Both Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com and TrueCar.com see Chrysler posting not only its 53rd consecutive month of sales growth, but the highest percentage growth of any major automaker.
Chrysler's sales gains continue to be driven by Jeep, which is uniquely situated to benefit from the strength of the crossover/SUV segment, the hottest of the U.S. light vehicle market.
Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book, said Chrysler will report 184,000 sales, up 11.1% from last August and up 9.7% from July 2014. Market share will grow from 11.0% in August 2013 to 12.3% in August 2014, an increase of 1.3 points of share.
Gutierrez saw industrywide sales coming in at 1.49 million units, down slightly from August 2013. This translates into a predicted seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 16.5 million sales, the sixth month that the SAAR has been above 16 million.
“Although growth has slowed, sales remain steady and on pace to end the year strong,” said Gutierrez. “Growth is expected to continue to soften, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see automakers increase their incentive spending. Spending was restrained for the first part of the year, and has crawled upward in recent months. Sales also will be boosted by the Labor Day weekend, which is traditionally one of the strongest weekends of the year for vehicle sales.”
KBB.COM AUGUST LIGHT VEHICLE SALES FORECAST |
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