The Economy and the Weather Contribute to Strong December Auto Sales, says Edmunds.com
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — December 23, 2014 — Edmunds.com, the premier destination for car shopping, forecasts that 1,511,309 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in December for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 16.8 million. The projected sales will be a 16.4 percent increase from November 2014, and an 11.4 percent increase from December 2013.
Based on Edmunds.com's December forecast, overall U.S. light vehicle sales will be 16.5 million for the 2014 calendar year, a 6.0 percent increase over 2013.
"Many factors have helped car sales recently," says Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell. "Low gas prices, a record stock market and the improving economy are making people feel more financially comfortable, and even the weather has cooperated, for the most part."
| Sales Volume |
December 2014 Forecast |
December 2013 |
November 2014 |
Change from December 2013 |
Change from November 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM | 262,191 | 230,157 | 225,816 | 13.9% | 16.1% |
| Ford | 224,914 | 216,592 | 186,336 | 3.8% | 20.7% |
| Toyota | 219,587 | 190,843 | 183,346 | 15.1% | 19.8% |
| Chrysler Group | 200,621 | 161,008 | 170,839 | 24.6% | 17.4% |
| Honda | 140,023 | 135,255 | 121,814 | 3.5% | 14.9% |
| Nissan | 114,878 | 109,758 | 103,188 | 4.7% | 11.3% |
| Hyundai/Kia | 105,995 | 96,636 | 98,608 | 9.7% | 7.5% |
| VW/Audi | 53,312 | 51,028 | 48,246 | 4.5% | 10.5% |
| Industry | 1,511,309 | 1,356,985 | 1,298,436 | 11.4% | 16.4% |
Edmunds.com estimates that retail SAAR will come in at 14.0 million vehicles in December, with fleet transactions accounting for 16.5 percent of total sales. An estimated 2.42 million used cars will be sold in December, for a SAAR of 35.6 million (compared to 2.64 million — or a SAAR of 36.3 million — used car sales in November).
AUTOMAKER PERFORMANCE
| Market Share |
December 2014 Forecast |
December 2013 |
November 2014 |
Change from December 2013 |
Change from November 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM | 17.3% | 17.0% | 17.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% |
| Ford | 14.9% | 16.0% | 14.4% | -1.1% | 0.5% |
| Chrysler Group | 13.3% | 11.9% | 13.2% | 1.4% | 0.1% |
| Honda | 9.3% | 10.0% | 9.4% | -0.7% | -0.1% |
| Nissan | 7.6% | 8.1% | 7.9% | -0.5% | -0.3% |
| Toyota | 14.5% | 14.1% | 14.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Hyundai/Kia | 7.0% | 7.1% | 7.6% | -0.1% | -0.6% |
| VW/Audi | 3.5% | 3.8% | 3.7% | -0.2% | -0.2% |
More insight into recent auto industry trends can be found in Edmunds.com's Industry Center at http://www.edmunds.com/industry-center/.
About Edmunds.com
Car-shopping website Edmunds serves nearly 18 million visitors each month. With Edmunds.com Price Promise®, shoppers can get an instant, upfront price for cars and trucks currently for sale at 10,000 dealer franchises across the U.S. Car shoppers can browse not only inventory listings at Edmunds.com and on its acclaimed apps, but also comprehensive car reviews, shopping tips, photos, videos and feature stories. 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 welcomes all car-shopping questions at our Help Center and on Twitter and Facebook. Based in Santa Monica with a satellite office in downtown Detroit, Edmunds.com can also be found on Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Google+ and Flipboard.
