US auto sales strong in July on SUV, luxury demand - New Orleans CityBusiness (blog)
Summer deals and big demand for SUVs and luxury vehicles kept U. S. auto sales strong in July. Sales of new cars and trucks were expected to rise 3 percent to nearly 1. 5 million, according to car shopping site TrueCar. General Motors and Fiat Chrysler both saw 6 percent sales gains over last July, while Honda and Nissan both saw 8-percent gains. Volkswagen sales rose 2 percent. Toyota’s sales were flat, hurt by a big dip in car sales. Sales of Nissan’s new Rogue jumped 51 percent. Sales of GM’s Buick Encore small SUV jumped 68 percent. Sales of midsize sedans have been struggling as buyers pass them over for small SUVs, so automakers tried to entice buyers last month with zero-percent financing deals on the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima. Altima sales rose 27 percent and set a new July record. Sales of Ford’s Lincoln luxury brand jumped 21 percent in July. Sales of Nissan’s luxury Infiniti brand climbed 22 percent on demand for the QX60 SUV and the new Q70 sedan. — GM’s sales rose 6 percent to 272,512. Buick sales jumped 18 percent, but Cadillac sales were down. Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck sales were up 34 percent in July. Source: neworleanscitybusiness.com
