Global| Oct 03 2016U.S. Light Vehicle Purchases Increase
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
Total sales of light vehicles during September increased 4.5% (-1.6% y/y) to 17.76 million units (SAAR), and reversed most of August's decline. Auto sales increased 6.9% to 7.24 million units (-8.3% y/y) following a 4.5% drop. The [...]
Total sales of light vehicles during September increased 4.5% (-1.6% y/y) to 17.76 million units (SAAR), and reversed most of August's decline.
Auto sales increased 6.9% to 7.24 million units (-8.3% y/y) following a 4.5% drop. The rise reflected a 7.9% rebound (-8.8% y/y) in domestic car sales to 5.30 million units, following the prior month's 4.8% decline. Imported car sales rose 4.4% (-6.8% y/y) to 1.94 million units, and made up August's 3.7% shortfall.
Sales of light trucks improved 2.9% (3.6% y/y) to 10.51 million units after a 5.3% decline. Domestic light truck sales recovered 3.8% (0.9% y/y) to 8.85 million units after a 6.3% decline. Sales of imported light trucks were off 2.0% (+20.3% y/y) to 1.66 million units following a 0.4% improvement. Truck sales eased m/m to 59.2% of the light vehicle market, but remained up from 55.6% during all of last year.
Imports share of the light vehicle market of 20.3% compared to 19.8% during all of last year. Imports share of the passenger car market of 26.8% compared to 27.1% during all of 2015. Imports share of the light truck market rose to 15.8% from 14.0% last year, though that was lower than the 17.5% peak during May.
U.S. vehicle sales figures are published by Autodata and can be found in Haver's USECON database.
| Light Vehicle Sales (SAAR, Mil. Units) | Sep | Aug | Jul | Sep Y/Y % | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 17.76 | 17.00 | 17.88 | -1.6 | 17.41 | 16.52 | 15.59 |
| Autos | 7.24 | 6.78 | 7.09 | -8.3 | 7.72 | 7.92 | 7.77 |
| Domestic | 5.30 | 4.91 | 5.16 | -8.8 | 5.63 | 5.68 | 5.48 |
| Imported | 1.94 | 1.86 | 1.93 | -6.8 | 2.09 | 2.24 | 2.30 |
| Light Trucks | 10.51 | 10.22 | 10.79 | 3.6 | 9.69 | 8.60 | 7.82 |
| Domestic | 8.85 | 8.52 | 9.10 | 0.9 | 8.33 | 7.51 | 6.74 |
| Imported | 1.66 | 1.70 | 1.69 | 20.3 | 1.36 | 1.09 | 1.08 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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