US auto sales strong in July on SUV, luxury demand - New Pittsburgh Courier
DETROIT (AP) _ More Americans are buying cars that say “look at me. ”. Luxury vehicles like Audis and Volvos drove off dealer lots at a furious pace in July and, combined with sizzling demand for SUVs, helped the auto industry roll on toward its... July sales rose 5 percent to more than 1. 5 million, according to Autodata Corp. General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and Hyundai all saw 6 percent sales increases, while Honda and Nissan saw 8 percent gains. Toyota’s sales were flat, hurt by a big dip in car sales. in the same time period, mass-market vehicle sales rose just 3 percent, according to car shopping site TrueCar. Sales of Nissan’s new Rogue SUV jumped 51 percent in July, while sales of GM’s Buick Encore jumped 68 percent. Sales of midsize sedans have been struggling as Americans pass them over for small SUVs, so automakers enticed buyers with zero-percent financing deals on the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima and other sedans. Altima sales rose 27 percent and set a new July record. Luxury brands made up 11. 5 percent of vehicles purchased so far this year, up from 10. 2 percent three years ago, according to TrueCar. Audi saw its best July ever in the U. S. , with sales up 21 percent to more than 17,500 cars and SUVs. Source: newpittsburghcourieronline.com
