BRAND new vehicle sales dropped for the fifth consecutive month, with automotive dealers reporting a year-to-date decline of 23 percent in May.
Latest data from the Commonwealth Auto Dealers Association showed a total of 350 cars, vans, trucks and sports utility vehicles sold in the first five months of 2002, compared to the 457 units sold during the same period in 2001.
The local automotive industry, however, expects to see some sales growth with the release of refund and rebate checks, according to CADA President Carlos P. Camacho.
In May, CADA reported a total of 62 vehicles sold, representing a 17 percent drop from the same month last year.
Microl Corp., the local authorized distributor of Toyota and GM vehicles, continues to top the sales chart with 125 units sold between January and May. This, however, represented a 40 percent drop from the 208 units sold during the first five months of 2001.
Triple J Motors sold 114 brand new Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Isuzu and Suzuki units between January and May, compared to 83 units sold during the same period last year.
Joeten Motors sold 111 units of Nissan, Ford, Honda and Kia during the period under review, posting a 33 percent decline from the 2001 year-to-date level.
Of the 199 used vehicles sold between January and May, 88 came from Microl Corp., 64 from Joeten Motors, 43 from Triple J Motors, and four from Midway Motors.
