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Car sales in the United States held steady in the first half of the year, the year-on-year figure being strong even as badysts voice concerns about the future strength of the market.
According to Automotive News , the total number of vehicles sold in June reached 1,551,399 units, up 5.2% over the same period last year, and 8,617,655 over the first six months (+ 1.9%)
The first American manufacturer, General Motors (GM), has announced a 4.2% increase in sales to 1.474 million cars since the beginning of the year.
Ford, the second largest national automaker , for its part suffered a slight erosion of its sales to 1.278 million vehicles (-1.8%) while FCA US (Fiat-Chrysler) has sold over the first six months of the year 1,115 million cars (+ 5%).
"People buy with confidence because the economy is doing well and they expect to keep it going, "said Kurt McNeil, GM sales manager for the United States, while Ford's Mark LaNeve said the sales were" really strong "with strong demand for pick-ups and SUV.
Ford has seen the sales of its F-150 pick-up truck, the best-selling vehicle in the United States, up 4.9% since the beginning of the year to 451,138. units
On the Japanese side, Toyota sold 1.189 million units (+ 3%) in six months. These figures do not take into account variations in the number of selling days from one year to the next.
The publication of car sales in the United States is disrupted by GM's decision to no longer publish its figures on a monthly basis but only quarterly while other builders continue to do so monthly. The figures for GM are therefore derived from estimates of the specialized sites.
The figure that however attracts the attention of industry badysts is that of the SAAR (sales expressed in seasonally adjusted annual rate).
According to Autodata statistics, it reached 17.47 million vehicles in June, an increase of 4.6% over June 2017 and 3.3% over May.
However, it covers major disparities with a year-on-year increase of 12% to 12.01 million for "trucks" (SUV and pick-ups) and a decline of 8.7% to 5.46 million for sedans.
– Increasing credit rates –
After record years since 2009, new car sales in the United States first decreased in 2017, by around 2% to $ 17.23 million. units pbaded.
"The strength of the economy is creating good conditions for car manufacturers at the moment, but when it starts to weaken, there are many other underlying factors that could help drive down sales ", estimates Jeremy Acevedo, an badyst at Edmunds.com.
He cites the fact that the US market is" virtually "saturated, rising car prices as well as interest rates and the fact that many owners are in debt more than the market value of their vehicle. "This sets the scene for a contraction of the market," he says.
Edmunds.com said Tuesday that interest rates for auto loans had averaged their highest in nine months in June at 5.82% for 4.96% a year earlier.
"While some buyers may consider this to be one more reason to buy now with still reasonable rates, we are dangerously close to the moment when buyers with adverse credit situations could forgo their purchase if they return from increasingly expensive, "said Acevedo.
In terms of market share, and according to Automotive News figures, GM remained ahead in June with 16.5% ahead of Ford (14.8% ), Toyota (13.5%), FCA US (13.1%), Nissan-Mitsubishi (10%) and Honda (9.4%). The first European manufacturer is Volkswagen / Audi with 3.4%.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to hit the imports of foreign cars in the United States a 25% tax in the name of safety protection national, attracting threats of retaliation from the European Union.
According to Autodata figures, the SAAR for vehicles manufactured in the United States was for June 13.58 million, up from 2.6% year-on-year and imported vehicles 3.89 million (+12.1%).
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