The month of December has ranked among the top new car sales months in each of the last two years. Edmunds.com predicts the trend will continue this year, thanks to lots of year-end sales deals from automakers.
December 2010 was the highest ranked as the highest sales month with 1,145,079 total units sold. The result came just one year after December was the second best sales month of 2009. But the December sales surge over the last two years is clearly the start of a new trend. From 1991 to 2008, December sales ranked just eighth, on average, each year.
“December has certainly been a month to remember for dealers over the last two years,’” says Edmunds.com Chief Economist Lacey Plache. “And with a substantial number of new car buyers still coming back to the market after deferring their purchases this summer, dealers have plenty of reason to believe that this December will continue the trend. Recent income growth, moderated inflation and improved consumer confidence are all combining to put consumers in a better position to spend.”
The previous record month for new car sales this year was March 2011, with 1,246,720 vehicles sold.
For some automotive brands, December sales success is hardly a new trend. Luxury makes like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus have traditionally enjoyed strong end-of-year sales volumes triggered by higher incentive spending, and sell-offs of remaining current model-year vehicles. But only recently have some of the mainstream automakers joined the year-end party. Chevrolet, for example, had its second-best sales months in December in each of the last two years.
Some manufacturers also are reporting record sales for the year so far, even before December sales numbers are in. By the end of November 2011, Audi reported sales of nearly 1,000 more vehicles in the USA than it did for all of last year --- 102,055 sales of premium cars and SUVs already reported by the end of November 2011, compared with the previous sales record of 101,629 for all of 2010. Audi also established a new annual record with its certified pre-owned sales. Through the end of the Thanksgiving weekend, that totaled 33,102 vehicles, up 32% from last year.
Car sales are up. That's a good sign for the economy. And there are plenty of quality 2012 models under $20,000 to chose from.
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