The calendar helped US light vehicle sales to a nine-year record during May of 2014 as the Federal government continued to print money and hold interest rates low. Overall, the light vehicle market expanded 11.4% to 1.6 million units. The real change was in the light truck market, which grew 13.3% to 815,000 units.
In spite of the strong truck sales where the Detroit Three continue, clearly, to dominate, offshore brands took a 54.6% share of the US sales in May, up from a 53.9% share in April. In total, they sold 879,503 vehicles, an increase from 750,328 last month.
Asian brands took the biggest share of the market with 46.2%, up from 44.9% in April. They sold 743,937 vehicles, compared to 624,892 in April. Asian automakers are up 14.1% compared to last May when they occupied 45.1% of the U.S. market and sold 651,984 vehicles.
European brands at 8.4% of the market were down slightly from the 9% share they held in April. All told, they sold 135,566 vehicles, up from the 125,085 vehicles sold in April. European brands increased share 4.5% compared to May 2013 when 129,759 vehicles were sold.
The Detroit Three – Chrysler, Ford and GM – finished the month with a 45.3% share of the market with sales of 729,190 units. In April, the D3 held 46% of the market and sold 640,185 vehicles. In total, sales of domestic brands increased 10%compared to last May.
AutoData, the source of these numbers, estimates the seasonally adjusted annual rate, aka SAAR, for May was 16.77 million units compared to 15.48 million units one year ago. This is the largest SAAR since February 2007.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
