by Calculated Risk on 9/04/2024 05:55:00 PM

Wards Auto released their estimate of light vehicle sales for August: August U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Rise 4%, Ending Two Straight Declines (pay site).

Growth was solid in August despite the period’s results equaling a 7-month-low SAAR. However, after rising 3.4% year-over-year in the first five months of 2024, demand over the three months since then has been nearly flat. Calendar-year 2024 sales through August totaled 10.5 million units, 2.2% above like-2023’s 10.3 million.

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows light vehicle sales since 2006 from the BEA (blue) and Wards' estimate for Augus (red).

Sales in August (15.13 million SAAR) were down 4.3% from July, and down 1.1% from August 2023.

Sales in August were below the consensus forecast of 15.4 million.

The second graph shows light vehicle sales since the BEA started keeping data in 1967.