Experts say that the American automotive industry is on pace for a second consecutive year of record sales in 2016. June sales were up again, even if the speed of the sales growth slowed: new car and truck sales in the United States through June were up 1.5 percent.
Passenger car sales are down 7.5 percent through June. The sales are being driven by hot-selling pickups, sport utility vehicles and crossovers. Through the first half of the year, light-duty trucks, which include some SUVs and crossovers, accounted for about 58 percent of sales.
Analyzing the results of this first half of the year 2016, data show that no mainstream automaker has experienced double-digit sales increases. Nissan Motor Co. is the closest, with sales up 8.4 percent, followed by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV at 6.5 percent and Kia Motors Corp. up 5.6 percent. Luxury automakers Volvo Group and Jaguar Land Rover are the only major carmakers to achieve double-digit gains through June. Industry experts forecast automakers will sell between 17.5 million and 18.1 million vehicles this year, besting last year’s 17.47 million vehicles.
