U.S. auto sales were expected to drop slightly in July. The weather was unusually hot and probably this kept buyers at home. According to sales figures for July, the substantial growth that lasted for more than five years in the resurgent U.S. automobile industry might finally be leveling off.
Gains by Nissan and Honda last month were overshadowed by declines at the world's three largest automakers – Ford, General Motors and Toyota. Overall, U.S. auto sales increased by only 0.7 percent. The data shows that sales declined by 3 percent at Ford Motor Co., in July, 4 percent at General Motors and 1.4 percent at Toyota. Honda and Nissan reported increases of 4.4 and 1.2 percent, respectively.
It has been claimed that after years of growth U.S sales are beginning to plateau. Last year Americans bought 17,5 million vehicles. The decrease in sales could be a good thing for consumers, since automakers are dialing up the discounts in order to hold on to their market share.
