Car Sales Settle into a Groove in April, Says Edmunds.com
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — April 24, 2014 — Edmunds.com, the premier destination for car shopping, forecasts that 1,401,606 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in April for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 16.2 million. The projected sales will be an 8.7 percent decrease from March 2014, but a 9.1 percent increase from April 2013. The forecast anticipates that the auto industry will enjoy its best April performance since dealers sold 1,444,587 vehicles in April 2006.
"April's numbers suggest that car shoppers are still motivated to buy new cars, erasing any doubts raised by lackluster sales at the beginning of the year," says Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell. "The sales performance the last two months is more in line with what we projected for 2014, and there's every reason to believe that car shoppers will continue to keep this pace."
| Sales Volume | Apr-14 Forecast | Apr-13 | Mar-14 | Change from Apr 2013* | Change from Mar 2014* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM | 248,713 | 237,646 | 256,047 | 4.7% | -2.9% |
| Ford | 221,787 | 211,984 | 243,417 | 4.6% | -8.9% |
| Toyota | 200,748 | 176,160 | 215,348 | 14.0% | -6.8% |
| Chrysler Group | 175,945 | 156,638 | 194,915 | 12.3% | -9.7% |
| Honda | 132,739 | 130,999 | 133,318 | 1.3% | -0.4% |
| Hyundai/Kia | 116,220 | 110,871 | 121,782 | 4.8% | -4.6% |
| Nissan | 103,566 | 87,847 | 149,136 | 17.9% | -30.6% |
| VW/Audi | 50,187 | 46,801 | 50,963 | 7.2% | -1.5% |
| Industry | 1,401,606 | 1,284,628 | 1,535,133 | 9.1% | -8.7% |
Edmunds.com estimates that retail SAAR will come in at 13.4 million vehicles in April, with fleet transactions accounting for 17.3 percent of total sales. An estimated 3.08 million used cars will be sold in April, for a SAAR of 35.4 million (compared to 3.43 million — or a SAAR of 34.9 million — used car sales in March).
| Market Share | Apr-14 Forecast | Apr-13 | Mar-14 | Change from April 2013 (Percentage pts.) | Change from March 2014 (Percentage pts.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM | 17.7% | 18.5% | 16.7% | -0.8% | 1.1% |
| Ford | 15.8% | 16.5% | 15.9% | -0.7% | 0.0% |
| Toyota | 14.3% | 13.7% | 14.0% | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| Chrysler Group | 12.6% | 12.2% | 12.7% | 0.4% | -0.1% |
| Honda | 9.5% | 10.2% | 8.7% | -0.7% | 0.8% |
| Hyundai/Kia | 8.3% | 8.6% | 7.9% | -0.3% | 0.4% |
| Nissan | 7.4% | 6.8% | 9.7% | 0.6% | -2.3% |
| VW/Audi | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.3% | -0.1% | 0.3% |
Shoppers in the market right now for a new car are encouraged to check out Edmunds.com's Deals of the Month page where they can find some of the strongest available deals, including 0% financing for 60 months on a 2014 GMC Acadia or $1,500 cash on a 2014 Nissan Quest.
About Edmunds
Edmunds is a car-shopping Web site driven to make car buying easy. Almost 18 million visitors use our shopping tools every month to connect with over 9,500 dealer franchises across the U.S. Shoppers can browse our inventory listings for available cars and trucks, and with Edmunds.com's Price PromiseSM, they can get an instant, upfront price on those same vehicles. Recently named by Maritz Research as one of the most trusted online consumer review sites - and the only automotive site listed in the top ten - Edmunds.com is also home to comprehensive car reviews, shopping tips, photos, videos and feature stories. Even when you're at the dealership, we're always by your side. Visit our Help Center or use our acclaimed Edmunds.com iPhone and iPad apps or Edmunds.com Android App. 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. You can also find us on Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Flipboard.
