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Local auto sales up, Cruze sales down in January
By Brandon KLEIN
YOUNGSTOWN
Mahoning Valley new- and used-car sales were up 1.3 percent in January.
Sweeney Chevrolet came in as the top dealer in the Valley for new and used cars last month with 237 cars sold, according to data released Monday by the Automobile Dealers Association of Eastern Ohio.
Greenwood Chevrolet came in second with 236 cars sold compared with 253 in January 2014.
Sweeney Buick GMC came in third with 186 sold.
“Customers are taking advantage of some great offers,” said Doug Sweeney, president of Sweeney Chevrolet.
The Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruze came in fourth for top makes in new-car sales with 100 sold — a 55.4 percent decrease from January 2014.
Greg Greenwood, owner of Greenwood Chevrolet in Austintown, said local sales were down due to some timing issues. “They [Cruzes] had a record month across the country,” he said.
Nationwide, the Cruze was up 11.1 percent last month compared with this time a year ago. A total of 18,693 Cruzes were sold, while in January 2014, 16,828 were sold.
Sweeney said the 2014 models were still on sale, and the 2015 models were built later in the cycle.
“I’m not too concerned about it,” he said.
Locally, the top-selling model for new-car sales was the Chevrolet Equinox with 149 sold last month compared with 105 in January 2014, and the Chevrolet Malibu came in second with 130 new cars sold last month. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 came in third for top-selling new vehicles with 106 sold in January.
“The weather’s been a bit on our side,” said Don Brady, general manager of Columbiana Cadillac-Buick-Chevrolet.
The dealership sold 165 new and used cars last month compared with 138 in January 2014. “It was better than the last three years,” Brady said.
The dealership still has plenty of inventory going into the spring.
Also, local dealers are preparing for upcoming auto shows.
The Pittsburgh International Auto Show will take place from Friday to Sunday at the David Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd. The Cleveland Auto Show will take place from March 7 to March 15 at the IX Center, 1 I-X Center Drive.
Brady said the auto shows bring in new inventory and incentives.
“The auto shows are always a good shot in the arm for auto dealers,” he added.