Mexico August LV Sales Slip

Dealers in Mexico sold 88,325 new light vehicles in August, up from July’s 86,579 and year-ago’s 83,204, but trailing the record 90,395 units delivered in August 2006.

Sales still surpassed July’s record performance because August had an extra selling day – 28 vs. 27 – as the daily sales rate fell 5.4% to 3,151 from 3,330 in July.

Compared with year-ago’s 3,082-a-day pace, last month was up 2.3%, although it tracked 5.8% below the 3,345 LVs delivered over 27 selling days in August 2006.

August sales of 55,757 cars bettered year-ago’s 52,969 by 1.5% and topped July’s 55,445, but daily sales rates were 6.6% below prior-year and 10.3% shy of August 2005, which had 26 selling days.

Light trucks, at 32,478 units, outpaced their prior-year performance by 3.5%, but were 3.1% behind July’s 31,134 deliveries. It was the segment’s fourth-best August result since the 2008 record of 38,017.

Nissan remained the country’s best-selling brand with 22,180 units, besting both prior-month and year-earlier tallies while maintaining a strong lead over second-place Chevrolet’s 16,368.

For the year through August, LV sales were up 13.4% with combined Nissan/Infiniti deliveries of 170,103 holding a 40,199-unit lead over second-place General Motors’ 129,902.

Volkswagen/Audi ran third with 119,840 deliveries despite the VW Jetta, the perpetual car-sales leader, finding 7,659 buyers in the month and 58,040 on the year.

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