Overall, Ford’s monthly van sales grew 14 percent – the company’s best commercial van sales since 1978 – with 24,404 sold. Vehicle volume fell 1.3 percent while crossover sales dropped 9.3 percent, the company said.
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GM, the biggest USA automaker, said its sales fell 1.6 percent to 255,210 vehicles in June due to lower sales of Buick and GMC vehicles as the company cut lower-margin sales to US rental auto fleets.
Robust sales of pickup trucks and SUVs put the US auto industry on track to record its best June in more than a decade despite a dip in sales at General Motors GM.N .
Total Chevrolet deliveries in June rose 0.1% year over year to 181,387 units and retail sales rise 2.5% to 141,091 units.
Cheaply contented rental cars can leave consumers with poor impressions of the product; compete against new GM products when rentals go to the secondary market; and weaken the resale value of GM products in general, a longtime lament of GM dealers.
GM’s strategy last month resulted in 5,690 fewer sales to rental companies and the automaker’s overall fleet sales, including government and small businesses, dipped to 18.0% of its sales mix, compared with upwards of 25% in a given month historically. Sales also took a boost from an extra selling day in the month compared with the same period a year ago.
For the first half, Lincoln sales totaled 53,297 vehicles – a 13 percent increase versus a year ago.
Marketing research firm J.D. Power and LMC Automotive has said it expects USA light vehicle sales for June to rise 5 percent to 1.55 million.
Despite a “Truck Month” program that offered 0% financing and up to $8,250 cash back on its Silverado pickup, Silverado sales fell 3.7%.
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Through the first half of the year, GM sales overall were down 4.4% to 1.4 million units from 1.5 million.
