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.