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Commercial Fleet Sales Drop in March

Commercial fleet sales from nine manufacturers totaled 65,135 in March 2020, representing an 17.7% year-over-year decrease.

Andy Lundin
Andy LundinFormer Senior Editor
April 1, 2020
Commercial Fleet Sales Drop in March

Commercial car sales were down 47.3% year-over-year during March at 4,962 units, while truck and SUV segment vehicle sales were down 13.7% at 60,173, according to Automotive Fleet data.

Photos: Ford, GM, FCA, and Nissan. 

2 min to read


Commercial fleet sales from nine manufacturers totaled 65,135 in March 2020, representing an 17.7% year-over-year decrease.

Total fleet sales for the month — which is comprised of commercial, rental, and government sales — came in at 229,725, which represented a notable 27.6% drop from the same time last year.

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Commercial car sales were down 47.3% year-over-year during March at 4,962 units, while truck and SUV segment vehicle sales were down 13.7% at 60,173, according to Automotive Fleet data.

The rental fleet segment saw a similar trend of declines across the board. Significant declines were seen for many automakers who reported for the month of March.

Through March 2020, rental fleet car sales fell 39.9%, totaling 46,998 units. Truck and SUV segment sales decreased 31.1% at 94,093 units. Combined, rental fleet sales totaled 141,091, which represented a 34.3% year-over-year decline.

The government fleet sector, however, didn’t reflect similar declines. While 3,099 cars were sold to government fleets, a 15% decrease, truck and SUV sales were at 20,400 units, reflecting a 3% increased. Combined, truck, SUV, and car vehicle sales amounted to 23,499 units, which reflect a minor 0.2% increase from last year.

Year-to-date, as of the end of March 2020, overall fleet sales from nine manufacturers total 714,212, 11.4% less on a year-over-year basis. Double digit losses in car segment sales are a large part of that decline, as did a slide in truck and SUV sales. So far car sales are down 26.2% year-to-date and truck and SUV segment sales were down 5.3% year-to-date.

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