- For January 2011, new light vehicle sales in the U.S. (including fleet) is expected to be 825,372 units, up 18 percent from January 2010 and down 28 percent from December 2010 (on an unadjusted basis)
- The January 2011 forecast translates into a Seasonally Adjusted Annualized Rate (SAAR) of 12.71 million new car sales, up slightly from 12.55 in December 2010 and up from 10.82 in January 2010
- Retail sales are down 28 percent compared to December 2010 and up 25 percent from January 2010
- Fleet and rental sales are expected to make up 19 percent of total industry sales in January 2011
- The industry average incentive spending per unit will be approximately $2,576 in January 2011, which represents a decrease of almost three percent from December 2010 and up one percent from January 2010
- Used car sales is estimated to be 1,971,540, down 30 percent from December 2010 and up five percent from January 2010. The ratio of new to used is estimated to be 3:1 for January 2011
"2011 is off to a good start as the continued increase in retail sales from the same time period last year indicates that consumers are coming back to the showrooms," said Jesse Toprak, VP of Industry Trends and Insight for TrueCar.com. "The recovery in auto sales is fueled not only by pent-up demand but also by compelling new products and relative improvements in consumer confidence."
