Sales of new vehicles at Orange County auto dealers increased 10.9% year-over-year in February to 12,861, according to the Newport Beach-based Orange County Automobile Dealers Association.
The total is based on 7,524 new car and 5,337 light truck registrations in the county.
Sales of Japan-based brands totaled 6,356 in February—more than half of sales and 10.5% year-over-year growth.
Toyota Motor Corp. led all automakers locally, with 2,085 vehicles sold, up 7.2%. Mazda Motor Corp., which has its North American operations in Irvine, had a 28.3% increase in OC sales to 472 vehicles. Cypress-based Mitsubishi Motors North American Inc. sold 67 vehicles here for the month, down 24.7%. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. accounted for 859 vehicle registrations in the county, a 25.2% increase.
Domestic automakers collectively sold 2,694 vehicles in OC in February, an 8.8% increase.
Ford Motor Co. sold 1,098 vehicles, up 2.6%. General Motors Co.’s brands—GMC, Buick, Cadillac and Chevy—accounted for 832 vehicle registrations, a 17.6% increase. Chrysler brands—Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram—combined for 677 vehicles sold, up about 3.8%.
Sales of European brands totaled 2,397, up about 8.8%.
Customers purchased 780 vehicles from Mercedes dealerships, a 23.4% increase, while 656 chose BMW brand, a 30.7% uptick. Audi sold 202 vehicles, posting a 9.4% decrease, and Jaguar sales added up to 32 vehicles, a 33.3% dip. Italy-based Fiat posted a 3.7% decrease for a total of 52 vehicles sold here. Volkswagen sold 259 vehicles, accounting for a 16.2% dip. Its Porsche division held steady with 100 vehicles sold here, same as February 2013.
The U.S. operations of two South Korea-based brands saw their combined sales increase 21.8%, to 1,414 vehicles.
Kia Motors America Inc. in Irvine sold 549 vehicles, up 9.1%, while Hyundai Motor America Inc. in Fountain Valley posted a 31.5% increase to 865.
Auto sales in Orange County this year total 29,302, up 9.9% year-over-year through February.
