The spookiest month of the year is over … and it wasn’t scary for most automakers. Sales were down just a hair from September, which I expected, as schools get into full swing and most people start shopping for the holidays. I don’t expect sales to pick back up until closer to the new year, with some people receiving transportation as a gift, and any leftover 2010 models having their prices slashed.
GMC and Lexus saw significant month-to-month increases, while most of the rest saw their sales numbers stay flat. In some cases, however, flat sales weren’t a bad thing – Chrysler, for instance, saw over 28,000 sales, which is being propped up by its new 2011 Grand Cherokee SUV.
Chevrolet saw a modest increase of about 3,000 vehicles, which can be attributed to its Cruze going on sale. Nissan, meanwhile, saw a continuance of its roller coaster of a year, with just under 62,000 vehicles sold in October, down 4,000 from September.
Overall, the industry has sold just over 9.5-million vehicles, and with only two months left in the year, it’ll be interesting to see if the market can buy up 2 more million vehicles in November and December, to meet my earlier prediction of 11.5-million new-cars sold in 2010. If sales stay close to where they’ve been or continue the downward slide started after July, we’re looking at closer to 11-million sales, but no more.
Oh, and before I forget: Lexus took back the luxury sales crown from Mercedes in October, giving their German rivals only a single month to hold onto it.
by John Suit