AIADA Revels in October Sales Success

With an encouraging SAAR level in sight, the American International Automobile Dealers Association didn’t hesitate to declare October the most successful month of the year for the new-vehicle sales.

The associated indicated Thursday that October sales moved higher by 13.4 percent against the same month a year ago. For the year, AIADA said overall sales are up by 10.6 percent.

Officials went on to explain the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for light-vehicle sales is now estimated by AutoData Corp. to be at 12.26 million, up from 11.76 million in September. They pointed out October is the first month the sales pace broke the 12-million mark since August 2009 — when Cash For Clunkers was in full swing.

Sparking part of those gains were performances by international brands. Association leaders calculated October sales for these nameplates climbed 11.8 percent from last year.

So far in 2010, AIADA determined international brands have had 8.3 percent sales growth.

The brands that enjoyed the best year-over-year improvements during October included Hyundai (up 37.6 percent), Kia (38.7 percent), Subaru (25 percent) and Volkswagen (17.9 percent).

AIADA also reported Toyota once again sold the most of any international nameplate in October, moving 145,474 vehicles, down from 147,162 in September 2010.

“With a 0.5-percent decrease in sales, Toyota is one of the few international automakers to see sales down for the year,” the association conceded.

AIADA also pointed out General Motors led all U.S. sales with 183,543 units in October.

Market Share

According to figures provided by Autodata, the association reported international brands occupied 54.6 percent of the market — a slight decrease from the 54.8 percent they held in September and 55.7 percent in August.

Of the international brands, AIADA pointed out Asian automakers seized 45.9 percent of the market, compared to 46.1 percent in September. These OEMs also sold 435,800 vehicles.

Meanwhile Autodata’s statistics also revealed European brands held an 8.7 percent market share, remaining consistent with September’s market share. They moved 83,035 vehicles during October.

Overall, AIADA discovered Americans bought 518,835 international nameplate vehicles in October, down from 525,483 in September.

The association added domestic brands occupied 45.4 percent of the market, a slight increase over September’s 45.2 percent market share. The group also sold 431,330 vehicles.

Top-Selling Vehicles

AIADA said six of top 10 selling vehicles in October were international nameplates, down from seven in September.

The association cited sales data that indicated trucks led the way with the Ford F-Series and the Chevrolet Silverado taking the top two spots, respectively. It also mentioned the Toyota Camry continued its reign as the best-selling car in America, remaining in the third slot for the third consecutive month.

What AIADA believed was normally a fixture on the top 10 list, the Honda Civic fell to 11th place for the month, while the Ford Fusion broke into the ninth spot.

“Seven of the top 10 vehicles yielded year-over-year sales improvements, although the Hyundai Sonata’s was the most dramatic with sales up 124.7 percent since last October,” association officials explained.

Most Popular Vehicle Segments

The association highlighted that Americans continued their long-standing preference for crossovers and SUVs, purchasing 299,235 of these vehicles, up from 286,615 last month. Of those, 157,936 were international nameplates, while 141,299 were domestic brands.

Per what AIADA thinks is the usual pattern, the midsize car segment constituted the second greatest volume at 220,998 units, a figure that was lower than September’s total of 243,760 units.

Overall, the association determined Americans purchased 950,165 vehicles in October, down from 958,966 in September. Of those units, officials said 448,127 were cars, while 502,038 were trucks.

AIADA broke the total down further to state Asian nameplates sold 255,374 cars and 180,426 trucks. European nameplates registered sales of 59,813 cars and 23,222 trucks.

Officials went on to note domestic brands finished the month with sales of 132,940 cars and 298,390 trucks.

Future Outlook

AIADA President Cody Lusk offered his assessment on the role international brand dealers are playing in SAAR reaching a new peak for the year.

“International brand dealers are continuing to see steady improvement in sales,” Lusk declared.

“Improving consumer confidence is combining with attractive 2011 models to bring shoppers to dealerships,” he continued. “At the end of the day, the quality of our products will determine the speed and sustainability of our recovery.”