New car sales drive a strong month for Valley dealers

Staff report

Auto dealers in the Mahoning Valley sold 6,625 new and used vehicles in April, an increase of 221 from the same month a year ago, and sales in the first four months of 2014 outpaced last year’s totals by 607 vehicles.

New-vehicle sales drove most of the growth in overall sales so far this year, beating the 2013 pace by 424. On the month, new-vehicle sales improved by 265 units from April 2013, hitting 2,754 last month.

Though Greenwood Chevrolet sold two fewer vehicles than it did a year ago, the Austintown dealership still led the way in new-vehicle sales with 161 in April. Taylor Kia and Sweeney Chevrolet also posted double-digit increases to finish second and third, respectively, in that category.

It was a good month for Chevrolet sales in the Valley, as the Equinox, Cruze and Malibu proved to be the top-selling new cars locally.

The Equinox overtook the Cruze with a strong April, selling 51 more units than a year ago to hit 166 on the month. Sales of the Cruze and Malibu were relatively flat at 162 and 125 cars, respectively.

Used-vehicle sales dipped by 44 in April, but sales in the first four months of 2014 still were up 183 units from this time last year.

Taylor Kia saw its used- vehicle sales rise by 10 to a total of 119 last month, as it took the top spot in used-vehicle sales. Meanwhile, Greenwood Chevrolet managed to hold on to second place despite a sales drop-off of 52 used vehicles, and Sweeney Buick GMC rounded out the top three with 93 vehicles sold, just four behind Greenwood.

Chevrolet claimed all three top slots for used-vehicle sales, as well.

The Impala posted a 17- unit decline in April compared with last year, but still finished No. 1, with 114 used cars sold. The Malibu edged out Silverado 1500 by a single unit to finish the month as the second-most-popular used vehicle in the Valley.