LIMA — Ford Motor Co. has a plant in Allen County, but its rival auto maker is the region’s top seller.
According to the Allen County Title Department, 1,192 new and used Chevrolets were sold in the first five months of 2016, including 229 in May. It is the most purchased vehicle in the county so far this year, followed by Honda.
In all, 8,249 new cars have been sold this year, up from 7,482 through the same time period in 2015. The number of new cars sold from April to May stayed relatively the same, from 1,619 to 1,616.
The data includes all vehicles the department issued titles for, such as cars, trucks, semi-trailers, off-road vehicles and more. The numbers may also be under-inflated, as people who buy vehicles in Allen County don’t have to apply for a title in the same county they purchased it in.
While local car sales stayed relatively the same from April to May, auto dealers throughout the U.S. are reporting lower numbers. According to AutoData Corp, sales of cars, trucks and SUVs fell 6 percent last month, marking the largest monthly drop in almost six years.
A report from the Associated Press states that most major automakers reported lower sales. General Motors’ sales fell 18 percent, Ford’s slipped 6 percent and Toyota’s sales dropped 10 percent compared with the same month a year ago. However, local officials believe auto sales in Allen County will continue to climb, or at the very least, stay the same.
“It’s been a steady climb, and I do think it will continue for the rest of the year,” said Kris Thompson, Allen County Title Department manager. “At some point it will probably level off again, but I don’t see that happening any time soon.”
Thompson said the amount of large vehicle sales have also increased, thanks to lower gas prices.
“Nobody wanted to drive the big motor homes and trucks when gas was close to $4, but now we see a different trend because gas prices have dropped,” she said. “You’re going to see more larger vehicles out there.”
When combined with the sale of used cars, there were 14,098 vehicles sold in Allen County from January to May, an increase of 1,181 from the first five months of last year. The number of new and used cars sold from April to May stayed the same at 2,813.
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