Sales over the past six months have been mostly in negative territory even though inventory continued to rise. Affordability and a slowdown in fleet orders have been the bane to growth. September saw the continuation of gains in the most affordable segments, but it was more than offset by weakness among higher priced vehicles – a theme of the past two quarters. (Hurricane Helene also slightly dampened deliveries in September.) Despite downturns in Q2 and Q3 of 0.5% and 1.9%, respectively, Q1’s strong 4.9% increase was enough to keep year-to-date volume through September above the year-ago total, albeit less than 1%.
Email Article
All set! This article has been sent to my@email.address.
All fields are required. For multiple recipients, separate email addresses with a semicolon.
Please Note: Only individuals with an active subscription will be able to access the full article. All other readers will be directed to the abstract and would need to subscribe.
The Analyst Team

Haig Stoddard
Follow AnalystPrincipal Analyst, Forecast & Markets
Haig has followed the auto industry for over three decades, starting as a reporter and editor for Wards Automotive Reports, then transitioning to an automotive market analyst. He analyzes market trends related to new-vehicle demand, production, and powertrain take-rates, and forecasts vehicle connectivity and automation levels
Haig focuses on tying together demand, vehicle production, and powertrain trends. He also has created and co-created several of the company’s current analytical outputs related to forecasts, plant capacities, product cycle plans, market segmentation, and future vehicle propulsion reports. Currently, he supports the Wards Intelligence database and produces regularly scheduled and custom subscription-based posts tied to North American production, sales analysis, forecasts, and general global market analysis. He also is working on projects to help expand the company’s coverage of future trends by creating vehicle-based forecasts related to factory-installed equipment, such as ADAS and mobility.
More Content By Haig StoddardBecome A Client
Find out more about our full suite of products and solutions.
Become A ClientYou must sign in to use this functionality
Authentication.SignIn.HeadSignInHeader
These are Omdia driven recommendations based on content that is both similar, and has been frequently visited by other users in combination with the content you are currently viewing.
Omdia Recommends
These are Omdia driven recommendations based on content that is both similar, and has been frequently visited by other users in combination with the content you are currently viewing.
Thank you
Our expert analysts will review your question and the Ask an Analyst team will get back to you. We aim to respond within 24 hours, but we’re often quicker.
Ask an Analyst
Our team of experts are here to answer your questions. From advice on market trends to a query on research point, and everything in between, we want to hear from you.
Ask an analyst is available as part of a subscription. If you'd like access, contact us today.