Friday
Apr092010
New Vehicle Sales Trend Turns Positive! A Good Sign for Car Detailers!!
Friday, April 9, 2010 at 11:06AM For those who are only interested in total new-vehicle sales because it is an indicator of what the overall economy is doing, the news is encouraging. New-vehicle sales in March 2010 were up 24.3% compared to March 2009. Keep in mind that in Mar 2009 new-vehicle sales dropped 36.9% compared to 2008 after having decreased 11.8% from 2007. Auto sales have definitely gained ground, but still have not reached the level we were accustomed to just three years ago.
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The year-to-date figures are a bit different from the March numbers. Through the end of March 2010, new-vehicle sales are up 15.5% compared to 2009. For the same period in 2009 sales were down 38.4% from 2008 which had been off 7.9% compared to 2007.
In short, we have a positive new-vehicle sales trend started this year. It's not what it used to be, but things are moving in the right direction.
New Passenger Car Sales
Against a backdrop of an increase of 24.3% in overall new-vehicle sales in March 2010, the passenger car segments fared somewhat better with an increase of 27.9% if you include CUVs. If you exclude CUVs, passenger car sales were up 19.1%.
It's tough to know where to lump the CUVs-they look like SUVs (light trucks) but are built on car platforms. It seems obvious that a large portion of the consumers who were buying SUVs are now selecting CUVs instead, but that may be more a vehicle internal space issue rather than truck capability.
With CUVs lumped in with passenger cars, 74.3% of new vehicle sales for March 2010 are cars. Without the CUV numbers, passenger cars account for 49.2% of March's sales, which is more in line with how the car vs. light truck proportions used to be.
When we look at the new-vehicle sales from a year-to-date perspective we find that including CUVs car sales are up 21.6% so far this year. Without CUVs, passenger cars are 15.8% ahead of last year.
From 2002 to 2007 passenger cars were not chosen by the majority of new vehicle buyers in the US, light trucks were. In 2002, passenger cars represented 49.0% of all new vehicles sold. That market share continued to deteriorate until 2004 when it reached a low of 45.6%. Then in 2008 the pendulum swung back the other way with cars accounting for 53.0% of all new vehicles sold. For the first quarter of 2010 the mix of passenger cars and light trucks sold is almost even if you lump CUVs in with light trucks. Of course the question of where to classify CUVs lingers.
New Light Truck Sales
Traditionally, light trucks have included SUVs, vans and pickups. Today, many are also including CUVs as part of the light-truck segment. There once was an advantage for the OEMs to include CUVs because there were two CAFÉ standards-one for cars and one for light trucks. As the CAFÉ standards merge into one the question of where to put CUVs will get more difficult to call.
In short, we have a positive new-vehicle sales trend started this year. It's not what it used to be, but things are moving in the right direction.
New Passenger Car Sales
Against a backdrop of an increase of 24.3% in overall new-vehicle sales in March 2010, the passenger car segments fared somewhat better with an increase of 27.9% if you include CUVs. If you exclude CUVs, passenger car sales were up 19.1%.
It's tough to know where to lump the CUVs-they look like SUVs (light trucks) but are built on car platforms. It seems obvious that a large portion of the consumers who were buying SUVs are now selecting CUVs instead, but that may be more a vehicle internal space issue rather than truck capability.
With CUVs lumped in with passenger cars, 74.3% of new vehicle sales for March 2010 are cars. Without the CUV numbers, passenger cars account for 49.2% of March's sales, which is more in line with how the car vs. light truck proportions used to be.
When we look at the new-vehicle sales from a year-to-date perspective we find that including CUVs car sales are up 21.6% so far this year. Without CUVs, passenger cars are 15.8% ahead of last year.
From 2002 to 2007 passenger cars were not chosen by the majority of new vehicle buyers in the US, light trucks were. In 2002, passenger cars represented 49.0% of all new vehicles sold. That market share continued to deteriorate until 2004 when it reached a low of 45.6%. Then in 2008 the pendulum swung back the other way with cars accounting for 53.0% of all new vehicles sold. For the first quarter of 2010 the mix of passenger cars and light trucks sold is almost even if you lump CUVs in with light trucks. Of course the question of where to classify CUVs lingers.
New Light Truck Sales
Traditionally, light trucks have included SUVs, vans and pickups. Today, many are also including CUVs as part of the light-truck segment. There once was an advantage for the OEMs to include CUVs because there were two CAFÉ standards-one for cars and one for light trucks. As the CAFÉ standards merge into one the question of where to put CUVs will get more difficult to call.
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Using the traditional perspective, new light truck sales in March 2010 were up 14.8% over 2009. Even at that total units sold were still a third less than they were in 2008 and less than half of the units moved in 2007.
When we include CUVs in the mix, the increase doubles to 29.7%. If we compare those sales to 2008 we find them down 19.7% (not 37.1%), and 33.9% below 2007 (not 52.4%). It should be obvious that the number of CUVs sold in March 2010 is almost equal to the total sales of the other three light-truck segments combined. That is the only way the comparison percentages could shift so drastically.
Up until 1982, light trucks accounted for less than 20% of all new vehicles sold. But in 1982 light trucks seemed to reach a tipping point and continued picking up market share until in 2004 they represented 54.6%. Then in 2008, when gas prices went sky high and the economy turned sour, light trucks appeared to fall out of favor. In that year they lost market share and dropped to 47.0% of all new vehicles sold.
For the first quarter of 2010, new light truck sales are in a dead heat with passenger cars. The real star in the light truck camp is the CUV segment. In the above graph it is clear that pickup trucks are slowly gaining back some of the ground they lost beginning in 2008, but SUVs and vans are still sliding. The real upswing is in CUVs.
When we include CUVs in the mix, the increase doubles to 29.7%. If we compare those sales to 2008 we find them down 19.7% (not 37.1%), and 33.9% below 2007 (not 52.4%). It should be obvious that the number of CUVs sold in March 2010 is almost equal to the total sales of the other three light-truck segments combined. That is the only way the comparison percentages could shift so drastically.
Up until 1982, light trucks accounted for less than 20% of all new vehicles sold. But in 1982 light trucks seemed to reach a tipping point and continued picking up market share until in 2004 they represented 54.6%. Then in 2008, when gas prices went sky high and the economy turned sour, light trucks appeared to fall out of favor. In that year they lost market share and dropped to 47.0% of all new vehicles sold.
For the first quarter of 2010, new light truck sales are in a dead heat with passenger cars. The real star in the light truck camp is the CUV segment. In the above graph it is clear that pickup trucks are slowly gaining back some of the ground they lost beginning in 2008, but SUVs and vans are still sliding. The real upswing is in CUVs.
Story provided by Fastlane Research at this link
tagged Auto detailing, Renny Doyle, car detailing
Auto detailing, Renny Doyle, car detailing 
