International Automobile Dealers Announce Monthly Sales

Overall Industry Sales fall Thirty-Seven Percent

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 3, 2008; The American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) released November 2008 sales figures for the international automobile industry. AIADA represents over 11,000 international franchises which account for 52.3 percent of all vehicles sold in the United States. Overall sales, unadjusted for business days, were down 36.7 percent from November 2007, and 16.3 percent year to date.

"This isn't a Detroit crisis -- this is an American crisis," said AIADA President Cody Lusk. "As Congress considers the Detroit Three's loans requests, they must also consider what role auto dealers will play in our economy's recovery." New car dealers employ 1,105,581 people in the United States, and sales of new and used cars, parts, and services are the largest source of sales tax revenue for nearly every state and local government.

According to numbers from Autodata Corp., international brands sold 390,658 vehicles in November, down from 448,351 in October and 460,182 in September. Asian brands held a 43.4 percent share of the market, Europeans had an 8.9 percent share, and domestic brands finished the month with 47.7 percent of the market. Year to date only Maserati, Mini, Rolls Royce, and Subaru have seen sales rise from 2007.

October's dismal sales resulted in a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 10.2 million, significantly below the 16.1 million vehicles sold in 2007. Detroit Three CEOs will testify before Congress tomorrow armed with the worst sales data seen in 26 years. From November 2007, domestic nameplates saw a 39.5 percent decrease, Asian nameplates saw a 34.6 percent decrease, and Europeans saw a 30.3 percent decrease. For more information on automobile sales, and to view a full report on November automobile sales, go here: http://www.aiada.org/newsroom/newsDetails.asp?id=57375&cmd=article.

About AIADA: Established in 1970, AIADA is and continues to be the only association whose sole purpose is to represent America's 11,000 international nameplate automobile franchises that sell and service the following brands: Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Isuzu, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Saab, Scion, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. These retailers have a positive economic impact both nationally and in the local communities they serve, providing more than 500,000 American jobs. Visit AIADA online at www.aiada.org.