New-car sales rise in Q1 statewide, decline in NoCo

After a year of fewer sales resulting from the pandemic, auto dealers are seeing increased activity through the first quarter of 2021.

The Colorado Automobile Dealers Association reported Wednesday that new-vehicle sales were up 3.2% in the first quarter over the same quarter of 2020.

The sales numbers are giving dealers hope that 2020 will soon be just a memory in the rear-view mirror. In fact, the dealers association predicted that new-vehicle sales will increase 7.7% in 2021 over 2020. 

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“Assumptions for this prediction are based on the vaccine rollout throughout the year; the abatement of COVID and a full economic re-opening, which would add steam to the recovery and lead to higher vehicle sales. However, certain bumps in the road, including a microchip shortage and other supply-related bottlenecks in the manufacturing process, could slow this recovery pace,” the dealer association said in a statement accompanying the first-quarter report.

While sales in the state overall were up, they were down 8.3% in Northern Colorado over the same time period, the report said. Meanwhile, sales in Denver were up 5%, in Western Colorado 13.2% and even with 2020 numbers in southern Colorado. 

In Northern Colorado, sales were up in Boulder (6%), Larimer (2.2%) and Broomfield (1.1%) counties but down in Weld County (-15.5%).

Among the highlights of the report:

• The light-truck market share, which includes sport-utility vehicles, pickups and vans, was 86.2% of the market with 55,213 registrations. That compares with 51,108 registrations in the first quarter of 2020.
• Electric and hybrid vehicle sales were up 42% over the same quarter of 2020. Hybrid vehicles sold increased 44%, electric-vehicle sales were up 55.5% and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales were up 125.1% over first quarter 2020.
• Market share for the top five selling brands include Toyota, leading with a 14.7% market share, followed by Ford (10.9%), Subaru (10.4%), Chevrolet (7.6%) and Jeep (6%). 
• Market share for the top five selling models include: RAM pickup (4.7%), Ford F-Series (4.6%), Toyota 4Runner (3.3%), Toyota RAV4 (3.2%) and Toyota Tacoma (2.9%).

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