Edmunds.com Forecasts 1.36 Million New Cars Sold in December

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--()--Edmunds.com, the premier resource for automotive information, forecasts that 1,361,899 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in December for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) this month of 15.4 million light vehicles. This would bring total 2012 sales to 14.5 million light vehicles, which would be a 13.5 percent increase over 2011, and the highest annual total since 2007.

“December will be the icing on the cake for 2012 – it’s a strong close for a year that had significant auto sales growth throughout,” says Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell. “Along with the momentum of the improving economy, December car sales have been helped by compelling advertising, generous deals from most automakers, and the rush of demand unexpectedly and unfortunately caused by Hurricane Sandy.”

SALES VOLUME FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER

                   
Sales Volume

December 2012
Forecast

December
2011

November
2012

Change from
December 2011

Change from
November 2012

GM 237,799 234,351 186,505 1.5% 27.5%
Ford 212,898 209,447 177,092 1.6% 20.2%
Toyota 201,502 178,131 161,695 13.1% 24.6%
Chrysler Group 148,085 138,021 122,565 7.3% 20.8%
Honda 133,621 105,230 116,580 27.0% 14.6%
Nissan 99,769 100,927 96,197 -1.1% 3.7%
Industry 1,361,899 1,242,971 1,143,207 9.6% 19.1%

*NOTE: December 2012 had 26 selling days, December 2011 had 27 and November 2012 had 25.

 

Edmunds.com estimates that December’s projected sales will be a 19.1 percent increase from November 2012, and a 9.6 percent increase from December 2011. Retail SAAR will come in at 13.0 million vehicles in December, with fleet transactions accounting for 15.6 percent of total sales. An estimated 2.71 million used cars will be sold in December, for a SAAR of 39.6 million (compared to 2.77 million – or a SAAR of 38.7 million – used car sales in November).

MARKET SHARE FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER

                   
Market Share

December 2012
Forecast

December
2011

November
2012

Change from
December 2011

Change from
November 2012

GM 17.5% 18.9% 16.3% -1.4% 1.1%
Ford 15.6% 16.9% 15.5% -1.2% 0.1%
Toyota 14.8% 14.3% 14.1% 0.5% 0.7%
Chrysler Group 10.9% 11.1% 10.7% -0.2% 0.2%
Honda 9.8% 8.5% 10.2% 1.3% -0.4%
Nissan 7.3% 8.1% 8.4% -0.8% -1.1%
 

More insight into recent auto industry trends can be found in Edmunds.com’s Industry Center at http://www.edmunds.com/industry-center/.

About Edmunds.com, Inc.

At Edmunds.com, we’re committed to helping people find the car that meets their every need. Almost 18 million visitors use our research, shopping and buying tools every month to make an easy and informed decision on their next new or used car. Whether you’re at the dealership or on the go, we’re always by your side with our five-star Edmunds.com iPhone and iPad apps and our Edmunds.com Android App. Our comprehensive car reviews, shopping tips, photos, videos and feature stories offer a friendly and authentic approach to the automotive world. We’re based in Santa Monica, Calif., but you can connect with us from anywhere by following @Edmunds on Twitter or by becoming a fan of Edmunds.com on Facebook.

Contacts

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

Release Summary

Edmunds.com's December 2012 sales forecast would bring total 2012 sales to 14.5 million light vehicles, which would be a 13.5 percent increase over 2011, and the highest annual total since 2007.

Contacts

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