New-car sales down in Mahoning Valley

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Mahoning Valley new-car sales took another tumble in March, this time falling 17 percent compared with the same month a year ago, according to statistics released by the Automobile Dealers Association of Eastern Ohio.

The sales drop follows a 20 percent February plummet.

Used-car sales increased 3.4 percent in March.

Sales of new cars fell from 2,810 last March to 2,334 this March. Sales through the first three months of 2012 are down about 15 percent, from 6,699 last year at this time to 5,699.

Dealers sold 193 new Chevrolet Malibus in March and 169 Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruzes.

Those sales figures represented a stark drop from last March, when dealers sold 392 Malibus and 292 Cruzes.

The Chevrolet Silverado (91), Chevrolet Equinox (90) and Ford Focus (53) rounded out the top-five best-selling cars of the month.

Taylor Kia, 7975 Market St., Boardman, with 149 sales during March, posted the highest sales total of the month.

Greenwood Chevrolet, 4665 Mahoning Ave., Austintown, sold 140, and Stadium GM Superstore, 214 W. State St., Salem, sold 124.

Used-car sales rose for the fourth-consecutive month and are up about 5.8 percent for the year. Dealers sold 4,550 used cars in March, 151 more than they sold during the same month last year.

Greenwood Chevrolet sold 130 used cars, the most of any dealer.

Denny’s Auto Sales, 1204 South Ave., Youngstown, sold 126, and Western Reserve Road Auto Exchange, 535 E. Western Reserve Road, Poland, sold 118.