Northern Ohio auto dealers’ 2011 sales up 18.5% over 2010

Staff/wire report

Cleveland

The northern Ohio retail automotive industry sold a total 201,697 vehicles in 2011, an increase of 18.56 percent over 2010, while sales of new cars and light trucks grew only 10.2 percent nationally.

Chevrolet increased sales in northern Ohio 12.54 percent in December 2011 over the same month in 2010, and 33.5 percent nationally last year over 2010. The popular Chevrolet Cruze is made at the General Motors Lordstown Complex.

The northern Ohio sales figures, reported Tuesday by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association, are based on vehicle- registration reports from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles in 21 northern Ohio counties including Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull.

National sales figures were provided by the National Automobile Dealers Association, which said that nationwide, franchised new-car dealers sold 12.7 million units in 2011.

When comparing December 2011 with the same month in 2010, local sales were up 14.87 percent, with local franchised new-car and light-truck dealers selling 15,940 vehicles in December 2011 compared with 13,876 for the same month in 2010.

“Northern Ohio and the Greater Cleveland area outpaced the rest of the nation in terms of our sales growth this year, and as the economy continues to turn around, we expect to see strong continued growth,” said Louis A. Vitantonio, GCADA president.

Additionally, Vitantonio said there is usually a strong sales boost around the time of the Cleveland Auto Show, which runs at the I-X Center Feb. 24-March 4.

According to GCADA, 21 brands posted sales increases in December 2011 compared with December 2010, and for all of 2011, 27 brands had sales increases over 2010.

Ford continued to lead the industry with 3,056 vehicles sold in December, an increase of more than 27.5 percent over December 2010. Chevrolet came in second at 2,199 units, while Toyota came in third with 1,259 units sold during the month.