GM Strike and Lower Automaker Incentive Spend Contribute to Dip in October New Car Auto Sales, TrueCar’s ALG Forecasts

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TrueCar, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: TRUE) data and analytics subsidiary, ALG, projects total new vehicle sales will reach 1,339,420 units in October 2019, down 4.7% from a year ago when adjusted for the same number of selling days. This month’s seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) for total light vehicle sales is an estimated 16.6 million units. Excluding fleet sales, ALG expects U.S. retail deliveries of new cars and light trucks to be 1,136,920 units, a decrease of 4.3% from a year ago when adjusted for selling days.

“Even though consumer sentiment has improved month-over-month, lower incentive spend this month compared with September and the GM strike are contributing to lower sales in October,” said Oliver Strauss, Chief Economist for ALG, a subsidiary of TrueCar.

Additional Insights: (Forecast by ALG)

Among mainstream brands, Hyundai and Kia continue to show year-over-year sales growth and are expected to be up 9.8% and 5.4% respectively on total sales with lower incentives.

For luxury brands, Mercedes-Benz stands out and is expected to be up 7.3% year-over-year in total sales, and 12.4% in retail sales with incentives flat year-over-year.

Mercedes is expected to have a sales edge over BMW of close to 5,000 total unit sales for October as the race for the luxury sales leader ramps up moving toward the end of the year.

Tesla’s sales momentum continues to hold up despite difficult compares after last summer’s Model 3 ramp up. The electric automaker is expected to be up 18.4% in total units year-over-year.

GM and Nissan are forecast to be down 11.4% and 10.6% respectively in total unit sales compared to a year ago.

GM’s sales decline may be due to inventory availability related to the strike and shutdown of their factories.

Even with the largest expected dollar decline in incentives month-over-month, Nissan is still about 50% higher on incentives as a percentage of average transaction price than industry. Nissan’s fleet share is expected to reach 28% this month.

Average automaker incentive spend is expected to reach $3,767, up 4.7% or $170 dollars year-over-year, but down 5.1% or $204 from September 2019.

The most notable YoY declines in incentive spend are expected from Kia, Hyundai, and Nissan. Meanwhile FCA, GM, and Honda are expected to have double-digit incentive increases.

Used vehicle sales for October 2019 are expected to reach 3,439,074 up 3.7% from a year ago and up 0.2% from September 2019.

“The UAW strike has created a tricky sales landscape for GM. Incentives are down versus last month but are still elevated as the automaker competes for lucrative Fullsize Pickup share,” said Eric Lyman, Chief Industry Analyst at ALG, a subsidiary of TrueCar. “With the strike just ended, GM isn’t out of the woods yet as dealers must work with aging inventory ahead of ramped up production to refresh their showrooms going into the busy end of year selling season.”

October 2019 forecasts for the 13 largest manufacturers by volume: (Adjusted for same selling days as October 2018.) For additional data visit the ALG Newsroom.

Total Unit Sales