New car and light truck registration in Colorado finished 2011 with three strong upward trends, the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association said today.
In the just released December 2011 Colorado Auto Outlook Report , the association said that year-to-year registrations were up nearly 25 percent (24.9 percent) for December 2011 versus December 2010 .
The report added that the last quarter — October 2011 through December 2011 — was up 20.8 percent; and 2011 registrations versus 2010 were up 15.5 percent statewide.
The Colorado new car and light truck market — 15.5 percent — outpaced national figures which were up 14 percent in 2011 .
Tim Jackson , CADA president, said the numbers were impressive because they came out of a year where the economy slowed.
“Statewide, there were 130,179 new vehicles registered,” said Jackson. “When you compare that to the 104,000 new vehicles registered in 2009 (which was the low period during the recession), you could say the Colorado auto industry has come roaring back.”
Jackson said he thought the trend points to continuing strong consumer demand for new vehicles and reflects how Colorado’s economy is performing better than the nation as a whole.
In Colorado, 130,179 new vehicles were registered in 2011 versus 112,663 new vehicles registered in the same period in 2010 for a 15.5 percent increase.
In the same time period, 2011 versus 2010, the used vehicle market declined 2.8 percent (Vehicles seven years old or newer) but was up 6.9 percent in December versus December 2010.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
