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Puerto Rico, USVI car sales remain flat in October

A 2013 Avalon is Toyota’s 25 millionth North American-assembled vehicle, company officials announced at its ts Georgetown, Ky., plant Thursday.

Auto sales in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands totaled 8,343 units for the month of October, remaining pretty much flat in comparison to the same month last year, the United Automobile Importers Group known as GUIA announced Thursday.

While the industry sold 52 more units last month versus October 2011, reflecting a 0.5 percent year-over-year growth, it has maintained a sustained positive performance  so far in 2012, the numbers show.

When broken down, Puerto Rico’s year-over-year car sales were up 1.9 percent in October, the report showed.

During the first 10 months of this year, car sales reached a combined 81,124 for both islands, reflecting an increase of 11.3 percent over the 72,869 units sold during the same period in 2011, the group’s statistics show.

Sales in different car segments continue to perform according to the trend reflected throughout the year, revealing that 65 percent of local demand is concentrated in the sub-compact, SUV and compact sedan segments. These segments are in the lower price range and generally offer more efficient fuel consumption.

Toyota, which on Thursday celebrated the 25 millionth vehicle manufactured in North America, maintained its dominance in the compact category, with 2,219 units sold in October.

Nissan and Ford rounded out the top-three best sellers for the month of October.

GUIA is an independent, nonprofit organization created in 2006 to address the auto industry’s issues. Its members represent more than 96 percent of total new vehicle sales in Puerto Rico and the USVI.

Author Details
Author Details
Business reporter with 30 years of experience writing for weekly and daily newspapers, as well as trade publications in Puerto Rico. My list of former employers includes Caribbean Business, The San Juan Star, and the Puerto Rico Daily Sun, among others. My areas of expertise include telecommunications, technology, retail, agriculture, tourism, banking and most other segments of Puerto Rico’s economy.
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