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Auto sales recovering

Valley dealerships watch new, used car sales slowly increase

Automobile sales in the Mahoning Valley continued to recover last month, posting a 7.7 percent increase from June a year ago, but dealers are still looking up at last year’s numbers due to the economic slowdown brought on by the viral outbreak.

Numbers from the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association show the effect on the industry of Ohio’s discontinued stay-at-home order are starting to wane with 5,392 deliveries in June, up 389 from June 2019.

Yet overall, sales are down 14.5 percent with 25,050 deliveries over the six-month period, down 4,262 from the same time last year.

June marks the first month since February that dealers in Trumbull and Mahoning counties have experienced an increase in overall sales as they continue their slow walk to numbers that were on pace to eclipse 2019 in the first two months of the year.

New and used car sales for the month showed mixed results.

For June, new car sales fell 3.2 percent to 2,738 deliveries from 2,829, and 18.6 percent for the year, from 15,973 to 12,988.

Used car sales, however, jumped 22.5 percent in June, from 2,071 to 2,539. For the year they’re still down 8.1 percent to 11,452 from 12,466.

Across the 21 northern Ohio counties in the dealers’ association, new vehicle sales were off less than 1 percent with dealers selling 21,045 in June compared to 21,218 for the month in 2019. Yearly sales, however, are down 11 percent.

Dealers in the region sold 43,734 new and used vehicles, a 29.5 percent increase over 2019. Demand for trucks and SUVs remains high, with sales for Chevrolet and Ford outpacing cars.

“Many manufacturers resumed building and shipping vehicles in June, providing much-needed inventory to the dealers,” said Louis A. Vitantonio, dealers’ association president. “Low-interest rates and numerous attractive offers have brought consumers back into the marketplace.”

Dealerships in Trumbull County with the most sales in June were Toyota of Warren, 137; Klaben Ford Lincoln of Warren, 125; and Sims Buick GMC Truck, 109.

The top new vehicle sellers were Toyota of Warren, 85; Sims Buick, 69; and Klaben Ford Lincoln, 63.

The top used vehicle sellers were Klaben Ford Lincoln, 62; Toyota of Warren, 52; and Greenwood’s Hubbard Chevrolet, 51.

The top overall seller in the Mahoning Valley in June was Boardman Subaru, which had 286 deliveries.

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