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The US auto industry closed the first half of the year with higher-than-expected figures for June sales, despite rising oil prices, higher interest rates highs and fears of a global trade war. go to the cars.
Ford reported sales of 230 thousand 635 vehicles in June, up 1.2 percent from the same month last year. Fiat Chrysler said that they increased by 8% over the same period of the previous year, with 202 thousand 264 units.
Toyota, which is expected to record a decline in sales in June, has announced that they have risen 3.6% over the year, reaching 209 thousand 602 units. General Motors reported that "in the first half, they increased 4.2 percent, reaching 1.47 million units. GM no longer publishes monthly sales figures.
GM expects a strong second quarter. GM chief economist Elaine Buckberg said in a statement: "Tax reform has increased net wages, consumer confidence is high and household balances are in good health. All this in addition to 39, a strong job market, makes consumers more willing to make important purchases as vehicles. "
" Customers buy with confidence because the economy is strong and they expect it to what it stays like that "said Kurt McNeil, vice president of GM sales for the United States
Ford said during a conference call that the threat of tariffs on imported vehicles still does not affect sales, and Mark LaNeve, head of US sales of Ford, He noted that "the most profitable vehicles are built in the United States", which offers "some protection" against taxes that are threatened. "
Ford reported that sales of its F-150 profitable pickups They rose nearly 5% for the first half of the year, reaching 451 thousand 138 units, and commercial vehicle sales Sport and also profitable pickup trucks rose 2% in the first half Automotive sales fell 13.9%, reaching 312 thousand 348 units in the first half, following the trend of changing consumer preference towards SUVs and the trucks that led Ford to announce recently that it would stop producing all but two car models in the US market.Total sales for the first half of Ford in the US decreased by 1.8%, less than expected, to 1.3 million units.
"The report of the US auto industry for the first half of 2018 was better than expected, with relative strength thanks to a series of parameters ", wrote t Brian Johnson, Barclays Automotive Analyst, in a note published prior to the June sales data presentation. Most auto badysts expect sales to rise 2-3 percent a year in June, which should close an unexpected first half, contrary to the expectation that car sales in the US will have a negative impact. significant fall in 2018.
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