International Nameplate Autos Drive Industry Gains in January

Alexandria, VA — February 2, 2018 — The American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) today released January sales figures for the international nameplate auto industry. Brands sold by America's 9,600 international nameplate franchises accounted for 57.4% of all new vehicles sold in the United States last month, up from 55.1% in December.

AutoData Corp. reports that the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for December was 17.12 million units versus 17.44 million units a year ago. Total industry unit deliveries, including all brands and unadjusted for business days, increased 1% compared to last January. Sales were down 28% compared to December 2017, in part, theorized analysts, due to the blistering cold that blanketed much of the country in January. International nameplate brands were up 6.4% from January 2017.

"Last month, international brands outperformed the auto market as a whole," said AIADA President Cody Lusk. "Dealers of these brands are starting the year off on a high note and anticipating strong consumer interest in the first quarter, driven in part by tax reform."

International brands were led last month by BMW (up 5% from last January), Nissan (up 12.1%), and Toyota (up 17%). Toyota had its best month ever for light truck sales and saw the redesigned Camry's sales climb 21.3% to be the most popular sedan in America.

Throughout the industry, light trucks continued to drive sales demand last month, rising 8% as a segment, while cars lagged, slipping 10.8%. International auto sales in the U.S. totaled 662,412 units in January, down from 882,393 units in December but up from 622,472 units in January 2017. Asian brands occupied 47.6% of the January auto market, up from 44.7 in December.

Overall, Asian nameplate dealers sold 549,805 vehicles in January, a 6.6% increase from January 2017. European brands sold 112,607 units in January, down from 166,496 units in December, but up 5.7% from the 106,556 units they sold in January 2017. They held 9.8% of the January U.S. auto market, down from 10.4% in December.

To read AIADA's complete coverage of January's international nameplate auto sales, click here.

About AIADA

Established in 1970, AIADA is and continues to be the only association whose sole purpose is to represent America's international nameplate automobile franchises that sell and service the following brands: Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Scion, Smart, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo. These retailers have a positive economic impact both nationally and in the local communities they serve, providing more than 500,000 American jobs. Visit AIADA online at www.aiada.org.

Media Contact

Libby Newman, NewmanL@aiada.org, 703-519-7800