Shoppers Spring Back to Car Dealerships in March, Says Edmunds.com
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — March 27, 2014 — Edmunds.com, the premier destination for car shopping, forecasts that 1,476,535 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in March for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 15.8 million. The projected sales will be a 24.0 percent increase from February 2014, and a 1.7 percent increase from March 2013.
"Car buyers who chose not to brave the cold weather last month found plenty of opportunity this month," commented Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell. "Now that spring has arrived, weather conditions shouldn't have the impact on car shoppers it had at the beginning of 2014, and we'll be able to get a better sense of the true strength of the marketplace in coming months."
| Sales Volume | Mar-14 Forecast | Mar-13 | Feb-14 | Change from Mar 2013* | Change from Feb 2014* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM | 247,101 | 245,950 | 222,104 | 0.5% | 11.3% |
| Ford | 239,423 | 235,643 | 183,349 | 1.6% | 30.6% |
| Toyota | 207,531 | 205,342 | 159,284 | 1.1% | 30.3% |
| Chrysler Group | 190,684 | 171,603 | 154,866 | 11.1% | 23.1% |
| Nissan | 139,798 | 137,726 | 115,360 | 1.5% | 21.2% |
| Honda | 122,893 | 136,038 | 100,405 | -9.7% | 22.4% |
| Hyundai/Kia | 115,645 | 117,431 | 90,221 | -1.5% | 28.2% |
| VW/Audi | 48,825 | 50,957 | 37,993 | -4.2% | 28.5% |
| Industry | 1,476,535 | 1,452,269 | 1,191,087 | 1.7% | 24.0% |
Edmunds.com estimates that retail SAAR will come in at 12.6 million vehicles in March, with fleet transactions accounting for 20.0 percent of total sales. An estimated 3.33 million used cars will be sold in March, for a SAAR of 33.9 million (compared to 3.06 million — or a SAAR of 33.8 million — used car sales in February).
| Market Share | Mar-14 Forecast | Mar-13 | Feb-14 | Change from March 2013(Percentage pts.) | Change from February 2014(Percentage pts.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM | 16.7% | 16.9% | 18.6% | -0.2% | -1.9% |
| Ford | 16.2% | 16.2% | 15.4% | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| Toyota | 14.1% | 14.1% | 13.4% | -0.1% | 0.7% |
| Chrysler Group | 12.9% | 11.8% | 13.0% | 1.1% | -0.1% |
| Nissan | 9.5% | 9.5% | 9.7% | 0.0% | -0.2% |
| Honda | 8.3% | 9.4% | 8.4% | -1.0% | -0.1% |
| Hyundai/Kia | 7.8% | 8.1% | 7.6% | -0.3% | 0.3% |
| VW/Audi | 3.3% | 3.5% | 3.2% | -0.2% | 0.1% |
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 $1,500 cash on a 2014 Fiat 500 Abarth Convertible or 0.9% financing on a 2014 Acura TSX.
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.
