World Vehicle Sales Flat in November

Global vehicle sales grew slightly in November, up 0.4% from year-ago to 7.1 million units. Strong growth in North America was able to keep overall volume from falling into negative territory.

North American deliveries totaled 1.5 million units in November, a 5.0% increase from like-2013 and the largest year-over-year growth of any region in the month.

All three North American countries posted solid year-over-year gains with Mexico recording the largest growth of 11.2%. Record light-vehicle sales in the country contributed to the jump, with strengthening consumer confidence and better credit availability aiding the upturn.

November sales in Canada, up 3.7% from same-month 2013, also were a record for the month.

U.S. deliveries climbed 4.6% in the month to 1.3 million units.

Deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region remained relatively flat for the third straight month, up just 0.5% from year-ago levels to 3.5 million units.

Increases posted in China (+2.3%), India (+6.0%) and South Korea (+18.4%) were able to offset declines reported in Japan (-9.0%), Indonesia (-18.4%) and Australia (-4.8%).

In November, the Asia-Pacific region held a 49.4% share of the market.

Vehicle sales in Europe tumbled 0.7% in November following a 2-month stint in positive territory. With 1.5 million vehicles sold, Europe accounted for 21.4% of the worldwide market.

More than half of the region’s countries posted losses in the month, but a few larger countries saw positive growth, keeping Europe’s overall decline minimal. Italy and the U.K. both climbed in November, up 5.2% and 7.4%, respectively. Spain also witnessed an uptick of 16.8%.

However, deliveries in Germany, the region’s largest market, fell 2.6% along with declines in Russia (-1.5%) and France (-3.8%).

November deliveries in South America were dismal as well, down 12.0% from like-2013.

Every country in the region witnessed downturns in the month, with Venezuela posting the largest year-over-year drop of 52.8%. Brazil continued to fall as well, down 2.8%, while Argentina and Chile declined 45.0% and 20.7%, respectively.

In November, South America accounted for 5.8% of global sales, the lowest share for the region since June.

Through November, 78.1 million vehicles have been sold worldwide, up 2.1% from like-2013.

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