• Stop being a LURKER - join our dealer community and get involved. Sign up and start a conversation.

October sales drop but Automotive News says SAAR still strong

TomLaPointe

Hat Trick
Sep 19, 2012
94
23
First Name
Big Tom
Check out the whole AUTOMOTIVE NEWS article...
Preview:

UPDATED: 11/1/17 4:08 pm ET -- adds more results

U.S. auto sales slipped slightly in October yet the industry is in a position to chalk up its second-strongest selling rate of the year after a robust September.

With all but one automaker reporting, light-vehicle sales declined 1 percent for the month. BMW, citing technical difficulties, delayed its release until Thursday.

AutoData estimated Wednesday afternoon that the month's selling rate would be 18.1 million vehicles; General Motors earlier in the day predicted 18 million. A result in that range would be the second-strongest month of the year and much higher than most analysts’ projections. The runner-up so far in 2017 has been February, which saw a rate of 17.5 million.

Previous forecasts from LMC Automotive, Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds saw a 2 percent to 4 percent decline in October. As BMW of North America accounts for just 2 percent of the U.S. market, its results aren’t likely to nudge the preliminary tally by much.

Ford, Nissan, Honda, Volkswagen, Toyota and Subaru posted higher sales tallies. FCA US, General Motors and Hyundai-Kia volume fell.

The U.S. new-vehicle market, after seven straight annual gains capped by a record 2016, was off 1.7 percent through September.

Here’s how major companies fared in October, followed by forecasts for the month, the incentive climate, and other context.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alexander Lau