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2014 auto sales end with a bang; 2015 expectations high
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
It was another positive year for auto sales in the Mahoning Valley.
Data released by the Automobile Dealers Association of Eastern Ohio Inc. show the Valley’s new- and used-vehicle market up 5.2 percent in 2014 from 2013 and up 14.8 percent in December 2014 compared with December 2013.
The sales numbers are compiled from titles processed at county title departments by the final business day of each month.
“We are hopeful the next year or two, at least, can remain as upbeat as the past several years,” said Steve Chos, executive director for the ADAEO.
The data show 73,627 sales for both new and used cars in 2014 for an increase of 3,640 from 2013.
In December 2014, there were 5,453 sales compared with 4,748 in December 2013.
Greenwood Chevrolet of Austintown led Valley dealers, according to the data. In December, the dealership had 262 sales. The data show Greenwood with 3,352 sales in 2014 compared with 3,448 in 2013.
“2014 was a great year for our dealership and a great year for local auto sales,” said Greg Greenwood of Greenwood Chevrolet.
Consumer confidence in the economy could account for the positive auto sales, Greenwood said, as well as low interest rates and lower gas prices.
Greenwood said the better they responded to the recalls, the better the customer felt about the whole process, and, at times, those customers would choose to trade in their vehicles.
In 2014, General Motors issued 84 recalls that covered more than 30 million vehicles in North America.
Locally, Valley GM dealers were on top of the list for auto sales here. Stadium GM Superstore in Salem followed Greenwood for December sales with 203 listed, an increase of 43 percent from December 2013. Stadium’s sales also increased by 15 percent from 2013 to 2014.
Sweeney Chevrolet of Boardman came in third for the month and the year. The dealership had 184 sales compared with 141 in December 2013. The dealership saw an 11.7 percent increase in sales for the year.
Tom Brittain of Brittain Motors in East Palestine estimates his dealership actually saw an increase of 15 percent in sales for 2014 when the data from outside the state are included.
“We sell some in Pennsylvania and West Virginia,” Brittain said.
The data released Thursday show the dealership with an increase of 2.3 percent for the year.
Brittain’s top sellers included the Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Equinox and Silverado.
Local Ford dealer Mark Thomas Ford in Cortland listed 82 sales in December 2014 for an increase of 67.3 percent from December 2013. The dealership’s sales for the year were up 20.3 percent, according to the data.
“Our year was very good,” said Steve Bott, general sales manager. “Our new cars were up and our used cars. We hope for the same in 2015.”
The Honda Store in Boardman also saw an increase in sales for December and the year. The dealership is listed with 109 sales in December 2014 for a 17.2 percent increase. The data show the dealership with a 6.5 percent increase in sales in 2014.
Nick Siciliano, general manager of The Honda Store, credits the positive sales to the good lease prices and pickup in the economy.
“The industry has picked up since the year before,” he said. “It will keep going strong.”
The data released by the ADAEO also show the top new and used cars in the area.
The Cruze leads the new-car list with 139 sales in December. That number is down from the Cruze’s December 2013 number of 165, but the Cruze sales were up for the year locally with 2,457 sold compared with 1,744 in 2013, according to the data.
The GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 follow for second and third top new cars in the Valley for December 2014.
The top used cars last month were the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Malibu and Silverado 1500.
All the dealerships have positive expectations for this year. TrueCar analysts estimate U.S. auto sales will reach a decade high of 17 million.