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New-Car Sales to Jump 11.6 Percent Year-Over-Year in July


chrysler 200
2015 Chrysler 200

IRVINE, CA -- July 25, 2014: New-vehicle sales are expected to increase 11.6 percent year-over-year to a total of 1.46 million units, resulting in an estimated 16.6 million seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), according to Kelley Blue Book.

"Following last month's record SAAR since July 2006, sales should slow slightly, but remain strong overall in July," said Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "Sales in the first half of the year totaled 8.15 million, an increase of 4.2 percent from last year. In the second quarter, sales hit 4.41 million, which is the second-best quarter since 2006."

New-car sales increases are expected to continue into the second half of the year, for a full year total of 16.3 million, which would be a 4.9 percent improvement from 2013.

Key Highlights for Estimated July 2014 Sales Forecast:

In July, new light-vehicle sales, including fleet, are expected to hit 1,465,000 units, up 11.6 percent from July 2013 and up 3.3 percent from June 2014. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for July 2014 is estimated to be 16.6 million, up from 15.7 million in July 2013 and down from 16.9 million in June 2014. Retail sales are expected to account for 88 percent of volume in July 2014. Chrysler Group Poised for Greatest Gains in July; Nissan North America to Regain Market Share Most manufacturers are poised for a successful month, with Chrysler Group coming out on top with more than 20 percent growth this month. Once again, the Jeep and RAM brands will drive the group's strength, but the recently redesigned Chrysler 200 also should offer a boost to the automaker in July.

"Nissan North America also is gaining market share this month with an anticipated increase of 14.6 percent," said Gutierrez. "So far this year, Nissan has increased sales of its three biggest sellers, Altima, Rogue and Sentra, by 18 percent. This is especially impressive considering overall industry sales of compact and mid-size cars have slowed this year."


Sales Volume 1

Market Share 2

Manufacturer

Jul-14

Jul-13

YOY %

Jul-14

Jul-13

YOY %

General Motors (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC)

259,000

234,071

10.7%

17.7%

17.8%

-0.1%

Toyota Motor Company (Lexus, Scion, Toyota)

213,000

193,394

10.1%

14.5%

14.7%

-0.2%

Ford Motor Company (Ford, Lincoln)

210,000

193,080

8.8%

14.3%

14.7%

-0.4%

Chrysler Group (Chrysler, Dodge, FIAT, Jeep, RAM)

172,000

140,102

22.8%

11.7%

10.7%

1.1%

American Honda (Acura, Honda)

151,000

141,439

6.8%

10.3%

10.8%

-0.5%

Hyundai-Kia

126,000

115,009

9.6%

8.6%

8.8%

-0.2%

Nissan North America (Infiniti, Nissan)

125,000

109,041

14.6%

8.5%

8.3%

0.2%

Volkswagen Group (Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche)

54,000

52,663

2.5%

3.7%

4.0%

-0.3%

Total 3

1,465,000

1,312,991

11.6%

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1 Historical data from OEM sales announcements







2 Kelley Blue Book Automotive Insights







3 Includes brands not shown







Luxury Vehicles Responsible for Nearly a Quarter of Industry's Growth in 2014
While most vehicle segments will increase sales in July, Kelley Blue Book expects the compact and mid-size car segments to continue to lose market share.  In fact, non-luxury car sales, which consist of nearly 40 percent of the market, are down 1.5 percent, due to the increasing popularity of small and mid-size SUV/crossovers.

"In addition to increasing small SUV sales, luxury utility sales also are on the rise climbing 14 percent this year, helping improve overall luxury sales by 8.6 percent," said Gutierrez.  "While Kelley Blue Book doesn't expect big luxury segment shifts in July, it is noteworthy that luxury vehicles are responsible for nearly a quarter of the industry's growth in 2014."


Sales Volume 1

Market Share

Segment

Jul-14

Jul-13

YOY %

Jul-14

Jul-13

YOY %

Compact Car

221,000

205,182

7.7%

15.1%

15.6%

-0.5%

Mid-Size Car

205,000

192,486

6.5%

14.0%

14.7%

-0.7%

Compact SUV/Crossover

178,000

155,717

14.3%

12.2%

11.9%

0.3%

Full-Size Pickup Truck

174,000

163,091

6.7%

11.9%

12.4%

-0.5%

Entry-level Luxury Car

69,000

63,538

8.6%

4.7%

4.8%

-0.1%

Total 2

1,465,000

1,312,991

11.6%

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1 Kelley Blue Book Automotive Insights







2 Includes segments not shown







There are 26 sales days in July 2014, compared to 25 sales days in July 2013.  All percentages are based on raw volume, not daily selling rate.