GM Expected to Sell the Most Vehicles in November, but Honda to Step Up
As dealerships ready for Black Friday crowds, some manufacturers are expected to fare better than others.
While car dealerships are expected to make up for a slow start to 2017 as the year winds down, some manufacturers are doing better than others.
According to projections released Wednesday by Edmunds, General Motors will sell the most vehicles, or 257,081, this month, a tally that would represent a 1.8 percent increase from November 2016 and a 1.7 percent gain from last month.Edmunds placed GM's market share at 18.1 percent for the month, down from 18.4 percent a year ago and from 18.7 percent in October.
"We've seen the past few months be quite strong for General Motors as their market share has been over 18 percent since August which is much stronger than how they started the year," said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of industry analysis at Edmunds. "This could be attributed to their strong SUVs and truck sales which have really been favored by American consumers."
Honda will make the greatest strides in increasing sales in November, both from last month and the year-ago period. The Japanese manufacturer will sell 137,662 vehicles in November, forecasts Edmunds, a 12 percent increase from November 2016 and up 8.1 percent from last month.
The projections come just days before Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving, which accounts for roughly 15 percent of total November sales.
Hyundai/Kia is expected to sell 104,383 vehicles in November, a slide of 9.2 percent from the year-ago month, but up 7.2 percent from October, Edmunds projected. Fiat Chrysler will sell 157,690 vehicles, a slide of 2 percent from November 2016 but up 2.8 percent from last month.
"Over the course of the year, we've seen a decline in market share from FCA," Caldwell told The Drive. "The main culprit behind this is the Dodge brand which has seen market share fall due to the elimination of the Dart—as well as its Chrysler counterpart, the 200—and their aging line up.
"The new car market is so competitive now with shorter product life cycles so brands that have older product are at a great disadvantage," Caldwell added.
Toyota is expected to garner a November market share of 14.7 percent, up from 14.4 percent in November 2016 and 13.9 percent last month.
Ford's 14.5 percent market share would represent a gain from 13.3 percent a year ago, but a dip from 14.8 percent in October. Honda's 9.7 percent share of the November market would have it up from 8.9 percent in November 2016 and from 9.4 percent in October, Edmunds said.
