New vehicle sales in the U.S. fell 1.3% last year, but the numbers still passed the healthy 17 million mark for the fifth straight year.
Automakers sold 17.05 million new cars, trucks and SUVs in 2019. Although buyers spent more on vehicles, automakers had to prop up sales with record discounts, according to analysts.
Following a long trend, 69% of new vehicles sold last year were trucks or SUVs. Truck sales were up 2.6% from a year ago. Car sales fell once again, by 10.1%, according to Autodata Corp.
Sales at General Motors fell 2.5% for the year, while Ford sales fell 3.2%, and Fiat Chrysler sales dropped 1.4%. Sales at Toyota fell 1.8% and Nissan sales tumbled almost 10%.
