Commercial fleet sales from nine manufacturers totaled 24,923 in April 2020, representing a 66.5% year-over-year decrease, driven heavily by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Total fleet sales for the month — which is comprised of commercial, rental, and government sales — came in at 72,084, which represented a significant 70% drop from the same time last year. Commercial car sales were down heavily by 77.6% year-over-year during April at 1,600 units, and the truck and SUV segment also suffered heavily, with vehicle sales down 65.3% at 23,323 units, according to Automotive Fleet data.
The rental fleet segment also saw vehicle sales drop significantly; major declines were seen across the board for automakers who reported for the month of April.
Through April 2020, rental fleet car sales fell 76.2% totaling 12,801 units. Truck and SUV segment sales decreased 76.9% at 20,193 units. Combined, rental fleet sales totaled 32,994, which represented a 76.7% year-over-year decline.
The government fleet sector also experienced notable declines, though not as significantly as commercial and rental fleets. There were 786 cars sold to government fleets, a 75.1% decrease, and truck and SUV sales were at 13,381 units, reflecting a 39% decline. Combined, truck, SUV, and car vehicle sales for government fleets amounted to 14,167 units, which reflected a 43.5% decrease from last year.
Year-to-date, as of the end of April 2020, overall fleet sales from nine manufacturers total 786,296, 25%% less on a year-over-year basis. Major drops in segments across the board helped contribute to this. So far car sales are down 36.9% year-to-date and truck and SUV segment sales are down 20.1% year-to-date; strong fleet sales in the first few months of 2020 are helping keep these declines less significant than what happened in April alone.
