U.S. vehicle sales - major car brands through December 2020

In terms of monthly light vehicle sales in the United States, Toyota was the top brand in December 2020 with Chevrolet and Ford in second and third place. Customers in the U.S. bought some 211,000 Toyota-badged vehicles in December 2020.

What was the effect of the pandemic on sales?

U.S. vehicle sales tanked in March 2020 but bounced back soon thereafter. December sales surpassed the previous year's level: U.S. auto dealers sold around 1.6 million light vehicles in December 2020, an increase of about six percent year-on-year. These figures can be seen as indicative of stable demand amid the crisis.

Pre-crisis plateau

Slightly over 17 million light vehicles were sold to U.S. auto dealers in 2019 while retail sales are estimated to have fallen short of the 17 million mark. New sales of light vehicles remained relatively flat between 2017 and 2019 albeit on a high level. 2019 car and light truck retail sales of just under 17 million units put the industry’s new light retail sales figures 1.4 percent lower in 2019 than in 2018. It is particularly passenger cars that do not move off the shelves easily, as light truck sales reached a peak in 2019. Passenger cars now only represent less than one-third of all light vehicle sales in the U.S.