October Vehicle Sales--International Brands

International Nameplate Automobile Dealers Announce Monthly Sales Despite Sandy's Impact, Sales Continue to Rise

Alexandria, VA--December 2, 2012: The American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) today released October 2012 sales figures for the international nameplate automobile industry. AIADA represents America's approximately 10,000 international nameplate franchises whose brands accounted for 55.4 percent of all vehicles sold in the United States last month.

Despite Hurricane Sandy stifling end-of-month sales from Virginia to Rhode Island, AutoData Corp. estimated the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) at 14.29 million units, an improvement over 13.34 million units one year ago. Sales for all brands, unadjusted for business days, were up 6.9 percent from October 2011 and 13.8 percent year over year.

Subaru (up 30.1 percent), Toyota (up 16.8 percent), and Volkswagen (up 22.4 percent) enjoyed the biggest gains from October 2011. Nissan, whose stronghold is in the northeast, saw sales fall 6 percent from October 2011. In response to the storm, Nissan and Infiniti will both offer employee discounts and financing to eligible residents in FEMA disaster areas. Across the board, incentives were down 2.9 percent from September and 5.6 percent from October 2011.

"Hurricane Sandy may have put a crimp in sales, but consumer confidence and personal income are both climbing," said AIADA President Cody Lusk. "That's good news for auto dealers and the communities they support."

In October, international brands accounted for 606,029 units sold, down from 666,301 in September. Asian nameplates occupied 44.4 percent of the U.S. auto market, down from 46.1 percent in September. European nameplates rose from a 10 percent share in September to an 11 percent in October. Domestic brands finished the month with a 44.5 percent share of the market, up half a percentage point from September.