August Sales Volume Jumps 17%

2014 Ford Fusion

August was a banner month for the auto industry in the US with sales surging 17% to beat forecasts and move the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) to just over 16 million vehicles. This is a number the auto industry hasn’t seen since way back in 2007.

Numbers were good for manufacturers across the board with many posting double digit gains. Some are now looking to boost production because of a problem they haven’t faced in quite awhile; not having enough cars on their lots to sell.

Ford, who posted a 12% gain, is struggling to keep up with demand for its Fusion, Explorer and Escape. Some dealerships are reporting the Fusion only sits on the lot for about 13 days before being sold as opposed to the typical two months.

2014 Chevy Cruze Turbo Diesel
2014 Chevy Cruze Turbo Diesel

The Cruze has been selling so well for Chevrolet that it’s only got a 35 day supply of the vehicle and the Impala is moving out as fast as they can get them off the production line. Chevrolet posted a 12% gain for August with GM coming in at 15% overall.

Chrysler matched Ford with a 12% gain for August. A large part of that came from Ram which was up 29% and shows the continued strength of the light-duty truck market. This was Chrysler’s strongest month out of the last 60 months and saw a record-setting average transaction price of $30,317.

Japanese auto manufacturers posted some of the largest gains. Honda was up 27%, Nissan was up 22% and Toyota was up 23%, but the biggest winner on that front was Subaru. They posted an incredible 45% sales gain over last August.

2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i Touring

Subaru set a record with its sales for the month. They moved 40,000 units in August which is an all-time high for the automaker. Their sales have been helped in large part by recent redesigns of the Forester and XV Crosstrek.

August is traditionally a strong month for sales, but it’s been along while since it’s sent manufacturers so strongly into Fall.

Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.