Auto sales in the United States are now on track for their first decline in volume since the 2008 recession, according to July sales figures from the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) for international nameplate auto brands.
While the overall market regressed, a number of brands saw their individual sales figures increase. Specifically, Subaru saw a 6.9 percent increase, Acura sales were up by 3.7 percent, and Toyota sales rose by 3.6 percent.
While Honda’s sales were down by 1.7 percent, the greatest decrease from an international brand was Hyundai, whose decision to cut fleet sales by 77 percent resulted in a 30.1 percent drop in sales.
“Dealers anticipate customers will be drawn to their stores this fall by attractive new models and incentives,” Cody Lusk, president of AIADA, said. “We consider a market where consumers are purchasing 16 to 17 million new vehicles a year to be extremely healthy.”
International brands increased their share of the U.S. market during the month, growing from 55.4 percent at the end of June to 58.6 percent at the end of July. In total, 828,771 international brand vehicles were purchased during the month, which reflected a slowing U.S. auto market compared to the same point in 2016.
European brands saw a 7.3 percent drop compared to the same month last year, however, sales have increased by 1.2 percent since the beginning of 2017. In July, they held an 8.9 percent share of the market and sold 126,157 total vehicles.
U.S.-based brands finished the month with 41.4 of the domestic auto sales market, selling 586,367 vehicles.
Additionally, seven of the top 10 selling vehicles in the United States were trucks and SUVs, with the Ford F-Series continuing its position as the most popular vehicle in the country. Other vehicles on the list included the Chevrolet Silverado, the Toyota RAV4, the Dodge Ram, the Honda Civic, the Toyota Camry, the Nissan Rogue, the Honda CR-V, the Honda Accord, and the Ford Escape.