U.S. light vehicle sales in June posted their highest rate since 2005 at 1.5 million, which translates to a SAAR – Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate – of 17.16 million. Low interest rates, an aging vehicle population and automaker rebates fueled the robost market, according to AutoData.
AutoData also notes that the seasonally adjusted annual rate was the highest reported June SAAR since 2005. Industry-wide, 1,476,675 light vehicles were sold last month, compared to 1,635,090 in May and 1,420,994 a year ago. So far this year, sales for all brands, unadjusted for business days, are up 4.4% from 2014.
The all-important market share battle was a standoff. Offshore brands – traditionally weak in trucks – held U.S. share at 54.8 % compared to 54.6 % last month, and 53.8 % in June 2014. Overall sales of offshore brands decreased from 891,687 units in May to 808,768 units in June. However, they were up from the 764,029 vehicles sold by international brands in June 2014.
