U.S. auto sales are down 2% this August, by totaling 16,14 million. We’ve got to admit that we expected to see even worse car sales data from the big three Detroit automakers, but as Houston area replaces flood-damaged cars and trucks after Hurricane Harvey, their shares got higher.
General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler posted mixed August U.S. sales, with GM up 7.5 percent and Ford and Fiat Chrysler down. Japanese automaker Toyota improved sales by nearly 7 percent, Honda's sales fell 2.4 percent. Still, analysts focused on the potential for Detroit automakers to cut inventories and stabilize used vehicle prices as residents of Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, are forced to replace tens of thousands of vehicles after the devastation from Hurricane Harvey.
Ford's Houston dealers may have lost fewer than 5,000 vehicles, he said. Ford is the No. 1 automaker in the Houston market with 18 percent share, according to IHS Markit. The company plans to ship used vehicles to Houston dealers, and has "every indication we would have to add some production" of new vehicles to meet demand. Investor concerns about inventories of unsold vehicles and falling used car prices have weighed on Detroit automakers' shares most of this year. Now, automakers can anticipate a jolt of demand from a big market that is a stronghold for Detroit brand trucks and SUVs.
