Unit sales of domestically produced cars and light duty trucks (including sport utility vehicles and mini-vans). Individual manufacturers report usually report sales on the first business day of the month. Motor vehicle sales are good indicators of trends in consumer spending. Why Investors Care
| Released on 5/1/07 For Apr 2007 | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
Highlights
U.S.-made vehicle sales edged higher in April to a 12.4 million annual rate, split between a steady 5.0 million rate for cars and an improved rate of 7.4 million for light trucks which has shown little effect from high gas prices. The slumping housing market also seems to have had limited effect on sales, reflecting a solid jobs market and solid consumer income. Chain stores will report their April results a week from Thursday while the Commerce Department will report total retail trade data a week from Friday.
Motor vehicle sales softened somewhat in March, coming in at a 12.2 million annual rate. However, strength was mainly with foreign transplants as domestic makers continued to see declining sales.
Motor vehicle sales Consensus Forecast for April 07: 12.3 million-unit rate
Range: 12.1 to 12.5 million-unit rate
![[Chart]](chart.gif)
|
Motor vehicles sales slowed notably in 2006 as a result of higher interest rates and a jump in gasoline prices but remained at reasonable levels due to strong income growth. Late in 2006 and in early 2007, gasoline prices were down from 2006 highs but moderating economic growth kept sales from rebounding. Truck shares hit their peak in 2005 when gasoline was cheap and remain sharply lower since gasoline prices spiked in 2006. |
| 2007 Release Schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
powered by
![[Econoday]](../../../../../../../../../images/logo.gif){kind=logo}