15th November, 2012
Toyota and Hyundai-Kia increased fleet sales sharply in October while Ford, General Motors and Nissan decreased theirs slightly. October fleet sales jumped 83 per cent to 16,700 units for Toyota Motor Sales and 68 per cent to 12,500 units for Hyundai-Kia, according to the Automotive News Data Center.
Toyota had been reducing fleet volume after a first-half flurry. Through October, fleet sales accounted for 10 per cent of its sales mix this year, compared with 8 per cent in the same period last year. Hyundai also had been cutting fleet reliance, but the October bump raised its mix to 10 per cent for the first 10 months, the same as a year ago.
Other major automakers trimmed fleet sales in October. Ford Motor Co. was down 3 per cent, and GM and Nissan North America were off 2 per cent. Chrysler Group’s fleet volume rose 5 per cent. On Nov. 1, GM sales boss Kurt McNeil said October sales to government and daily rental fleet buyers were unaffected by Superstorm Sandy.