Retail Market Drives Strongest July Car Sales Since 2006, Says Edmunds.com
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — July 25, 2013 — Edmunds.com, the premier resource for car shopping and automotive information, forecasts that 1,328,397 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in July for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 15.8 million. The projected sales will be a 5.3 percent decrease from June 2013, but a 15.2 percent increase from July 2012. Edmunds.com anticipates that this month will be the biggest July performance since 2006 when automakers sold 1,489,359 vehicles.
"Overall sales are undoubtedly strong, but what makes July truly impressive is that fleet sales are so low," says Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell. "That means retail sales are stepping up as the driving force for the auto industry. When people jump back into the market, it's great news not just for the automotive sector, but for the entire U.S. economy."
| Sales Volume | Jul-13 Forecast | Jul-12 | Jun-13 | Change from Jul 2012* | Change from Jun 2013* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM | 239,972 | 201,237 | 264,843 | 19.2% | -9.4% |
| Toyota | 199,716 | 164,898 | 195,235 | 21.1% | 2.3% |
| Ford | 193,914 | 173,482 | 234,917 | 11.8% | -17.5% |
| Chrysler Group | 140,160 | 126,089 | 156,686 | 11.2% | -10.5% |
| Honda | 134,429 | 116,944 | 136,915 | 15.0% | -1.8% |
| Hyundai/Kia | 117,354 | 110,095 | 115,543 | 6.6% | 1.6% |
| Nissan | 115,697 | 98,341 | 104,124 | 17.6% | 11.1% |
| VW/Audi | 48,272 | 48,721 | 50,663 | -0.9% | -4.7% |
| Industry | 1,328,397 | 1,153,092 | 1,402,274 | 15.2% | -5.3% |
Edmunds.com estimates that retail SAAR will come in at 13.6 million vehicles in July, with fleet transactions accounting for 14 percent of total sales, the lowest proportion for any month this year. An estimated 3.18 million used cars will be sold in July, for a SAAR of 36.2 million (compared to 3.07 million — or a SAAR of 37.1 million — used car sales in June).
AUTOMAKER PERFORMANCE
In a bit of a surprise, Edmunds.com projects that Toyota will beat out Ford in total sales this month, the first time since March 2010. The Japanese automaker will claim 15.0 percent of U.S. auto sales in July, its highest share since January 2013. Ford's share, meanwhile, is expected to fall 2.2 percentage points from June, the biggest month-to-month decrease of any automaker. Its projected 14.6 percent share this month will be the company's lowest single-month share since August 2009 (14.3 percent).
| Market Share | Jul-13 Forecast | Jul-12 | Jun-13 | Change from July 2012 (Percentage pts.) | Change from June 2013(Percentage pts.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM | 18.1% | 17.5% | 18.9% | 0.6% | -0.8% |
| Toyota | 15.0% | 14.3% | 13.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| Ford | 14.6% | 15.0% | 16.8% | -0.4% | -2.2% |
| Chrysler Group | 10.6% | 10.9% | 11.2% | -0.4% | -0.6% |
| Honda | 10.1% | 10.1% | 9.8% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Hyundai/Kia | 8.8% | 9.5% | 8.2% | -0.7% | 0.6% |
| Nissan | 8.7% | 8.5% | 7.4% | 0.2% | 1.3% |
| VW/Audi | 3.6% | 4.2% | 3.6% | -0.6% | 0.0% |
More insight into recent auto industry trends can be found in Edmunds.com's Industry Center.
About Edmunds.com
Edmunds.com is a car-shopping Web site committed to helping people find the car that meets their every need. Almost 18 million visitors use our research, shopping and buying tools every month to make an easy and informed decision on their next new or used car. Whether you're at the dealership or on the go, we're always by your side with our five-star Edmunds.com iPhone and iPad apps and our Edmunds.com Android App. Our comprehensive car reviews, shopping tips, photos, videos and feature stories offer a friendly and authentic approach to the automotive world. We're based in Santa Monica, Calif., but you can connect with us from anywhere by following @Edmunds on Twitter or by becoming a fan of Edmunds.com on Facebook.
