Volkswagen registered a 15% sales increase from last year’s depressed numbers.
