ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Brands sold by America’s 9,500 international nameplate franchises accounted for 55.7% of all new vehicle sold in the United States in November, up from 53.7% in October.
According to AutoData Corp., the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) in November was 17.87 million units vs. 18.25 million units a year ago. Total industry unit deliveries increased 3.7% from the prior-year period. Year to date, automakers have sold 15,859,922 vehicles, 20,139 more than a year ago.
If year-end sales top last year's numbers, 2016 will mark the first time in nearly a century that auto sales rose for seven consecutive years. Industrywide, 1,380,558 light vehicles were sold in November, compared to 1,392,786 in October. Unadjusted for business days, sales for all brands were up 3.7% from November 2015 and 0.1% year to date. International brands were up 5.7% from 2015 and 0.66% for the year.
November's sales climbed on the strength of light truck demand, up 8.5% from a year ago, and generous holiday deals. Honda's sales rose 7.9% from November 2015, Hyundai's sales were up 2%, Toyota saw an improvement of 5.3%, and Volkswagen's sales rose 24.3% — ending a 12-month streak of declines. Subaru continued its 60-month run of sales improvements with 51,308 units sold, a November record.
"December is historically a great month for auto sales," said AIADA President Cody Lusk. "Thanks to a stabilized industry and promising economic conditions, international brand dealers are coming off of a tremendous November and looking to close out 2016 on a high note."
International auto sales in the United States totaled 768,754 in November, up from 747,879 in October. Asian brands occupied 45.7% of November's auto market, up from 44.6% of October's market, and besting the domestic nameplates' 44.3% market share. Overall, Asian nameplate dealers sold 630,961 vehicles last month and are up 1.3% for the year.
European brands sold 137,793 vehicles for a 10% share of last month's U.S. auto market, up from 9.1% in October. European brand sales were down 2.6% year over year.
To read AIADA's complete coverage of November's international nameplate auto sales, click here.
