Aided by special incentives during the Thanksgiving weekend, sales of new vehicles held up in November, remaining a bright spot in an economy hobbled by the rising number of COVID-19 cases reported across the country.
On the surface, sales will appear as if they declined last month, but when compared on an apples-to-apples basis, the numbers show that sales remained mostly flat compared with year-ago results.
Hyundai Motor America reported total November sales of 55,171 units, a 9% decrease compared with November 2019. Retail sales were down 11%. However, there were three fewer selling days and one less selling weekend in November 2020. On a daily selling rate basis, Hyundai total sales were up 4% and retail sales increased 1% year over year.
(Black Friday offering up some good deals for new car shoppers.)
“We were able to maintain our industry-beating sales momentum despite quirks in the reporting calendar and added COVID-19 challenges,” said Randy Parker, vice president, National Sales, Hyundai Motor America.
“We’ve never had a better product lineup and with the all-new Elantra hitting dealerships now and an onslaught of new SUV, performance and eco-friendly vehicles on their way, we are extremely optimistic about the future of Hyundai.”
Hyundai sold 45,690 retail units in November, with SUVs representing 68% of the total retail mix.
With three fewer selling days compared to last November, Toyota Motor North America reported November 2020 sales of 205,765 vehicles, down 1% on a volume basis. Toyota Division sales for the month were 177,725 vehicles, flat versus last November.
(Fleet sales cutting auto sales numbers down slightly in November.)
Lexus Division sales for the month were 28,040 vehicles, down 6.8% but exceeding sales objective by nearly 12 percent. November was the fourth consecutive month the Division surpassed its pre-COVID sales objective.
Lexus’ November sales represent the highest sales volume month in 2020. For the month, total hybrid sales accounted for more than 16% of total TMNA sales.
Mazda North American Operations reported total November sales of 21,752 vehicles, a decrease of 10.8% compared to November 2019. Year-to-date sales totaled 247,768 vehicles; a decrease of 1.7% compared to the same time last year.
However, with 23 selling days in November, compared to 26 the year prior, the company posted an increase of .09% increase on a Daily Selling Rate basis.
(Ford outperforms GM, FCA in third quarter sales.)
Fleet sales for November 2020 are expected to be down 21% from a year ago and up 38% from October 2020 when adjusted for the same number of selling days. Used vehicle sales for November 2020 are expected to reach 3 million, down 1% from a year ago and down 11% from October 2020.
