SUVs, muscle cars help auto industry maintain momentum - Charleston Post Courier
Sales of the larger Ford Explorer rose 30 percent. and sales of the Jeep Cherokee gained 39 percent. Total sales rose 3. 9 percent over last June to 1. 48 million, according to Autodata Corp. For the first half of the year, sales gained 4. 4 percent to 8. 5 million. Buoyed by the momentum, the National Automobile Dealers Association this week raised its full-year sales forecast to 17. 2 million vehicles from just under 17 million. The last time auto sales topped 17 million was in 2001. Most automakers reported gains for June, led by Nissan with an increase of 13 percent. General Motors’ sales fell, largely because the company cut back on sales to rental-car companies. High-volume sales of SUVs priced in the low- to mid-$30,000 range are boosting transaction prices, said Larry Dominique, executive vice president, industry solutions, for TrueCar. Ford’s Lincoln division notched a 14. 5 percent gain, while sales for Nissan’s Infiniti and Toyota’s Lexus luxury units also rose by double digits. Sales of the midsize Ford Fusion dropped 8 percent last month, while sales of Chevy’s compact Cruze slipped 13 percent. Source: www.postandcourier.com
