Valley auto sales up once again in September

Staff report

youngstown

Sales of new and used vehicles were up across the Mahoning Valley last month compared with the same time a year ago, according to data released Thursday by the Automobile Dealers Association of Eastern Ohio.

Valley dealerships reported selling 5,831 new and used vehicles in September, up from 5,078 a year earlier.

The Chevrolet Malibu was the region’s top-selling car last month with 176 sold, up from 61 in September 2012. Sales of the Chevrolet Cruze dropped by 46 units last month, and just 83 were sold.

The Cruze’s drop in local sales follows a particularly slow September for the model nationwide when sales dropped by more than 50 percent from a year earlier.

The Ford F-150 surpassed the Chevrolet Silverado in sales for the first time in months. The F-150 sold 102 models, while the Silverado sold 91.

Chevrolet once again was the Valley’s top-selling brand, with 663 sold. Ford was a distant second with 308 sold, and Honda was third, selling 152.

Sales dropped slightly nationwide last month, but analysts still predict that auto sales are on track this year to hit a high point not seen since before the Great Recession.