Valley new-vehicle sales hit a low point

By Don Shilling

A dealer representative can’t recall a month with lower new-car sales.

New-vehicle sales in the area dropped to their lowest point of the recession last month.

Mahoning Valley dealers sold 972 new vehicles in November, which was down 35 percent from the 1,505 that were sold in November 2008.

Last month’s total was the first time in at least two years that the number had dipped under 1,000.

Earlier comparisons were not available because of a new reporting system that was put in place by the Automobile Dealers Association of Eastern Ohio in 2006. The figures cover Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

Steve Chos, executive vice president of the association, said he can’t recall any other month that had fewer than 1,000 new vehicle sales. He has been with the association for 20 years.

In addition to a slow economy that has made consumers more cautious, several other factors contributed to sales dropping to such a low point, Chos said.

Dealers have had less inventory than normal because of the large number of vehicle assembly lines that were shut down this summer, he said. Many dealers haven’t yet reached their normal complement of vehicles, partly because the federal government’s Cash for Clunkers program that boosted sales in July and August, he said.

Sales figures also have been down because General Motors is winding down its Pontiac and Saturn dealers and not providing them with 2010 models, he said. Automakers also have scaled back on rebates and leasing deals, which has reduced demand, he said.

The top-selling dealers last month were Greenwood Chevrolet Hummer in Austintown and The Honda Store in Boardman, which both had 50 sales.

Dealers sold 16,095 vehicles in the first 11 months of this year, which was 38 percent less than the 26,013 that were sold in the same period of last year.

Used vehicle sales also were down last month.

Dealers sold 2,691 used vehicles in November, which was 4 percent below the 2,801 that were sold in November 2008.

The top-selling dealer for used vehicles was Greenwood Chevrolet Hummer with 107.

Dealers sold 36,948 used vehicles in the first 11 months of this year, which was 10 percent less than the 40,895 that were sold during the same time last year.

shilling@vindy.com