I think it’s safe to breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to new-vehicle sales. Volume has been gaining traction for two straight years, and all indications point to additional growth in 2012.
Overall, volume was pretty steady last year, with totals surpassing the one-million mark in nine of the 12 months. At 1,243,965 units, December was the year’s second-strongest month, falling shy of the 1,235,006 volume notched in March.
Last year’s SAAR came in at 12.7 million units, up 10.2% from 11.5 million units in 2010. Still, new-car sales volume has yet to reach the 13.2-million-unit pace recorded in 2008. We shouldn’t have a problem reaching that mark in 2012.
What’s your prediction for new-car sales volume for 2012? Venture a guess in AutoFinanceNews.net’s Third Annual Car-Sales Crystal Ball Challenge. Be as specific as you’d like, and we’ll crown the winner come January 2013.
Congrats to Scott McKim, winner of the 2011 Car-Sales Crystal Ball Challenge. According to AutoFinanceNews.net’s tally, 2011 volume was 12,691,493. Scott’s guess: 12,709,012.
Kudos, too, to Ricky Beggs, who placed second with a guess of 12,626,789.
Now, on to 2012… My prediction: 14,099,841.
