July Auto Sales Underscore the Strength of the Retail Market, Says Edmunds.com

  July Auto Sales Underscore the Strength of the Retail Market, Says
  Edmunds.com

Business Wire

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- July 26, 2012

An estimated 1,166,665 new cars will be sold in July for a Seasonally Adjusted
Annual Rate (SAAR) of 14.0 million light vehicles, according to the latest
auto sales forecast by Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive
information. The projected sales would be a 9.2 percent decrease from June
2012, but a 10.2 percent increase from July 2011 – even with two fewer selling
days, year over year.

Edmunds.com estimates that retail SAAR will come in at 12.0 million vehicles
in July, with fleet transactions accounting for 14.2 percent of total sales,
accounting for the lowest mix of fleet sales of any month in 2012.

“July generally has the lowest mix of fleet sales every year, so this month
tested the strength of the retail market,” says Edmunds.com Senior Analyst
Jessica Caldwell. “With a pace that’s still on track for around 14 million
vehicles, it’s a good sign that fleet is not carrying the industry.

SALES VOLUME FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER
                                                                    
               July-12                              Change from      Change
Sales Volume   Forecast     July-11     June-12     July 2011*       from June
                                                                     2012
                                                                      
GM             214,315      214,915     248,750     -0.3%            -13.8%
Ford           175,791      180,323     207,204     -2.5%            -15.2%
Toyota         169,617      130,802     177,795     29.7%            -4.6%
Honda          123,668      80,502      124,808     53.6%            -0.9%
Chrysler       122,301      112,026     144,811     9.2%             -15.5%
Nissan         98,216       84,601      92,237      16.1%            6.5%
Industry       1,166,665    1,059,118   1,284,960   10.2%            -9.2%
                                                                      
*NOTE: July 2012 had 24 selling days; July 2011 had 26
 

An estimated 3.2 million used cars will be sold in July, for a SAAR of 36.4
million. The pace is relatively flat compared to the 2.9 million used car
sales in June for a SAAR of 36.5 million.

Low Fleet Levels Affect U.S. Automakers

July’s low fleet levels will, however, have a clear impact on individual
automakers this month. Edmunds.com projects that each of the Big 3 U.S.
manufacturers will lose market share in July, while the Japanese Big 3 will
show gains.

“Because domestic automakers tend to have a higher percentage of fleet sales,
it’s no surprise that their market shares will all take a hit this month,”
says Caldwell. “But with new product launches driving today’s
ultra-competitive retail environment, it will be that much more difficult for
any automaker to recover lost market share.”

MARKET SHARE FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER
                                                                  
                                                                   Change from
Market      July 12     July-11   Jun-12   Change from July 2011   Jun 2012
Share       Forecast                       (Percentage pts.)       (Percentage
                                                                   pts.)
GM          18.4%       20.3%     19.4%    -1.9%                   -1.0%
Ford        15.1%       17.0%     16.1%    -2.0%                   -1.1%
Toyota      14.5%       12.4%     13.8%    2.2%                    0.7%
Honda       10.6%       7.6%      9.7%     3.0%                    0.9%
Chrysler    10.5%       10.6%     11.3%    -0.1%                   -0.8%
Nissan      8.4%        8.0%      7.2%     0.4%                    1.2%
                                                                    

Ford is expected to lose the most among the major automakers month over month
(-1.1 percentage points), while Edmunds.com expects Nissan to show the biggest
gain (+1.2 percentage points).

About Edmunds.com, Inc.

Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched
in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its acclaimed mobile
site, Edmunds.com Android App and five-star Edmunds iPhone and iPad apps make
car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships
and on the go. Its automotive enthusiast web site, InsideLine.com, is the
most-read car publication of its kind. Its highly regarded mobile site and
iPhone app features the wireless Web's most comprehensive gallery of
automotive photos and videos. Edmunds.com Inc. is headquartered in Santa
Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit.
Follow Edmunds.com on Twitter@edmunds and fan Edmunds.com on Facebook.

Contact:

Edmunds.com Corporate Communications
Jeannine Fallon/Aaron Lewis/Stephanie Mar
Media Hotline: 310-309-4900
www.Edmunds.com
pr@edmunds.com