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Car sales slightly up as of September
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Posted on Oct 11 2005
Car sales as of end of September this year showed a slim increase of .25 percent compared with figures in 2004.
Data from the Commonwealth Auto Dealers Association showed that cars sold in the CNMI as of September 2005 totaled 1,221. During the same period in 2004, there were 1,218 vehicles sold.
On same-month comparison, data showed a 23.39-percent decrease in sales in September 2005 than in September 2004. In September 2005, cars sold totaled 131 while in September 2004, the number was 171.
The latest CADA report also showed that CNMI motorists’ top three choices are Toyota, Nissan, and Hyundai.
For the month of September, there were 52 Toyota vehicles sold, 19 Nissan, and 13 Hyundai.
For the entire year, Toyota sold 496 units; Nissan, 152; and Hyundai, 109.
Other top choices are Ford with 106 sold this year, Mazda with 100, and General Motors/Chevrolet, 93.
Toyota is sold by Microl Corp., Nissan is sold by Joeten Motors, and Hyundai is sold by Triple J Motors.
By model, more motorists bought cars/sedan (660) and Sports Utility Vehicles (278). Trucks sold totaled 190 while vans totaled 90.
In terms of dealers, Microl is leading with 589 vehicles sold, representing 48-percent market share as of September.
Joeten Motors sold 342 or a 28-percent share, while Triple J Motors sold 290 or 23.75 percent.
For the month of September alone, Microl sold 61 units, Joeten sold 41, and Triple J sold 29.
In an interview, CADA president Joe C. Guerrero said there is a “flat” trend in car sales this year.
He said October “is not really a good month.”
For the next two remaining months, he said that “everyone is projecting a decrease in sales compared to last year.”
He said CADA’s review of the 10-year data showed that “there’s really no seasonality” as to when people troop to car dealers to buy.
“It’s very sporadic. There’s no trend. It’s very unpredictable,” he said.
In 2004, CADA said that more than 1,600 vehicles were sold in the CNMI, or an over 27-percent growth in new automobile sales for 2004.
Auto dealers sold 1,612 new vehicles in 2004, 346 units more than the preceding year’s total of 1,266.
Last year’s sales ended with an 8.87-percent growth in December sales that showed 135 new vehicles sold, surpassing December 2003’s mark of 124 units sold.
