LIGHT TRUCKS FUEL INCREASE IN STATE’S AUTOMOBILE SALES

New automobile registrations in the state surged 31 percent in April, enough to turn what had been a decline in sales for the year into a gain, according to a monthly update from the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association.

Buyers registered 19,253 new cars and light trucks in April of this year versus 14,724 in April 2017. Year-to-date auto registrations, after falling 3.3 percent in the first quarter, are now up 4.2 percent. Nationally, auto sales were down 5 percent in April.

“Even though Colorado’s economy and low unemployment figures remain strong, we’ll continue to monitor if creeping interest rates and auto loan rates play a factor in borrowing and purchasing of new vehicles,” said Tim Jackson, the association’s president, in comments accompanying the report.

The gains in April came entirely from more light truck registrations. — Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post