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Vehicle sales up 43 pct. in January
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Posted on Feb 03 2012
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter
Reporter
Reflecting the national trend, automotive dealers in the CNMI are off to a good start this year, posting a 43-percent increase in new vehicle sales in January.
The Commonwealth Auto Dealers Association said yesterday it sold 60 new cars, vans, trucks and sports utility vehicles in January compared to only 42 during the same month last year.
This was after posting a 25-percent drop in sales in 2011. CADA sold only 454 new vehicles in 2011, versus 602 in 2010 and 469 in 2009.
“Maybe there’s really light at the end of the tunnel,” CADA secretary Douglas Brennan told Saipan Tribune yesterday. “You’d think that with all these issues on immigration, FICA and the economy, people would be reluctant to buy cars but they were buying. We see a little bit of hope.”
Brennan, who is also president of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce and general manager of Microl Corp., hopes monthly sales will be this good throughout the year.
Microl Corp., the authorized distributor of Toyota and Chevrolet, posted a whopping 129-percent sales increase, from 14 to 32 units in January. Brennan said Microl “had reasonable shipment,” among other things.
Randy Steele, general manager of Triple “J” Motors, attributed their 31-percent sales increase in January to a successful promotion for Hyundai as well as a successful 2011 clearance. Triple “J” Motors sold 17 new vehicles in January, compared to 13 last year during the same month.
Joeten Motors, meanwhile, posted a 27-percent drop in sales in January or from 15 last year to 11 last month.
Of the 60 new vehicles sold in January, over half or 34 were cars, 13 were trucks, 10 were SUVs and three were vans.
Toyota Corolla was the most saleable car in January, followed by Hyundai Elantra, Mazda2, and Toyota Yaris. Toyota Tacoma dominated the trucks market, followed by Nissan Frontier, and Ford Ranger.
The only vans sold in January were three Toyota Siennas.
CADA also sold 24 used or secondhand vehicles last month.
