Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at sales tracker Edmunds, said a couple of factors hit December sales, including bad weather and a strong November that may have moved up some deals that traditionally happen in the last month of the year.
The 21 automakers selling new cars and trucks in the U.S. snagged 15.6 million buyers last year, according to sales tracker Autodata, up 9.2% from 2012 and highest since 2007. That’s still short of the 17 million-plus yearly tallies in the pre-recession heyday, but healthy nonetheless.
The auto industry’s recovery has been an important driver for the economy as a whole. The industry added about 75,000 jobs in 2013, from auto plants to parts manufacturers and dealerships. More hiring is expected this year. Ford has already said it expects to add 5,000 jobs in 2014, its biggest increase in 50 years.
General Motors lost 6 percent in December, largely because of weaker sales of its new-generation large pickups, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, as it tries to establish higher transaction prices for the new models.
The 2013 sales volume has been much healthier for the industry than the larger volumes of the last decade. There have been more sales to consumers and fewer to rental car companies and other fleet buyers that pay less for cars and quickly dump them in the used car market, pushing down new car prices. As a result, consumers spent a record dollar amount on cars in 2013.
Chrysler is majority-owned by Italy’s Fiat SpA. Earlier this week, the two companies announced that Fiat would buy the remainder of Chrysler that is currently owned by a United Auto Workers healthcare trust, for $4.35 billion. That deal is expected to close by January 20.