Auto sales in the U.S. leapt to 14.5 million units in 2012, a 13% year-over-year gain – and the highest volume in five years.
The year closed with a hearty 1.4 million cars and light trucks sold last month, which was a 9% increase from December 2011. The seasonally adjusted annual sales rate reached 15.4 million — the second consecutive month above 15 million — and that momentum is expected to continue well into 2013.
Volkswagen Group and its namesake brand both finished with a strong 35% gain, while General Motors and Ford Motor Co. saw a marketshare loss with single-digit percentage gains in December and the year overall. Toyota and its rival Honda saw the biggest share gains.
Highlights from 2012 Auto Sales:
- For the second straight year, BMW beat Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. luxury-brand race, driven by its competitive lease pull-ahead program. The automaker sold 281,460 light vehicles in 2012 as Mercedes-Benz moved 274,084 units, a wider gap than BMW’s 2,715-unit lead the previous year.
- Despite a 23% increase, Lexus came in third with 244,166 units. From 2000 to 2010, the automaker was the bestselling U.S. luxury brand.
- With a 27% rise, Acura took the fourth-place slot in luxury sales, outselling GM’s Cadillac, which moved down to No. 5 following its 2% drop in volume. Audi, Infiniti, Lincoln, Volvo, Land Rover, Porsche, and Jaguar rounded out the segment’s Top 10.
- Even as its volume fell 4% last year, the Chevrolet Camaro won the pony-car round, outselling the Ford Mustang by 1,396 units. The previous year saw a much wider winning streak as the Camaro bested the Mustang by nearly 18,000 units. Mustang sales in 2012 rose 18%.
- The Ford F series truck and Toyota Camry both held onto their respective titles of bestselling US. truck and car. The F series had a 10% increase to 645,316 units as the Camry jumped 31% to 404,888 units.
- Following a late uptick, the Chevy Silverado pickup remained the second bestseller among all vehicles. The pickup outsold the Camry by 19,292 units last month, bringing its yearly total to 418,312.
In my experience there is a huge difference in the number of lessees who actually buy their off lease vehicles when comparing dealers and independent lease companies/facilitators.
The more sophisticated lessees are fully aware that if they DO try to buy out their vehicle the lessor will probably try to charge them a lot more than market value. This leaves the door open for a site like this one. If the guy can buy a list of lessees and pitch them on his service during their lease he might generate some interest.