GM and Chrysler each saw more than 6 percent gains over last July, while Ford posted a still-impressive 5 percent increase. Their combined 6.7 percent increase topped the 1.7 percent average estimate.
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Automakers reported strong US sales in July, boosted by sport utility vehicles, as the industry benefited again from lower gasoline prices and a steadily improving US economy.
Ford’s sales were up by 5% at 222731.
The Nissan Rogue and GM’s Buick Enclave each sold more than 50 percent better this year. Jeep Wrangler was the brand’s biggest seller at 19,320, up 18 percent.
Consumers are also apparently demonstrating their confidence by purchasing luxury vehicles.
Lastly, many onlookers attributed strong sales to special deals offered by automakers aimed at enticing people to buy sedans, which have been losing popularity. Toyota’s gross sales have been flat, harm by an enormous dip in automotive gross sales. Though some had expressed concern that the Renegade could cut into sales of the Cherokee, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Below is a running summary of each firm’s sales report.
Fiat Chrysler said it sold 178,027 units in July, up from 167,667 a year ago. The GM Chevrolet Silverado showed sales of 56,380, up 34 percent. Volvo’s sales were up 15 percent.
Fiat Chrysler, meanwhile, posted its best July sales since 2005 after a 6 percent gain compared to the previous July. Perhaps SUV shoppers are looking elsewhere: Subcompact models are booming, but midsize SUVs and large, three-row crossovers (all excluding luxury models) were all up by double-digit percentages.
It was the 64th straight month that FCA sales increased on a year-over-year basis.
In this Thursday, July 2, 2015, photo, Robert Schemer, his wife, Kelly, and their son Graham, 9, pose next to their newly purchased pre-owned 2013 Ford Flex Limited, at the Star Ford Lincoln dealership in Glendale, Calif. At right is sales consultant Allan Calix.
Both the Challenger and Journey posted their best July sales ever.
Ford sales increased 4.9% to 222,731 vehicles, marking the automaker’s best July since 2006, and handily beating the 2.0% increase predicted by Edmunds.com.
Among overseas automakers, American Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Group each reported almost 8 percent sales growth in July.
Auto makers have been selling cars to rental vehicle fleets to blunt the effects of the drop in demand by consumers and the intense competition in a segment loaded with good options. Ram ProMaster sales were up 25 percent, the full-size van’s best July sales since it was launched in October 2013.
Volkswagen – Volkswagen sales climbed by only 2.4 percent year-over-year. Sales of the Tacoma small pickup jumped 29 percent, while Lexus SUV sales were up 28 percent thanks to the new NX small SUV. Otherwise, the numbers were relatively unremarkable.
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For Fiat Chrysler, trucks and utility vehicles accounted for 74 percent of sales and were 10.4 percent higher than a year earlier, while sedan sales fell 6 percent. After making the top 10 best-sellers in June for the first time in three months, the Elantra is back off.
