US Car Sales Had Another Record-Setting Year in 2016
Though there was some uncertainty, 2016 has set a new record for the most vehicles sold in the U.S. in a single year.
Overall sales rose by 56,211 units or 0.3 percent over 2015, landing 2016’s total sales tally at 17,539,052 light cars and trucks sold. December was a particularity strong month with a three percent jump in volume.
The seasonally adjusted, annualized sales rate (SAAR) hit 18.83 million in December, marking the highest pace of the year and the fifth-highest of all time. As of November 2016, sales were just 6,418 units ahead of 2015 levels, causing many to believe that the record set in 2015 wouldn’t be broken. Significant incentives from all automakers are a leading cause of the sales spike in December along with an extra weekend compared to December of 2015.
The strong December was led by big gains at GM, which rose 10 percent, Nissan, advancing 9.7 percent and Honda, which posted a 6.4 percent gain.
SEE ALSO: Jeep Sales Growth Finally Cools Down
Light trucks, which includes crossovers, continued to lead the sales charge last year, with a record 60.3 percent of all light-vehicle sales made up of these big vehicles through November 2016. Ford said that it moved 87,512 F-Series pickups in December, marking the truck’s best month in 11 years. The F-Series also held onto its title as the best-selling truck in the Unites Sates for the 40th year in a row.
A number of individual automakers also set annual U.S. sales records in 2016 including Kia, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Subaru, Audi and Porsche.
[Source: Automotive News]
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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