Costa Mesa, California — August could be a 'blockbuster' month as US car sales in value terms, according to consultants.
The absolute numbers look less rosy though, total sales are likely to reach 1.40m units in August 2019. This is a 5.0% fall compared with August 2018, according to consultants JD Power and LMC Automotive.
Thomas King is senior vice president of data and analytics at JD Power. He said 'August will be a blockbuster month for the industry. Sales are expected to post the largest year-over-year gain since December 2016.'
He added that manufacturers are making it more attractive to buy new cars and the US labor day holiday falls in the month. But, he warned that September has fewer selling days than usual and this could depress the numbers then, he warned.
Jeff Schuster is Americas operations and global vehicle forecasts at LMC automotive. Said the solid US economy is helping consumers feel confident. But he added, 'while the US auto industry has momentum right now, concern about global auto sales is warranted. Global sales are expected to be down 2.5m units, or 3%, to 92.1m units. With trade uncertainty in the backdrop, global risks could pull down the US economy, and with it, auto demand next year.'
In 2019, LMC is forecasting total light vehicle sales in the US at 16.9m units.
