The 2012 calendar year finished on a resilient if not strong note with double-digit gains from 2011 for retail and even fleet sales. Despite a slightly slower pace at the end of the month, which may have been stalled by the down-to-the-wire “fiscal cliff” negotiations, nearly all multi-franchise automakers sold more new vehicles in December in the United States than in the previous year, according to analysis by J.D. Power’s Power Information Network® (PIN) and strategic partner LMC Automotive. Total sales for 2012 also finished with double-digit gains from 2011.

Some final highlights for December and the 2012 calendar year:

For Calendar Year 2012:

• Total light-vehicle sales in the U.S. market finished 2012 at 14.46 million units, which is 13.5% above sales of 12.75 million units in 2011.

• 2012 retail deliveries reached 11.73 million units, up 13.6% from 2011 on a selling-day-adjusted basis.

• Fleet sales were slightly less robust in 2012—increasing by 12.8% from 2011. Continue reading ›