Top U.S. automakers report higher vehicle sales in June

7/3/2018

A Jeep Wrangler is taken for test drive in Tucson, Arizona.

The Blade/Tyrel Linkhorn
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DETROIT — Top U.S. automakers reported stronger June sales, as consumers continued to snap up sport utility vehicles and trucks in larger numbers, parking for now worries about rising fuel prices, higher interest rates, and trade tensions.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, whose sales were up 8 percent for June, had a strong month for its Jeep brand, whose sales were up 19 percent.  For the first half of 2018, Jeep has sold 495,022 vehicles in the United States, putting it on well on pace for its best year ever. 

“Jeep continues to crush it, with the Cherokee, Compass, and all-new Wrangler dominating sales,” said Rebecca Lindland, executive analyst for Kelley Blue Book. 

The Toledo-built Wrangler maintained its spot as the Jeep brand’s top seller, with Fiat Chrysler delivering 23,110 Wranglers to U.S. customers last month. That’s up 23 percent from 2017 and represents the fourth-straight month the vehicle has sold at least 20,000 units. Through the year’s first six months, Wrangler sales are up 35 percent to 133,492.

A poll of economists by Reuters showed expectations of a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 17.0 million vehicles for the U.S. auto industry in June. U.S. vehicle demand hit a record 17.5 million vehicles in 2016.

No. 1 U.S. automaker General Motors Co., which stopped reporting monthly numbers beginning April, said its sales rose 4.6 percent to 758,376 for the quarter ended June 30, helped by strong truck sales and a wave of all-new crossovers.

“Customers are buying with confidence because the economy is strong and they expect it to remain strong,” said Kurt McNeil, GM U.S. vice president, sales operations.

Ford Motor Co., the No. 2 U.S. automaker, said it sold 230,635 vehicles in June, compared with 227,979, a year earlier. Sales of Ford-brand SUVs grew 8.1 percent to 77,453 vehicles, and were a record for the month, the company said.

Ford said its F-series large pickup trucks, the best-selling model line in the U.S. market, were on track to top the previous annual record of 939,511 vehicles sold set in 2004.

A positive sign for automakers is that U.S. jobless rates are at the lowest levels since 2000, and average incomes are starting to grow more robustly. Still many analysts are forecasting weaker sales for the second half of 2018 and further declines in U.S. vehicle demand next year.

Rising interest rates are increasing monthly payments for cars and home mortgages, and bankers are tightening terms for vehicle loans, Cox Automotive economist Charlie Chesbrough said during a recent briefing on the industry outlook. “Affordability is getting tighter,” he said.

Cox forecasts U.S. car and light truck sales will decline to 16.8 million vehicles this year, and slide to 16.5 million vehicles in 2020.

GM and other automakers have warned sales could drop dramatically if U.S. President Trump imposes steep tariffs on foreign vehicles and imported auto parts, raising prices to consumers and costs to manufacturers.