New car and truck sales in June in northeast Ohio were slightly higher than June a year ago according to the Greater Cleveland Auto Dealers Association. New car and light truck dealers sold 18,353 vehicles in June , an increase of 41 vehicles over June of 2011.

Overall for the year to date vehicle sales are up three percent in the 21 county region, which includes Summit, Portage and Medina counties.

A total of 16 brands posted sales increases for the month when comparing figures to the same period a year prior. Ford led the way. Chevrolet came in second, while Toyota took over third place from Honda.

News Release From The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association

Cleveland, OH (July 12, 2012) – Franchised new car and light truck dealers sold 18,353 vehicles in June of 2012, an increase of 41 vehicles over the same month a year prior, according to statistics released today by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association (GCADA). For the year to date, new car and light truck sales are up over three percent.

“While we were basically flat with last June’s numbers, it was still a strong month in terms of sales,” says Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “In June of 2011, we saw an increase of more than 14 percent over June of 2010, so we’re really starting to come up against some strong numbers from last year.

“Obviously, we would like to see stronger sales, but any growth is good news. We’re still expecting the local retail automotive industry to grow between three and five percent this year.”

A total of 16 brands posted sales increases for the month when comparing figures to the same period a year prior. Ford led the way with 3,217 vehicles sold. Chevrolet came in second with 2,551 vehicles sold, while Toyota took over third place from Honda with 1,654 vehicles sold in June of 2012, an increase of more than 23 percent over the same month a year prior. Honda sold 1,508 vehicles in June of 2012.

Both Toyota and its luxury sibling Lexus enjoyed a strong month, the latter brand registering an increase of more than 70 percent in June of 2012 over June of 2011. Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep continued to sell well, with Jeep leading the way among Chrysler brands with a growth of almost 30 percent over June of 2011’s figures.

16 Brands Up in June (‘12 v. ‘11)
The following 16 brands posted sales increases in June of 2012 versus June 2011: Acura, Audi, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Infiniti, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

18 Brands Up Year to the DateThe following 18 brands posted sales increases for the year to date versus the same period in 2011: Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lotus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota and Volkswagen.

Used car salesman don't exactly have the best reputation. Buying a used car can be risky enough, and now the state has stepped in to make sure your dealer doesn't give you a raw deal.

Governor Kasich recently signed a measure approved by the Ohio Legislature mandating training for future used car dealers setting up their business in the state.

Lou Vitantonio, President of the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association describes the new training rules

" It requires any dealer that is newly applying to be a used vehicle dealer to undergo required training, before they can be licensed in the state of Ohio. "

He tells AkronNewsNow the mandatory training requirement protects both seller and buyer. " It's a protection for not only the dealer, but also the consumer out there so that a used car dealers understands what all the rules and regulations that are in place in the state of Ohio are, before stepping in and obtaining a used car dealer license."  

Ohio Used Car Dealers Training by Larry States

 Vitantonio says the state already has a lot of rules in place to protect you from attempts to rip you off by selling you a lemon. "There are a whole host of rules in the state of Ohio that are very particular about advertising and the sale of motor vehicles, and this will make it very very clear for someone entering the business," says Vitantonio.

With a tighter economy and consumers being more cost conscious used car sales have increased significantly in the past few years and used car prices are climbing. That means more people are exposed to the possibility of a bad deal.

Franchised new car dealers who also sell used cars are exempt from the new training rules since the dealers and automakers already conduct similar training .

Retail sales of cars and light trucks in northeast Ohio rebounded in May, recording an increase of almost nine percent over the same month a year prior, according to figures released Friday by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association. 

The retail automotive industry in Northern Ohio sold 18,286 new vehicles in May of 2012 versus 16,791 vehicles sold in May of 2011, an increase of 8.9 percent. For the year to date, new car and light truck sales this year are up 3.69 percent over 2011.

---------------

News Release from the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association

This is obviously good news because we are starting to go up against some pretty strong months from last year,” says Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the GCADA. “Another positive in May is that incentive spending is trending down, but sales continue to climb. This is a good sign for both dealers and the economy.”

Moderating oil prices and pent-up market demand are two factors that will likely continue to push the market forward in the months ahead.

A total of 19 brands posted sales increases for the month when comparing figures to the same period a year prior. Ford led the way with 3,203 vehicles sold. Chevrolet came in second with 2,620 vehicles sold, while Honda gained third with 1,726 vehicles sold in the month. Toyota took fourth place with 1,582 vehicles sold in May, an increase of 20.1 percent over the same month a year prior.

Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep continued to sell well, each of the brands registering strong double digit growth when comparing May of 2012 with May of 2011. Of the three brands, Jeep had the best month, registering an increase of almost 35 percent in terms of month-to-month sales from a year prior.

19 Brands Up in May (‘12 v. ‘11)            

The following 19 brands posted sales increases in May 2012 versus May 2011: Acura, Audi, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Honda, GMC, Jeep, Lexus, Lincoln, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

16 Brands Up Year to Date through May (‘12 v. ‘11)                 

The following 16 brands posted sales increases for the year to date versus the same period in 2011: Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Jeep, Kia, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota and Volkswagen.