Sales have been climbing since they fell into the cellar in 2009 after the recession was in full force. Now companies, especially imports, are reporting declining sales. Has the market topped out?
New car sales for December 2017: Winners and losers
GM, Toyota, FCA, Nissan and Honda posted declines in U.S. deliveries in December while Ford advanced and the sales pace remained strong despite falling short of 2016's record.
Ford’s 1.3 percent increase marked its fourth straight monthly gain. GM fell 3.3 percent and FCA US was off as both companies pared back shipments to daily rental companies. Volume dipped 8.3 percent at Toyota Motor Corp., 9.5 percent at Nissan Motor Co. and 7 percent at American Honda, though Nissan and American Honda both set sales records for the year.
The results come in comparison to a robust December a year earlier, when the fifth-highest seasonally adjusted annual sales rate of all time was recorded.
Analysts had forecast that December would mark the 10th monthly drop of 2017 -- despite being the strongest month for raw volume. Annual demand was projected to fall for the first time since 2009 while topping 17 million units for the third straight year and the fifth time in history.
New car sales for December 2017: Winners and losers