In 2012, the industry saw the third-straight year of at least 10% increase in sales. The last time this occurred Richard Nixon was president.
Automakers sold 14.8 million light vehicles in the U.S. market last year, up 13% from 2011, the highest since 2007. A Center for Automotive Research study estimated $564 Billion in auto sales, while parts, repairs and other services add in another $173 billion
Autos represent 3-3.5% of GDP in the United States, and 1 in every 17 jobs is dependent on the auto industry.
U.S. Light Vehicle Sales 2007 – 2012
Automakers continued to recover in 2012 following the downturn in 2009, posting the third year in a row of increased sales.
U.S. Light Vehicle Sales by Segment Group
Small and medium sized cars are making big gains while large car sales are declining. Together, small and medium cars increased sales 22% while large car sales decreased .5%. Vans and Cross Utility Vehicles also made big gains in 2012, at 13.5% and 9.5% increases in sales, respectively. Cross Utility vehicles also had the highest number of sales at 3,429,719.
In 2012, cars overtook light trucks as top sellers, reversing light trucks’ edge in 2011.
Overall sales in 2012 rose 13.4% over the previous year, with cars sales increasing 18.9% and light trucks at 8.3%.
Auto Fuel Economy Index
The average mileage rating of light vehicles sold in the U.S. rose to a new high in January. The average fuel economy of light vehicles sold in January 2013 month rose to 24 mpg, a 2.4% increase over year-ago and a 14.9% gain on the index base rating set in fourth-quarter 2007.
That bests the prior record set in March 2012 by a few hundredths of a rating point.
Power Type Market Share 2012 & 2011
Overall vehicles sales increased by more than 1.7 million in 2012, a 13% rise over 2011. While overall sales of traditional gasoline and diesel powertrains increased, those powertrains gave up some market share to alternative vehicles. Together, Hybrids, Plug-In Hybrids, and Electric Vehicles now account for 3.34% of all sales – more than a full percentage point higher than in 2011. This rise represents an increase of more than 200,000 vehicles, and a 72% surge for alternative powertrain vehicles.
Hybrid vehicles made the greatest year over year advances, increasing sales by 65% and increasing market share nearly a full percentage point. Plug-In Hybrid sales saw an especially large bump, increasing fivefold from the previous year, and further increased their market share from .06% to .27%. Though Electric Vehicles increased slightly in sales, market share remained static at .08%.
U.S. Light Vehicle Production By State
Michigan and Ohio continued to lead the rest of the nation in vehicle production again in 2012, while Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee showed the greatest percentage increase in vehicle production over 2011, increasing nearly 64%, 57%, and 51% respectively.