CINCINNATI -

Here’s at least one segment of the automotive industry that’s remaining relatively steady amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday, Swapalease.com reported its vehicle-lease credit applicants registered an approval rate in March of 69.3%, representing just a slight decline from the February rate of 72.3% and January’s reading of 70%.

March also generated a slight decrease in approval ratings from the previous year. Swapalease noted that 70.7% of lease applicants were approved last March.

Site officials also indicated March included a higher number of applicants with qualifications for taking over another person’s lease contract, reaching the highest number since December.

“It’s no secret that the we’re seeing a shift in automotive shopping trends as March was fused between several stages of stay-at-home mandates and an increase in social distancing practices,” Swapalease executive vice president Scot Hall said in a news release.

“We’re seeing an increase in shoppers who are looking for alternative channels to acquire their next vehicle, rather than visiting the dealer showroom where the risk of exposure to the virus could be greater,” Hall continued.

Earlier this month, Auto Remarketing welcomed Hall back for another episode of the podcast where he discussed site traffic and more. That episode is available through the window at the bottom of this page.