Marketplace

A solid month, considering...

HIGHLIGHTS The fact August 2018 was the total market’s second-best August total in eight years indicates market resilience in the face of economic uncertainty around factors such as drought in eastern regions and declining residental property values, as well as Federal political instability. Small, medium and large SUVS did most of the heavy lifting, climbing 8.3 percent to 41,271 units. SUVS as a whole now account for 42.8 percent of the total market YTD. Despite this, it was passenger cars on the podium ahead of SUV sales, topped only by light commercials – the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger respectively – in the total market.

LOWLIGHTS: Compared with 2017’s record August, monthly sales were down 1.5 percent and YTD sales also dropped 0.3 percent below a recordsetting tally for 2018. Passenger cars fell 13.4 percent to 30,940 units and light commercials fell 1.9 percent to total 19,165 units compared with August 2017.