Finally more sales. The question is if the losses of the first 10 weeks of 2014 can be recovered.
The back end of March staged a comeback for U.S. auto sales as buyers – not lookers – visited dealer showrooms during the last two weekends. Sales for all brands increased 5.7% compared to March 2013 and a whopping 28.8% compared to a frigid, stormy February.
Offshore makers took 55.1% of March’s U.S. auto market, up from 53.2% last month. Overall, they sold 847,047 units, resulting in the best sales month this year. For comparison, consider that in February, offshore brands sold 635,418 units. In January, they sold 562,141 units.
In spite of strong Detroit Three pickup truck sales, offshore brands increased share.
The Detroit Three – Chrysler, Ford and GM – held 44.9% share of the market, selling 690,241 vehicles. Last month, domestic brands held 46.8% share and sold 558,454 units. There is a seasonal quirk in the data, though.
“Car shoppers generally have an easier time finding deals on Japanese brands in March because it’s the end of the Japanese fiscal year, and those brands step up their incentives to make one last sales push,” says Jessica Caldwell and analyst at Edmunds.com. “Nissan is usually more eager than its competitors to play this game, and according to its March sales report, this year was no different. If you’re a shopper who bought a Nissan last month, there’s a good chance you walked away with an excellent deal.”
European brands took 9% of the market, up from 8.8% in February, but down from a 9.5% share in January. This represented a 6.7% increase from March 2013, finishing March at 139,085 vehicles, up from 104,921 last month and 95,979 in January.
Offshore brands took five of the Top Ten sales spots in March, an increase from four last month.
Trucks ruled, though. Ford F-Series, Ram 1500-3500, and Chevrolet Silverado dominated the top three spots. Of note is the fact that Ram continues to “pick up’ market share – so to speak – at the expense of GM.
In fourth place, the Toyota Camry regained its position as the top selling car in the U.S., which it lost to the Nissan Altima in February. The Nissan Altima moved to fifth place this month. In sixth place, the Honda Accord was again one of the top mid-size cars in the list. The Toyota Corolla and Honda CR-V, eighth and tenth places respectively, completed the Top Ten rankings.
AutoData says the seasonally adjusted annual rate, aka SAAR, at 16.4 million, is the highest rate of 2014. The SAAR was at 15.34 million last month and 15.24 million in January. March’s SAAR is also a slight improvement compared with last March’s SAAR of 15.3 million units.
