Sales Still Accelerating for O.C. Auto Importers

The pundits keep wondering just how long it can go on, this upward spiral in the public’s appetite for new cars and trucks.

For a while it was thought that things would level off this year after consumers gobbled up 15.6 million new vehicles in 1998.

But the May numbers are in and all bets are off. The sales pace is 5% ahead of the mark set in May last year. If it keeps up, annual sales could hit a record 16.3 million units.

And almost everyone in the industry, it seems, is enjoying the new burst. But some of the happiest campers are the West Coast car importers, many of which posted record or near-record sales for the month.

The region’s sole domestic car maker, Irvine-based Lincoln Mercury, did well too, although entirely on the strength of Mercury’s performance.

Lincoln sales for May were off 5.7% and were down 18% for the first five months of the year. The company discontinued the Mark VIII coupe last year and hasn’t yet launched the new LS sedan, which is expected to give it a big sales boost. Mercury, which many industry observers consider the weak sister of Ford’s upscale unit, posted a 24% sales gain for the month and a 12.4% gain for the first five months.

Combined May sales totaled 57,936 cars and trucks, up 15.5%. Lincoln Mercury sales rose 2.6% for the first five months.

By the numbers, this is what May looked like for the rest of the car firms headquartered in Orange County:

American Suzuki, Brea, posted a 25% sales increase for May, to 4,200 cars and sport-utility vehicles. Sales for the first five months, though, were flat at 19,934 units.

Hyundai Motor America, Fountain Valley, had its best May in a decade, as sales more than doubled to 15,476 cars. Five-month sales were up 47%.

Kia Motors America Inc., Irvine, said May was its best month in history, with 12,795 cars and sport-utilities sold, more than double the total in May 1998. Sales for the year were up 63%.

Mazda North American Operations, Irvine, said May sales of 21,181 cars and 3,687 trucks represented a gain of 13.6% over last May. Year-to-date sales, though, were almost flat with a scant 0.4% increase. Mazda is one of the few companies that reported a decline in truck sales--but the company was without a minivan in May and won’t have a sport-utility until next year.

Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc., Cypress, had its best May ever and reported a 21.5% sales hike for the first five months of the year. Mitsubishi’s May sales of 22,384 cars and sport-utility vehicles represented a 16% increase. Car sales, led by the new Galant mid-size sedan (up 51%) outpaced sport-utilities, but sales of both were substantially higher than a year earlier.