Last year’s wildly successful “cash for clunkers” incentive weighed down new vehicle registrations in Hamilton County in July – the first month in 2010 to show a drop.
New auto registrations hit 740 in the county in July, off slightly from 749 a year ago, according to the Clerk’s Office.
July 2009’s results included the first week of what was a monthlong “cash for clunkers” effort.
The “cash for clunkers” federal initiative enticed Americans to trade in more than 450,000 old vehicles nationally, pocket cash from the government and pick more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Still, some dealers reported better sales last month.
Ken Hunt, owner of Hunt Nissan, said he’d expected July sales at the Highway 153 dealership to rise only a little because of “cash for clunkers,” but business turned out better than that.
“The momentum has been very good,” he said.
Thad Narramore, new vehicle sales manager for Marshal Mize Ford in Hixson, said it had a good July.
“We’ve had a trend up year to date. It’s getting better,” he said.
Through July, new vehicles titled in the county are 25 percent higher compared with the same period a year ago, figures show.
However, auto dealers will have to outdo themselves this month to post a better August than last year when “cash for clunkers” registrations in the county hit 1,009.
It has been two years since county auto dealers surpassed the 1,000 sales mark for a month excluding “cash for clunkers.”
Some people in Chattanooga didn’t see a new car in their future this year.
Vicki Petrone, of Nashville, who was outside the Tennessee Aquarium on Monday, said she bought a car last year.
“I don’t need one this year,” she said.
Todd Anderson, also of the Nashville area, said a new vehicle is not in the budget.
But Narramore said Marshal Mize has hired another manager because business is up.
He cited the Ford lineup of the F-150 truck, the Fusion and other vehicles. Mr. Narramore said the new Fiesta, which gets 40 miles a gallon on the highway, is expected to sell well.
Hunt said August sales numbers are important along with September’s.
“Sales took a nosedive in September of last year,” he said, citing the month after “cash for clunkers” ran out of money.