December Sales Tracking at 1.43 million units, or a SAAR of 16.3, the highest since November 2007
SANTA MONICA, Calif. —TrueCar.com today highlights the major trends from November 2012 auto sales and looks into December 2012 auto sales:
- Industry sales increased a very healthy 15 percent compared to November 2011, resulting in a SAAR of 15.54 million, the highest since December 2007
- TrueCar estimates that the aftermath of Sandy contributed a minimum of 30,000 additional sales to November sales totals and those numbers will increase for December sales
- Nissan had the biggest sequential monthly sales (up 21 percent) and market share increase in November, surpassing Hyundai/Kia in the industry sales ranking for the month
- The gap between the Top 3 automakers in the U.S. narrowed in November, particularly with Ford coming within about 9,000 units of GM for the top spot
- Average transaction prices reached an all time high at $30,832. Chrysler had the highest ratio of incentives/ATP at 10.6 percent and Toyota had the lowest at 6.6 percent. Industry average was 8.2 percent, down from 8.6 percent a year ago
- December early forecast shows the month tracking at 1.43 million units, adding up to 14.56 million total units sold for 2012. TrueCar’s 2013 forecast is 15.4 million units
- Large trucks could have the highest unit sales in December since 2008 due to increased incentive spending by automakers
“November was one of the strongest months in over four years and we project that December could end up being a bigger month,” said Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for TrueCar.com. “Combination of great products and attractive finance/lease promotions in addition to a boost from replacement demand created by Sandy will ensure a solid finish to the best year in car sales since 2007.”
Here’s how the top eight manufacturers fared in November 2012:
Unit Sales | |||
Manufacturer | November 2012 | % Change vs. October 2012 | % Change vs. November 2011 |
Chrysler | 122,565 | -2.9% | 14.4% |
Ford | 177,092 | 5.4% | 6.4% |
GM | 186,505 | -4.7% | 3.4% |
Honda | 116,580 | 9.0% | 38.9% |
Hyundai/Kia | 94,542 | 2.0% | 9.1% |
Nissan | 96,197 | 20.7% | 12.9% |
Toyota | 161,695 | 4.2% | 17.2% |
Volkswagen | 48,795 | 6.0% | 28.0% |
Industry | 1,142,883 | 4.7% | 15.0% |
Market Share |
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Manufacturer | November 2012 | October 2012 | November 2011 |
Chrysler | 10.7% | 11.6% | 10.8% |
Ford | 15.5% | 15.4% | 16.7% |
GM | 16.3% | 17.9% | 18.1% |
Honda | 10.2% | 9.8% | 8.4% |
Hyundai/Kia | 8.3% | 8.5% | 8.7% |
Nissan | 8.4% | 7.3% | 8.6% |
Toyota | 14.1% | 14.2% | 13.9% |
Volkswagen | 4.3% | 4.2% | 3.8% |
Incentive Spending |
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Manufacturer | November2012 Incentives | % Change vs. October 2012 | % Change vs. November 2011 |
Chrysler | $3,147 | 1.5% | -3.1% |
Ford | $2,681 | 6.3% | -8.3% |
GM | $2,864 | -1.7% | -7.6% |
Honda | $2,132 | 13.3% | -8.6% |
Hyundai/Kia | $1,488 | 8.2% | 21.3% |
Nissan | $2,890 | 21.7% | -2.0% |
Toyota | $1,885 | 16.2% | -0.7% |
Volkswagen | $2,392 | 5.7% | -4.5% |
Industry | $2,518 | 9.4% | -4.3% |
Average Transaction Prices |
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Manufacturer | November 2012 Transaction Price | October 2012 Transaction Price | November 2011 Transaction Price | Percent Change November 2011 to November 2012 | Percent Change October 2012 to November 2012 | |
Chrysler (Chrysler,Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat) | $29,796 | $29,541 | $29,071 | 2.5% | 0.9% | |
Ford (Ford, Lincoln) | $32,543 | $32,141 | $31,498 | 3.3% | 1.3% | |
GM (Buick, Cadillac,Chevrolet, GMC) | $32,891 | $32,547 | $33,027 | -0.4% | 1.1% | |
Honda (Acura, Honda) | $26,897 | $27,011 | $26,529 | 1.4% | -0.4% | |
Hyundai/Kia | $22,342 | $22,410 | $21,265 | 5.1% | -0.3% | |
Nissan (Nissan, Infiniti) | $27,704 | $27,652 | $27,770 | -0.2% | 0.2% | |
Toyota (Lexus, Scion,Toyota) | $28,396 | $27,910 | $27,442 | 3.5% | 1.7% | |
Volkswagen (Audi,Volkswagen) | $33,610 | $33,408 | $33,004 | 1.8% | 0.6% | |
Industry | $30,832 | $30,486 | $30,497 | 1.1% | 1.1% | |
Manufacturer | November 2012 Incentives/Avg. Transaction Price | October 2012 Incentives/Avg. Transaction Price | November 2011 Incentives/ Avg. Transaction Price | Percent Change November 2011 to November 2012 | Percent Change October 2012 to November 2012 |
Chrysler (Chrysler,Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat) | 10.6% | 10.5% | 11.2% | -0.6% | 0.1% |
Ford (Ford, Lincoln) | 8.2% | 7.8% | 9.3% | -1.0% | 0.4% |
GM (Buick, Cadillac,Chevrolet, GMC) | 8.7% | 9.0% | 9.4% | -0.7% | -0.2% |
Honda (Acura, Honda) | 7.9% | 7.0% | 8.8% | -0.9% | 1.0% |
Hyundai/Kia | 6.7% | 6.1% | 5.8% | 0.9% | 0.5% |
Nissan (Nissan, Infiniti) | 10.4% | 8.6% | 10.6% | -0.2% | 1.8% |
Toyota (Lexus, Scion,Toyota) | 6.6% | 5.8% | 6.9% | -0.3% | 0.8% |
Volkswagen (Audi,Volkswagen) | 7.1% | 6.8% | 7.6% | -0.5% | 0.3% |
Industry | 8.2% | 7.5% | 8.6% | -0.5% | 0.6% |
TrueCar, Inc., headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., with offices in Santa Barbara, Calif., San Francisco, Calif., and Austin, Texas, is an automotive pricing information and analysis company that creates a better buying experience for dealers and consumers. As an online publisher of unbiased new and used car transaction data, TrueCar.com provides price reports that empower dealers and consumers to agree on the parameters of a fair deal by supplying a transparent, simple understanding of what others recently paid for identically-equipped new cars in their geographic area. TrueCar also owns ALG, the benchmark for vehicle value information to the automotive industry and has been forecasting residual values for nearly 50 years in both the U.S. and Canadian markets.
TrueCar is a data-driven company that sources, compiles, and analyses car-buying information unlike anybody in the industry. This is why, since its founding in 2005, TrueCar dealer partners have sold over 600,000 vehicles across the country. Its national network of more than 5,200 Certified Dealers is committed to provide no-hassle pricing for some of the country’s largest membership and service organizations, including American Express, AAA, USAA and Consumer Reports that collectively represent more than one million monthly in-market customers.
You can follow TrueCar on Twitter (@TrueCar) and become a fan of TrueCar on Facebook and Google+.
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SOURCE TrueCar, Inc.