Slim decline in Jan. to Oct. car sales

Car sales as of last month showed a slim decline of 2.33 percent compared with the first 10 months of 2004.

A total of 1,339 cars, trucks, vans, and sports utility vehicles have been sold in the Northern Marianas from January to October this year, according to the latest data from the Commonwealth Auto Dealers Association.

There were 1,371 vehicles sold during the same period in 2004.

In October 2005, local auto dealers sold a total of 118 vehicles. This represents a 22.88-percent decline compared with the same month last year, when 153 vehicles were sold.

The CADA report showed that Microl Corporation sold the most number of vehicles during the first 10 months of the year, with total sales of 641 units. This is only seven units less than the company’s total sales during the same period last year.

Microl, which deals only vehicles manufactured by Toyota and Chevrolet, sold 52 units last month—a drop of 25.71 percent from last year.

Joeten Motors came in second with a total of 383 units since the year began. Joeten posted a 7.26 decrease from the same period last year.

Last month, Joeten sold 41 vehicles, or six units less compared with October 2004.

Triple “J” Motors sold 315 vehicles from January to October 2005, a slim increase of 1.61 percent compared with the same period last year.

Triple “J” sold 25 units last month, a decline of 30.56 percent from October 2004.

Cars remain the most popular among auto buyers, with 717 units sold in the first 10 months of the year. There were 301 SUVs, 221 trucks, and 97 vans sold during the same period.

Among manufacturers, Toyota proved to the top brand of choice, selling 546 units during the first 10 months of the year.

Ranking second is Nissan with 168. Hyundai comes third with 120, Ford with 117, Mazda with 108, Chevrolet with 95, Mitsubishi with 82, Honda with 58, Kia with 40, and Suzuki with 2 vehicles sold.

For the 10-month period, CADA sold a total of 271 second-hand or used vehicles. Microl Corp. again topped the sales chart with 138 units sold, followed by Joeten Motors with 67 and Triple J Motors with 66.

In an earlier interview, CADA president Joe C. Guerrero observed that there is a “flat” trend in car sales this year.

He said October was “not really a good month” for car sales and predicted the decrease in sales to continue until November.