By Michael Calia
Nissan Motor Co. on Monday posted a 6.9% jump in U.S. sales in
December, capping a record year for the auto maker's sales in the
country, while Honda Motor Co. had a smaller increase in sales for
the month.
Car makers are expected to conclude a strong year with a robust
performance in December, traditionally a strong month for auto
sales. Holiday deals and incentives, along with falling gasoline
prices and improvement in the U.S. job market, are among the main
factors driving consumers to showrooms.
The question now becomes whether the industry can sustain its
2014 growth in 2015. Auto information service Kelley Blue Book said
it expects auto makers to sell 16.9 million cars in the U.S. this
year--the highest sales number in 10 years--indicating more growth,
albeit at a slower rate.
December also marked the highest average transaction prices on
record for light vehicles, according to Kelley Blue Book, as the
figure grew nearly 3% year-over-year to $34,367. The average price
grew 1.6% from November.
In December, Nissan said it sold 117,318 vehicles, an increase
from 109,758 a year earlier. Much of the increase in December was
due to a surge in car sales, which rose more than 12%. The
company's Sentra, Altima and Leaf posted strong gains in the car
category.
For the whole year, the company said it set a record with nearly
1.4 million U.S. sales, an increase of 11%.
Honda said it sold more than 1.5 million vehicles in the U.S.
during 2014, the company's second-best total.
The company's U.S. sales last month rose 1.5% to 137,281
vehicles, as growth in truck sales offset a decline in car
sales.
Overall, Kelley Blue Book projected total industry sales in the
U.S. at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 16.7 million
units, and Edmunds.com expected 16.8 million.
Write to Michael Calia at michael.calia@wsj.com
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