U.S. September 2015 Auto Sales Reach Ten Year High

Washington DC October 2, 2015; The AIADA released its MarketWatch sales report for September 2015 this morning, and the news is good.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) in August was 18.17 million units versus 16.52 million units a year ago. This is the highest reported SAAR since July 2005. Read the full sales report below.

Boosted by the addition of Labor Day weekend, low gas prices, and hot end of model year deals September’s sales easily surpassed analyst predictions. Last month’s sales winners included Honda up 14 percent, Hyundai up 14.3 percent, Nissan up 17.3 percent, and Toyota up 16.3 percent. Volkswagen sales rose 0.6 percent despite the diesel emissions scandal that broke on the 18th. Overall, car sales were up 6.7 percent while SUVs and crossovers increased an impressive 30.7 percent.

“Dealers saw the perfect storm for vehicles sales in September,” said AIADA President Cody Lusk. “A holiday weekend combined with good deals, pent up demand, attractive financing, and low gas prices worked in everyone’s favor.”

International Brands Continue to Hold Majority of  U.S. Market Share 

International brands sold 778,114 units in September, down from 872,838 in August but up from 674,871 in September 2014. Their market share slipped from 55.3 percent in august to 54 percent in September.

As a segment, Asian nameplates fell to the domestics in September, occupying 45.1 percent of the U.S. market, a decrease from 46.6 percent in August. Overall they sold 650,008 vehicles, down from 735,056 in August but up from 556,150 in September 2014. European nameplates rose from 8.7 percent market share in August to 8.9 percent last month. They sold 128,106 units last month, down from 137,782 units in August but up from 118,721 units a year ago. Domestic brands rose from 44.7 in August to 46.1 percent of the market in September.

 

International Models Preferred by U.S. Shoppers

Light truck demand dominated the market in September, but U.S. shoppers once again demonstrated a preference for international nameplate models. Six of the top ten selling vehicles in September were built and sold by international automakers – one less than last month.  In fourth place behind the Ford F-Series, the Chevrolet Silverado pickups, and the Ram 1500-3500, the Toyota Camry reclaimed its number one-selling car crown from the Honda Accord. The Toyota Corolla, up 29.7 percent from last year, took the 10th spot, securing Toyota three of the top ten selling vehicles – more than any other brand.

N. American Manufacturing Holds Steady

North American manufacturing units operated by international automakers reflected the overall state of the industry as they continued to produce a large proportion of models sold in U.S. dealership showrooms. In total, these facilities produced 510,154 units in August. Asian brands sourced 260,285 cars (42 percent of all cars sold) and 214,480 trucks (26 percent of all trucks sold), while European automakers sourced 21,424 cars (3.5 percent of all cars sold) and 13,965 trucks (1.7 percent of all trucks) from these North American plants.

Outlook

AutoData Corp. reports that the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) in September was 18.17 million units versus 16.52 million units a year ago. This is the highest reported SAAR since July 2005. Industrywide, 1,442,460 light vehicles were sold last month, compared to 1,577,407 in August and 1,246,006 a year ago. Sales for all brands in 2015, unadjusted for business days, are up 5 percent from 2014 and 15.8 percent from September 2014.