Money Matters, Simplified.
April auto sales up 20% in US
by Neka Sehgal - May 4, 2010 - comments
Demand slipped slightly after automakers pulled back on promotions campaigns and incentives to buyers in April, but overall sales exhibited double-digit increase compared to the depressed levels of the previous year.
Here is some heartening news for automakers trying to recover from the tough economy a year earlier. Vehicle sales shot up by 20 percent in April, showing that consumers were still on a buying spree.
According to Autodata Corp., manufactures sold 982,131 vehicles last month compared to 819,540 in April a year ago when the nation was feeling the brunt of recession.
Though demand slipped slightly from March after some manufacturers eased up on promotions campaigns and big incentives to buyers, on the whole sales exhibited double-digit increase compared to the depressed levels of the previous year.
"People were waiting for that bargain message to purchase, and that's what we saw in March. But in April we had a lot of the same deals — but not better deals — and consumers bought fewer cars," said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst with auto information company Edmunds.com.
According to Autodata Corp., manufactures sold 982,131 vehicles last month compared to 819,540 in April a year ago when the nation was feeling the brunt of recession.
The three top positions
General Motors held on to its top position as the No.1 seller in the US with a sales increase of 20 percent for their major brands. The Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Equinox, and Cadillac SRX posted triple-digit sales increases over last year.
Ford bagged the second spot for total sales, edging past Toyota with a 25 percent gain over last year.
The strongest sales were in Ford Taurus, Ford Escape, and Ford F-Series pickup. The F-Series posted a 42 percent increase over last year and was the highest selling vehicle in the U.S.
Toyota was in third position with sales rising by 24 percent. For the third consecutive month Toyota offered incentive to accelerate sales that had dipped due earlier in the year because of safety recalls.
There strongest gainers were the Corolla, Prius, and redesigned Sienna minivan.
The other gainers
After nearly five years Chrysler posted their best sales with a 25 percent increase over April 2009. The winners were the Chrysler Sebring, Town and Country, and Dodge Avenger.
Nissan had the largest percentage gain of 35 percent as opposed to last year. The major surge in sales was for Versa, Sentra, and Maxima.
Sales of Honda were up 12.5 percent last month over last year with its top gainers CR-V, Pilot, and Acura MDX. The Honda Accord was the top selling mid-sized sedan and the second highest selling model after Ford F-150.
According to Kia Motors Corp. its April sales in the US were up by 17 percent fueled by the demand of its new Sorento crossover and Forte sedan.
Hyundai's sales were up 30 percent while Subaru said U.S. sales soared 48 percent.