Positive auto sales trends continues

For individuals looking to buy a new vehicle, Lake County may be a good place to shop.

According to an Autolist study, Lake County is one of the most affordable areas to buy a vehicle in Ohio.

It shows that used vehicles in Lake County are on average $84 less than the Ohio average. The Ford F-150 is said to be the most affordable vehicle in the county, with prices $458 below the Ohio average, the study also states.

Classic Ford of Madison Sales Representative Andrew Keates said the F-150 is definitely one of his favorite vehicles.

He said the F- series, which is Ford’s line of trucks, make up

about 50 percent of their total sales.

Overall, autolist.com ranks Ohio the seventh most affordable place to buy a vehicle in the nation.

Data suggests there is a correlation between automobile pricing and sales.

Despite a challenging first quarter for national auto sales, the area market was stable.

“The first quarter of 2017 auto sales have been very robust in that we are 6 percent above 2016 through the first quarter of 2017,” said Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association Executive Director Sara Panza. “We continue to buck the national trend

as vehicle sales slow.”

According to the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association registration reports from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, compared to last year numerous manufacturers saw an increase in sales in March.

“Ford’s sales grew a modest 1.49 percent in March of 2017, with the Blue Oval selling 3,683 units,” Panza said.

Keates said although there was a bit of decline in the first quarter, he is pleased that there sales were still up.

Other top-selling vehicles in the first quarter include Chevrolet, which sold 3,806 new vehicles in March, making the company Northern Ohio’s bestselling brand for the third straight month and Honda

selling 1,982 new vehicles compared to 1,794 new vehicles for the former, Panza said.

Overall, Northern Ohio franchised new vehicle dealers sold 23,535 new vehicles in March of 2017 compared with 22,085 last year, the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association confirmed.

While affordability and incentives influence a consumer’s purchasing decision, there are many factors affect auto sales.

In the first quarter, weather is usually a huge factor, Keates said.

“This year wasn’t too bad, because weather wasn’t too bad,” he said.

As a sales expert, Keates finds that personal preference continues to play a big part in the type, color and features of vehicle that a

person buys.

Fuel cost and the economy remain major factors, Panza said.

She said that light trucks, SUV’s and CUV’s continue to drive the market while passenger cars lag behind.

“In 1993, there were 65 percent cars and 35 percent trucks and now that number has completely swapped, Keates said. “Now it is 65 percent trucks and light-SUV’s and 35 percent cars.”

Ford Motor Company reports Ford F-Series sales were up 10 percent, with 81,330 trucks sold –representing the lineup’s best March, Ford Escape posts record March retail sales with a 13 percent gain and Ford Expedition grew 43 percent, with 5,472 SUV’s sold nationally.