Marking the Twelfth Straight Month of Growth, New-Car Sales to Climb More Than 8 Percent in February 2015
 Toyota's Bestselling Corolla |
Toyota Motor Company to Report Largest Gains; Pickup Trucks Continue Strong Run Despite Rising Gas Prices
IRVINE, CA -- Feb. 25, 2015: New-vehicle sales are expected to increase 8 percent year-over-year to a total of 1.29 million units in February 2015, resulting in an estimated 16.6 million seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), according to Kelley Blue Book .
"While consumer confidence fell month-over-month in February, it still remains high from last year," said Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "Along with an unemployment rate that continues to drop and low interest rates, most signs remain very positive in the automotive market. In fact, February marks 12 straight months of industry growth."
Moving into the coming months, the rate of sales growth should slow down considerably. Total sales in 2015 are projected to hit 16.9 million units overall, a 2.5 percent year-over-year increase and the highest overall total since 2005 sales fell just below 17 million units total.
Key Highlights for Estimated February 2015 Sales Forecast:
In February, new light-vehicle sales, including fleet, are expected to reach 1,286,000 units, up 8 percent from February 2014 and up 11.9 percent from January 2015.
The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for February 2015 is estimated to be 16.6 million, up from 15.3 million in February 2014 and flat compared to January 2015.
Retail sales are expected to account for 80 percent of volume in February 2015, up from 79 percent in February 2014.
Toyota Motor Company to Report Largest Gains with Help from its Best-Selling Corolla
Toyota Motor Company is expected to report the largest percentage growth of all major automakers at 13 percent, helped by the Corolla, which was the best-selling car in the country last month for the first time in three years, narrowly followed by the Toyota Camry.
"With gas prices rising 30 cents in February, Kelley Blue Book anticipates more consumers to shift toward brands like Toyota and their lineup of fuel-efficient cars and small utilities like its RAV4," said Tim Fleming, analyst at Kelley Blue Book. "Similar to Toyota, American Honda will have a great month with projected double-digit growth for February. Large gains should be seen in the small CR-V utility vehicle, which has been Honda's best-seller during the past four months."
|
Sales Volume 1 | Market Share 2 | |||||
| Manufacturer | Feb-15 | Feb-14 | YOY % | Feb-15 |
Feb-14 | YOY % |
| General Motors (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC) | 235,000 | 222,104 | 5.8% | 18.3% | 18.6% | -0.4% |
| Ford Motor Company (Ford, Lincoln) | 195,000 | 183,349 | 6.4% |
15.2% |
15.4% |
-0.2% |
| Toyota Motor Company (Lexus, Scion, Toyota) | 180,000 | 159,284 | 13.0% | 14.0% | 13.4% | 0.6% |
| Fiat Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, FIAT, Jeep, RAM) | 168,000 | 154,866 | 8.5% | 13.1% | 13.0% | 0.1% |
| Nissan North America (Infiniti, Nissan) | 120,000 | 115,360 | 4.0% |
9.3% |
9.7% |
-0.4% |
| American Honda (Acura, Honda) | 113,000 | 100,405 | 12.5% | 8.8% | 8.4% | 0.4% |
| Hyundai-Kia | 92,000 | 90,221 | 2.0% | 7.2% | 7.6% | -0.4% |
| Volkswagen Group (Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche) | 42,000 | 41,225 | 1.9% |
3.3% |
3.5% |
-0.2% |
| Total 3 | 1,286,000 | 1,191,037 | 8.0% | - | - | - |
| 1 Historical data from OEM sales announcements | ||||||
|
2 Kelley Blue Book Automotive Insights | ||||||
| 3 Includes brands not shown | ||||||
2 Kelley Blue Book Automotive Insights
3 Includes brands not shown
Full-Size Pickup Trucks Continue Strong Run Despite Rising Gas Prices Even with gas prices on the rise in February, full-size pickup trucks continue their strong run, led by the all-new Ford F-Series. However, as Ford continues to build inventory toward the right trim mix of its new pickup, the industry should see strong pushes from General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to make the most of the current market opportunity.
Apart from pickups, compact and mid-size crossovers will drive much of the industry's growth, with both segments expected to climb by double-digit percentages. For the compact utilities, the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 are driving the biggest volume growth, while the Jeep Cherokee and Subaru Outback are the fastest growing in the mid-size utility segment.
| Sales Volume 1 | Market Share | |||||
| Segment | Feb-15 | Feb-14 | YOY % | Feb-15 |
Feb-14 | YOY % |
| Mid-Size Car |
184,000 | 182,008 | 1.1% |
14.3% |
15.3% |
-1.0% |
| Compact Car | 182,000 | 170,148 | 7.0% |
14.1% |
14.3% |
-0.2% |
| Compact SUV/Crossover | 163,000 | 147,439 | 10.6% |
12.6% |
12.4% |
0.3% |
| Full-Size Pickup Truck | 161,000 | 145,076 | 11.0% | 12.5% | 12.2% | 0.3% |
| Mid-Size SUV/Crossover | 155,000 | 140,046 | 10.7% |
12.0% |
11.8% |
0.3% |
| Total 2 | 1,286,000 | 1,191,037 | 8.0% | - | - | - |
| 1 Kelley Blue Book Automotive Insights | ||||||
| 2 Includes segments not shown | ||||||
2 Includes segments not shown
There are 24 sales days in February 2015, compared to 24 sales days in February 2014. All percentages are based on raw volume, not daily selling rate.
