New retail vehicle registrations in the Washington area continued to soften through April 2026, reflecting broader market headwinds. Total registrations declined 14.4% year-to-date compared with the same period in 2025, with notable drops in both light trucks (-13.0%) and passenger cars (-20.0%). Despite the overall decline, light trucks increased their share of the market to 80.6%, while cars fell to 19.4%, continuing the long-term shift in consumer preference. By brand origin, Japanese manufacturers expanded their dominance, growing market share to 48.7%, while domestic and European brands lost ground. At the brand level, Toyota maintained its position as the region’s top seller and increased share to 17.6%, while Honda, Chevrolet, and Hyundai also posted relatively stable performances compared to the broader market. A few brands showed resilience or gains, including Nissan (+8%) and Lucid (+39%), but most manufacturers experienced double-digit declines, with sharper contractions among luxury and EV segments such as Tesla (-38%) and Audi (-41%). Overall, the data points to a challenging first four months of 2026 for the Washington-area auto market, with declining volumes but continued consolidation around leading brands and truck-dominated sales mix.
Download and view the full Auto Outlook report here.
In addition to the Auto Outlook sales report, WANADA also warehouses local registration data from S&P Global Mobility (formerly RL Polk). To access Polk data, click here and log in with your WANADA membership email and password. If you need assistance setting up your WANADA login credentials or resetting your password, contact Kathy Teich at kt@wanada.org.
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