43
Local auto sales take a slight hit in February
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
Local auto sales took a slight hit during the coldest February on record.
Sales fell from 5,611 in 2014 compared with 5,423 last month for a drop of 3.4 percent, according to data released Monday by the Automobile Dealers Association of Eastern Ohio.
The sales numbers are compiled from titles processed at county title departments by the final business day of each month.
“The snow never seemed to leave us,” said Don Brady, general manager of Columbiana Cadillac-Buick-Chevrolet, “We started out this week on fire.”
The bright-blue and sunny skies Monday, with temperatures near 50 degrees, sparked more interest from consumers in search of a new car than February’s below-freezing temperatures. But those low temperatures didn’t stop Columbiana Cadillac-Buick-Chevrolet from beating its sales last year by 11.5 percent.
Brady said the sales could have been better. Outside of weather, a late date for the Cleveland Auto Show also affected sales. Manufacturers place incentives on various vehicles during auto-show month. The Cleveland Auto Show started Saturday and will end Sunday.
Other dealerships could not beat the February 2014 sales. Greenwood Chevrolet was the top-selling dealership in the Valley for new and used cars, but its sales took a 27.1 percent hit with 191 sold in February 2015 compared with 262 sold the previous year.
Stadium GM Superstore also took a hit, but just by 2.1 percent. The dealership still came in second for new and used sales with 187 sold. Sweeney Buick GMC came in third with 158 sold compared with 161 last year.
“You are at the mercy of Mother Nature,” said Steve Bott, sales manager at Mark Thomas Ford in Cortland. Bott’s new and used sales took a nearly 50 percent hit during the month.
Bott expects to have a positive year, though, with several updates completed on the dealership in recent months.
Nick Siciliano, general manager of The Honda Store in Boardman, also is optimistic since this month has started out positive.
ADAEO data show The Honda Store with a 16.4 percent decrease in sales this February compared with last.
“We fought through the winter, and we ended up close to last year, which is good,” Siciliano said.
Sales of some of the top vehicles also took a hit in February. The Chevrolet Equinox took first place for best-selling new car, but it took a 30.2 percent hit in sales with 81 sold in February compared with 116 last February.
The Chevrolet Silverado saw a 10 percent increase in sales and took second place for best-selling new car, while the third-place winner, the GMC Terrain, took an 18.2 percent hit.
The Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruze came in fourth for new-car sales, but had a decrease of 64.7 percent in sales with 61 sold compared with 173 sold last year.
Top new makes included Chevrolet, Ford and GMC.
Dealerships with the top used-car sales included Greenwood Chevrolet, Denny’s Auto Sales of Youngstown and Sweeney Buick GMC.