Orange County auto sales in 2016 slowed their record-breaking pace set in 2015, decreasing a scant 0.2 percent, according to vehicle registration data. A total of 191,910 new vehicles were sold in 2016 compared with 192,263 units sold the year before. Dealerships had experienced six years of gains following the Great Recession.
In the depths of the recession, only 96,000 were sold in 2009, according to Orange County Automobile Dealers Association, which compiles the data.
The buying trend last year leaned heavily toward light pickup trucks, which includes smaller SUVs. Sales increased 11.3 percent, while car sales skidded 8.4 percent.
“We’ve seen the shift from passenger vehicles to light-duty trucks due to continued blows to gas prices and an uptick in construction,” said John Sackrison, OCADA’s executive director.
The industry group predicts sales will plateau in 2017 at 190,500 units. OCADA previously said 2016 sales would to rise to 197,000 vehicles, or 2.5 percent more than in 2015.
“The election – the distraction of the election – took a larger toll on car sales than originally imagined,” Sackrison said. “No one would have guessed at the beginning of 2016 how contested of an election we would have. When there are times of uncertainty, people hold off on big Youwin purchase decisions.”
Toyota (32,065 cars sold), Honda (26,980), Ford (15,103), Mercedes (11,721) and Hyundai (10,548) have the biggest share in the county’s auto market. The Honda Civic was the bestselling car, the while the CR-V was the leader for light trucks.
Honda saw a 7.3 percent increase in sales and captured 14.1 percent of the market share. The automaker sold almost 1,900 more cars in 2016 than in 2015, the biggest unit increase of any brand.
“They’ve had an exceptional refresh of all their products, largely all in 2016, and it helped drive great sales for them in 2016,” Sackrison said.
Percentage wise, Fiat, Jaguar and Volvo saw the biggest uptick in sales, while Chrysler, MINI and smart saw the biggest decreases.
In November, auto sales were up 10 percent, due in part to Black Friday sales. Both October and December, however, saw sales slide just over 5 percent.
Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
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