DETROIT, the United States, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- A total of 16.8 million new cars and light trucks are expected to be sold in the United States in 2019, a U.S. trade group representing franchised new-car dealerships in the country said Monday.
"We expect the sales momentum to continue this year," Patrick Manzi, senior economist of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), said at the North America International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, the U.S. state of Michigan.
Manzi expected the auto show, which runs from Monday till Jan. 27, to boost vehicle sales in the United States during the first quarter of 2019.
The year 2018 saw new light vehicle sales hit 17.3 million, the fourth best sales year in U.S. history, according to a press release issued by the NAIAS.
In terms of vehicle types, light trucks are increasingly having better sales records than cars over the past several years.
Light trucks accounted for 69 percent of sales, while cars accounted for 31 percent of sales. In 2017, the ratio was 65 percent light trucks and 35 percent cars, and it was 48 percent for light trucks and 52 percent for cars some 10 years ago, according to the press release.
"One of the main factors for this shift has been continued low oil and gasoline prices and the fact that crossover utility vehicles are nearly as fuel efficient as their sedan counterparts," Manzi said, adding that traditional SUVs and pickups have also witnessed a similar sales growth.
Manzi said he believes gasoline prices will rise slightly in 2019 compared to the level in late 2018 but will remain low to a degree that they won't cause panic in the market or shift the light truck lovers back to the sedan sector.
