NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:
Sara Panza
Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association
440.746.1500

New Vehicle Sales Dip in September

Cleveland, OH (October 3, 2018) – While the overall automotive market continued to be solid, sales of new vehicles dipped last month with dealers selling 5.22 percent fewer units in September of 2018 than they did in the same month a year prior. Dealers sold a total of 20,526 new vehicles last month compared with 21,657 new vehicles in September of 2017, according to figures released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA).

“Despite a slowing of sales in September, all factors indicate that the new vehicle market will continue to be solid for the foreseeable future,” said Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “We had a very strong year in 2017, so there will be some times when we come up against some significant monthly numbers from the year before, like we did last month. By the end of the year we are predicting that we will sell 2 to 3 percent fewer vehicles than we did last year, making 2018 one of the strongest years on record.”

For the year to date, sales of new vehicles are off 1.24 percent. Franchised new vehicle dealers across northern Ohio have sold 190,315 new vehicles so far this year, compared with 192,700 last year at this time. The used vehicle market also slowed somewhat, with dealers selling 15,647 last month compared with 15,976 in September of 2017, a drop of just over 2 percent. For the year to date, total new and used vehicle sales are up 0.46 percent.

Ford held its grip on the title of Northern Ohio’s best-selling brand, selling 3,231 new vehicles in the month compared to 2,815 new vehicles for its rival Chevrolet. Toyota took home third, selling 1,827 vehicles, followed by Jeep, which cracked the top four by selling 1,704 new vehicles, an increase of over 16 percent for the iconic off-road brand.

17 Brands Up in September (‘18 v. ‘17)
The following brands posted sales increases in September of 2018 versus September of 2017: Acura, Alfa Romeo, BMW, Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Maserati, Mazda, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ram and Subaru.

17 Brands Up Year to Date (’18 v. ’17)
The following brands have posted sales increases for the year to date: Acura, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, GMC, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ram, Rolls-Royce, Subaru, Volkswagen and Volvo. 

New-car and truck sales in Northern Ohio
September ’18 / September ’17 & YTD

Retail sales figures are based on vehicle registration reports from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.  Vehicle sales data includes the counties of: Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas and Wayne.

About the GCADA
The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association (GCADA) has served the retail-automobile industry and community with integrity and distinction since 1915. Today, located in Brecksville, Ohio, GCADA represents over 250 franchised motor vehicle dealers, which include new-car, truck, motorcycle and RV dealers in a 21-county region of Northern Ohio along the Lake Erie shore and beyond.  More information on the GCADA can be found at www.gcada.org. Contact us at 440-746-1500.