Jan. 27, 2015—TrueCar Inc. recently announced that its forecasts for January auto sales has led to an expanded seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 16.6 million new units for 2015.
New light vehicle sales, including fleet, should reach 1.4 million units for the month, up 13.2 percent over a year ago. On a daily selling rate (DSR) basis, adjusting for one additional selling day this January versus a year ago, deliveries will likely rise 8.9 percent.
"2014 was a year of recovery and growth for the auto industry, and that trajectory continues into 2015, as TrueCar expects new vehicle sales will reach 17 million units," Eric Lyman, vice president of industry insights for TrueCar, said in a release. "Even more compelling is our projected revenue growth of 4.8 percent, which is the result of increasing sales volume and rising average transaction prices."
Incentive spending by automakers averaged $2,642 per vehicle in January, up 3.6 percent over a year ago and down 10.4 percent from December 2014.
"With solid economic expansion under way and consumer-friendly gasoline prices, the auto industry remains a high-growth sector," Lyman said. "Other indicators signaling a home-run year for the industry include the recent high in U.S. single-family housing starts and pre-recession unemployment levels."
