Which Automakers Led the Pack in Q3?

Our third-party data partner, Oracle, crunched the Q3 numbers from GoodCarBadCar.net, calculating that the top 35 auto brands sold four million new vehicles from July through September. Which automakers came out on top?

• Among the non-luxury segment, consumers stuck with their tried-and-true brands. The top five in sales were: Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet, Honda, and, rounding out the group, Jeep.
• In Q3, Tesla ran away with the top spot among luxury vehicles. Coming in a distant second was Mercedes-Benz, followed by Lexus, BMW, and Audi.

SUVs Dominate the Road—and the Market

You probably don’t need a spreadsheet to tell you that SUVs are more popular than ever. Even before the pandemic drove fuel costs down, drivers were choosing these vehicles in overwhelming numbers. SUVs made up 50% of all new vehicle registrations in the U.S. from January through July 2020. Among luxury brands, that number jumps to 64%.

Although statistics based on body style is a relatively new data point in the industry, this marks the first time since this information has been captured that a single body style has accounted for half of all new vehicle registrations. It’s definitely a trend to keep an eye on, especially as manufacturers expand their SUV lineups to include hybrid and alternative fuel options.

Even in a Pandemic, People Continue to Buy New Vehicles

As states started to ease COVID-related restrictions throughout Q3, people began venturing outside of their homes again. Offers and incentives have enticed more consumers to visit dealer showrooms, helping to nudge the industry closer toward recovery. The Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate bumped up to 16.3 million in September compared to 15.2 million in August. Automakers are looking for new model year vehicles appearing in showrooms later in the year to lift the SAAR even higher through the final quarter of 2020.