Based on analysts’ estimates, April’s seasonally adjusted annual sales rate for 2014 stands at 16.2 million units. The consensus U.S. seasonally adjusted annual rate calls for 12.7 million domestic sales.
Chrysler Group’s year-over-year sales rose 14% to 178,652 units, the company’s best April sales level since 2007. Its Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat brands all posted year-over-year gains in April. The Jeep brand posted a sales gain of 52%, its best sales month ever, and the Ram brand posted a gain of 17%. Chrysler projected a seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales from all manufacturers at 16.3 million units for 2014, up from last month’s projection of 16.2 million. The company ended the month with 74 days supply of inventory, up from 71 days of supply at the end of March.
Ford’s U.S. sales slipped 1% year-over-year in April, to 211,126 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, compared with April 2013 sales of 212,584. Only the company’s trucks posted a month-over-month and year-over-year sales gain, with April sales up 8% compared with March and 2.9% higher compared with April of last year. Ford noted that F-Series pickups sold more than 63,000 units, its best April sales since 2006.
General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) posted total April sales of 254,076 vehicles, up 7% year-over-year. Chevy Impala sales rose 27.2% year-over-year, Corvette sales were up 260% and the venerable Suburban posted a gain of 31.5%. For the first three months of the year, though, total sales are just 0.1% higher, including discontinued models. Chevy sales are down 1.2% and Cadillac sales are down 4.4% for the first three months of the year.
Sales at Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) for the month totaled 199,660 units, up 9% compared with April 2013. A company executive said, “Sales momentum from March rolled into April pushing the industry to its best back-to-back monthly sales pace since fall of 2007. For Toyota, truck sales continue to soar.”
Volkswagen sold 30,831 units in the United States in April. That is a drop of 8.4% year-over-year, on top of a 2.6% drop in March sales. Year-to-date VW sales are down 10.4%.
Nissan’s March sales rose 18.3%% to 103,934 units, a record for the month of April. Sales of the company’s redesigned Rogue crossover rose 26.6% to 15,066 units year-over-year.
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