Car buyers splurge in April; vehicle sales up 55 percent

Vehicle sales increased by 55 percent in April, bringing the year-to-date sales growth to 25 percent, based on the latest data from the Commonwealth Auto Dealers Association.

A total of 68 new cars, vans, trucks and sports utility vehicles made their way to consumers in April, compared to only 44 during the same month last year.

This brings to 218 the total number of new vehicles sold from January to April, compared to 175 last year.

Douglas Brennan, CADA secretary and president of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, said yesterday that the increase is most likely a combination of events, including the fact that April 2011 was the “turning point” after the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in Japan.

“Sales had just started to fall off. You will probably note the sales between May and August 2011 fell drastically, so CADA reports for the next few months should continue to show great improvement over that time period,” Brennan told Saipan Tribune.

Another factor would be the high total market sales from 2004 when 1,612 new vehicles were sold, 2005 with 1,544 units, and 2006 with 999 units.

“Some of those vehicles are starting to show their age and are being replaced through attrition,” added Brennan, also the general manager of Microl Corp.-Toyota.

CADA is hoping that the increased sales trend continues.

The year was off to a good start with a 43-percent sales increase in January, and a 14-percent increase in February. Although it dipped by 11 percent in March, it went up by 55 percent in April.

Of the 68 vehicles sold in April, 37 were cars, 15 were SUVs, 12 were trucks, and four were vans.

Microl Corp., the authorized dealer of Toyota and Chevrolet, topped the sales chart with 37 new vehicles sold in April, a whopping 95-percent increase from its April 2011 sales of 19. Its year-to-date sales are up 50 percent, from 72 last year to 108 this year.

Joeten Motors ranked second by selling 21 new vehicles in April, an increase of 31 percent from last year. Joeten Motors, the authorized dealer of Nissan, Ford, Honda and Kia, posted a 9-percent year-to-date sales decrease from 63 to 57.

Triple “J” Motors, meanwhile, sold 10 new vehicles last month, compared to nine in April 2011. Its year-to-date sales increased by 32 percent, from 40 to 53. Triple “J” Motors distributes Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Suzuki and Mazda.

Toyota Yaris was the most saleable not only among cars but also among all types of vehicles in April, with 16 units sold.

Besides Toyota Yaris, the other cars sold in April were 10 Toyota Corollas, three Hyundai Elantras, two each of Hyundai Veloster and Kia Forte, and one each of Honda Accord, Hyundai Accent, Nissan 370Z, and Nissan Sentra.

Four types of SUVs shared the top sales spot, with three each of Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Nissan Rogue and Toyota RAV4. CADA also sold two Toyota 4 Runner and one Mazda CX5.

Among trucks, Toyota Tacoma sold the most with six, followed by two each of Ford E/F-Series, Ford Ranger, and Nissan Frontier.

Of four vans sold in April, three were Ford E-Vans and one Honda Odyssey.

CADA also sold 17 used or secondhand vehicles in April, bringing to 81 the total sold during the first four months of the year.