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SEARCHNovember’s SAAR reached its highest level since the start of the Great Recession, and TrueCar predicts even bigger things for December.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — November vehicle sales increased a very healthy 15 percent vs. a year ago, TrueCar reported this week. According to its data, November resulted in a 15.54 million SAAR, the highest since December 2007.
TrueCar estimates that the aftermath of Sandy contributed at least 30,000 additional sales to November sales totals. The company expects those numbers to increase in December.
“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.”
Nissan had the biggest sequential monthly sales (up 21 percent) and market share increase in November, surpassing Hyundai/Kia in the firm’s industry sales ranking for the month. TrueCar also found the gap between the top three automakers in the U.S. narrowed in November, particularly with Ford coming within about 9,000 units of GM for the top spot.
TrueCar also noted rise in average transaction prices, which reached an all-time high of $30,832. Chrysler had the highest ratio of incentives/ATP at 10.6 percent, while Toyota had the lowest at 6.6 percent. The industry average was 8.2 percent, down from 8.6 percent a year ago.
TrueCar’s 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.
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
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
Manufacturer | November 2012 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
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% |
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