New Car Sales Jump in June Thanks to Nissan, Ford and Chrysler
Automakers will be reporting June sales next week, and now is the time for industry watchers to make their predictions of how the carmakers have performed. Kelley Blue Book (KBB) projects that adjusted sales in June will be 10.1% higher than in June of 2012, the largest improvement so far in 2013. Unadjusted, sales are forecast to rise 6% year over year.
The seasonally adjusted annual rate of new car sales in the United States is now tallied at 15.5 million, the highest since last November and the highest June rate since 2007.
Here's a look at the KBB projections by manufacturer:
Nissan — up 14.9% year over year in June to 106,000 units sold
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) — up 13.4% to 235,000 units
Chrysler Group — up 7.7% to 156,000 units
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) — up 6.6% to 133,000 units
Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) — up 3.5% to 184,000 units
General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) — up 1.3% to 252,000 units
The vehicle type with the largest year-over-year sales increase is the full-size pickup truck, which is expected to see a sales gain of 18.9% in June, led by sales of the venerable Ford F-150. Sales of compact crossovers such as the Toyota RAV4 and the Ford Escape are forecast to rise by 18%.
Not all is well however. Hyundai-Kia is expected to see a sales decline of 3.6% year over year due to production constraints and new models from competing mid-size cars like the Toyota Camry. Volkswagen sales are slated to rise just 0.3% to 54,000. The German maker's market share will also fall by 0.2%.
Filed under: Autos Tagged: F, GM, HMC, TM
