April 2014 new car sales up 4 percent over April 2013

The peak selling season is in full effect as April’s light vehicle sales totalled 178,703 units, a 4.0 percent increase relative to April 2013 and a 2.0 percent growth over the previous April record set in 2008 (175,205). According to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, strong sales brought year-to-date units to 537,095, up 1.9 percent from 2013 (527,019).

Across the industry, the overall picture was one of relatively solid growth in April, with a few notable exceptions. Volvo and MINI posted the only double-digit declines at -28.1 percent and -16.0 percent respectively. On the positive side of the ledger, Nissan (+29.1 percent) continued its recent strong run benefiting from an exceptional performance from the Rogue (up 87.8 percent) and the first month of Micra sales. A number of luxury brands also showed strong performances including Infiniti (+39.9 percent), Land Rover (+26.7 percent), Mercedes-Benz (+16.6 percent), Jaguar (+16.0 percent), and Porsche (+15.6 percent).

A total of 6,483 new Volkswagens were sold during April, bringing the company’s year-to-date figure to 17,925. Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers delivered 25,435 vehicles in April, showing an increase in retail sales of almost 6 per cent while total sales increased by 1.5 per cent.

Amongst volume leaders, Ford (-2.0 percent) managed to grab the sales crown for the month at 27,334 units sold, just barely fighting off Chrysler/Fiat (+5.2 percent) who amassed 27,019 sales in April. Chrysler/Fiat (+4.7 percent) however continues to lead on year-to-date volumes, holding a roughly 7,000 unit lead over its Dearborn based rival.

Light truck sales continue to overshadow passenger car sales numbers with over 100k light truck units sold last month, despite ever increasing gas prices. Light trucks were up 6.7 percent in April and are up 6.4 percent year-to-date. On the other hand, passenger cars were up only 0.7 percent while being down 3.9 percent year-to-date. 

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