VW suffers biggest decline as auto sales drop in August

In this April 6, 2016, photograph, a technician works on a door assembly for a Nissan Altima on the assembly line at the Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant in Canton, Miss. On Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, major automakers report sales figures for August. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) In this April 6, 2016, photograph, a technician works on a door assembly for a Nissan Altima on the assembly line at the Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant in Canton, Miss. On Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, major automakers report sales figures for August. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

By Staff and wire reports September 2, 2016 4 min read

August sales slump

Compared with a year ago, vehicle sales last month were down for most major car makers: – Subaru – up 15 percent – Hyundai – no change – Fiat Chrysler – up 3 percent – Honda – down 4 percent – General Motors – down 5 percent – Toyota – down 5 percent – Nissan – down 6.5 percent – Ford – down 8 percent – Volkswagen – down 9 percent Source: Autodata Corp.

U.S. sales of new cars and trucks fell in August, ending summer on a low note for the auto industry and making it less likely this year’s auto sales will match the record set in 2015.

Overall industry sales dropped 4 percent to 1.5 million vehicles, according to Autodata Corp. Total sales through August are up less than 1 percent over last year.

This isn’t unexpected. After six straight years of growth – and record sales of 17.5 million new vehicles last year – the industry has been bracing for a plateau as consumer demand wanes. U.S. sales outpaced broader economic growth coming out of the recession, but now they’re settling in to a more sustainable pace.

“We’re no longer in a period where we have a lot of pent-up demand coming out of the economic crisis,” said Bryan Bezold, Ford’s senior U.S. economist.