Washington Region sales up nearly 6% in first quarter

Washington Region sales up nearly 6% in first quarter

New-vehicle sales rose a solid 5.7 percent in the first three months of the year, compared with 10 percent nationally. But U.S. sales fell a lot more during the recession than Washington area sales. Regional figures are from WANADAs Area Report, based on R.L. Polk data.

New vehicle sales for the 12 localities region that makes up the Washington area totaled 69,279 in the first quarter, with March, not surprisingly, the strongest month, at sales of 25,512. (January sales were 20,976, and February, 22,671.) March sales jumped more than 9 percent from a year ago.

Import market share here is higher than the U.S. at large, nearly 78%versus the sales in the entire U.S. at large.

The Washington region which used to be well below the nation in light truck sale share is comparable in the first quarter at 46% here versus 48% nationwide.

The complete WANADA Area Report can be found on the WANADA website; click here (member log-in is required).