Alexandria, VA – The American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) has released April 2012 sales figures for the international nameplate automobile industry. AIADA represents America’s approximately 10,000 international nameplate franchises whose brands accounted for 55.3 percent of all vehicles sold in the United States last month.
The unusually warm winter had some analysts fearing a decline in spring auto sales, but their predictions have not yet materialized. Sales continue to grow, with the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for light vehicles estimated by AutoData Corp. at 14.4 million units, versus 13.2 million units a year ago.
Overall sales, including domestic brands and unadjusted for business days, rose 2.3 percent compared April 2012 and 10.3 percent for the year-to-date.
Among international brands, Volkswagen saw the sharpest improvement with sales rising 31.5
percent to 37,525 vehicles, their best April in 40 years. Audi experienced a 15 percent increase in
sales, and Toyota saw sales up 13.5 percent from April 2011. Honda’s sales were down 3 percent
and Nissan, which cut its incentives by an average of $330 per vehicle, fell 0.9 percent. Because
AIADA calculates its sales numbers without adjusting for business days, and April 2012 had
three fewer selling days than April 2011, those numbers are somewhat skewed.
“Incentive spending is trending down, and sales continued to climb in April,” said AIADA
President Cody Lusk. “That’s a good sign for both dealers and the economy.”
In April, international brands accounted for 654,086 units sold, down from 791,169 in March.
Asian nameplates occupied 45.3 percent of the U.S. auto market, down from 47.6 in March.
European nameplates grew from an 8.7 percent share in March to 10 percent. Domestic brands
finished the month with a 44.8 percent share of the market, up from 43.7 in March.
About AIADA: Established in 1970, AIADA is and continues to be the only association whose sole purpose is to
represent America’s international nameplate automobile franchises that sell and service the following brands: Acura,
Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Saab, Scion, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki,
Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo. These retailers have a positive economic impact both nationally and in the local
communities they serve, providing more than 500,000 American jobs. Visit AIADA online at www.aiada.org.