Automotive sales in the US inched closer to pre-pandemic levels in September after hitting a low in April when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
According to media reports, American dealers sold 1.37mn units last month, increasing by 6.8pc from the same month last year, signifying incipient signs of consumption recovery. However, year-to-date sales declined by 21pc to 10.46mn cars from 12.73mn units sold during the same period in 2019. The decrease is indicative of the impact the pandemic has had on the American auto industry, which managed to sell only 563,122 cars in April, after which sales began gradually rebounding.
Apart from a few manufacturers, such as Jaguar Land Rover and BMW, most companies reported higher sales in September over the last year. Tesla drove growth, doubling sales to 47,036 units last month from a year ago. Japanese companies, Toyota, Honda and Mazda, also posted double-digit sales growth last month, while domestic firms, such as General Motors and Fiat-Chrysler, reported flat sales volumes.
In Q3 2020, US automotive sales totaled around 4mn units, dropping by 10pc from to 4.4mn units sold in the same quarter last year.