New-Car Sales To Improve 10 Percent In June Reaching Greatest Year-To-Date Gain, According To Kelley Blue Book

June SAAR is 15.5 Million, Highest Since November 2012; Nissan Continues to Lead Vehicle Sales Increases

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Jun 26, 2013, 05:00 ET

IRVINE, Calif., June 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- New-car sales are expected to improve 6.0 percent year-over-year in June to a total of 1,363,000 units according to Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information. After adjusting for one fewer selling day this June, the 10.1 percent year-over-year gain will mark the strongest improvement thus far in 2013. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for June 2013 is 15.5 million, which is the highest SAAR since November 2012 at 15.5 million and highest June SAAR since 2007 at 15.8 million.

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"We've had a strong first half of the year with new-car sales up nearly 7 percent compared to the first half of last year," said Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst of automotive insights for Kelley Blue Book. "The industry continues to benefit from modest improvements in housing, unemployment and consumer confidence."

Nissan Paces Industry Gains, While Ford Leads Domestic Automakers
	Sales Volume ¹			Market Share ²
Manufacturer	Jun-13	Jun-12	YOY %	Jun-13	Jun-12	YOY %
General Motors	252,000	248,750	1.3%	18.5%	19.4%	-0.9%
Ford Motor Company	235,000	207,204	13.4%	17.2%	16.1%	1.1%
Toyota Motor Company	184,000	177,795	3.5%	13.5%	13.8%	-0.3%
Chrysler Group	156,000	144,811	7.7%	11.4%	11.3%	0.2%
American Honda	133,000	124,808	6.6%	9.8%	9.7%	0.0%
Nissan North America	106,000	92,237	14.9%	7.8%	7.2%	0.6%
Hyundai-Kia	111,000	115,139	-3.6%	8.1%	9.0%	-0.8%
Volkswagen	54,000	51,057	5.8%	4.0%	4.0%	0.0%
Total ³	1,363,000	1,285,499	6.0%	-	-	-
¹Historical data from OEM sales announcements
² Kelley Blue Book Automotive Insights
³ Includes brands not shown

As in May, Nissan will lead sales gains again this month and is expected to post a 14.9 percent increase, bouyed by demand for the newly redesigned Altima and Sentra. More consumers may be drawn to Nissan products since Nissan cut the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) on seven of its models in May. Ford will rely on a strong pickup truck market and plentiful incentives on its F-150 to drive a 13.4 percent gain. Meanwhile, Hyundai-Kia is expected to decline 3.6 percent, as it faces production capacity constraints and competition from newer product offerings from other manufacturers, especially in the mid-size car segment.

Mid-Size Race Heating Up, Trucks and CUVs Continue Surge
	Sales Volume ¹			Market Share
Segment	Dec-89	Jan-81	YOY %	Jan-00	Jan-00	YOY %
Mid-Size Car	231,000	229,677	0.6%	427.8%	435.2%	-7.4%
Compact Car	192,000	182,359	5.3%	355.6%	345.6%	10.0%
Compact Crossover	177,000	150,007	18.0%	327.8%	284.3%	43.5%
Full-Size Pickup Truck	164,000	137,907	18.9%	303.7%	261.3%	42.4%
Subcompact Car	54,000	52,772	2.3%	100.0%	100.0%	0.0%
Total ²	1,363,000	1,285,499	6.0%	-	-	-
¹ Kelley Blue Book Automotive Insights
² Includes segments not shown

Honda's all-new Accord appears well-positioned to challenge the Toyota Camry for the top spot in mid-size segment sales this month, while the Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima are not far behind.

Demand remains strong for large pickups and compact utility vehicles, both of which are expected to be up nearly 20 percent.

"Compact crossovers will capture more market share than ever before at 13 percent, fueled by recent redesigns of the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4," said Gutierrez. "Sales in the mid-size segment are expected to be relatively flat year-over-year; however, the fight for segment supremacy remains fierce."

For more information and news from Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, visit www.kbb.com/media/, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kelleybluebook (or @kelleybluebook), like our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kbb, and get updates on Google+ at https://plus.google.com/+kbb.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the industry. Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website www.kbb.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In and Suggested Retail Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new cars this week. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies as well as governmental agencies. KBB.com provides consumer pricing and information on cars for sale, minivans, pickup trucks, sedan, hybrids, electric cars, and SUVs. Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AutoTrader Group.

SOURCE Kelley Blue Book