July 2011 U.S. New-Vehicle Retail Sales Pace Stronger than June's-Slower Than the Start of the Year

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: August 1, 2011; New-vehicle retail sales in July, which got off to strong start over the Independence Day weekend, have again slowed during the second half of the month's a pattern also seen in June 2011, according to J.D. Power and Associates, which gathers real-time transaction data from more than 8,900 retail franchisees throughout the United States.

The July retail seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) is expected to come in at 9.6 million units, 300,000 units stronger than 9.3 million unit SAAR in June. The total light-vehicle selling rate is expected to reach 11.8 million units, the third straight month below the 12 million-unit level.

“The auto industry is having a difficult time shaking off adversity, as vehicle sales start the second half of the year better than June, but not as strong as many people had hoped,” said Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting at J.D. Power and Associates. “A recovery pattern is still expected, but the pace could be in question as reported weaker GDP growth in the first half of the year may dampen the outlook.”

J.D. Power and Associates will be tracking new-vehicle sales as they are announced by auto manufacturers on August 2