Colorado consumers are passing on the common car in favor of heavier vehicles and certain upscale brands, according to April counts of new and used vehicle registrations from the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association.
“Consumers continue to have a robust appetite for pickup trucks, SUVs and crossovers,” said Tim Jackson, president of the association, in the report out Tuesday.
New vehicle registrations were up 3.5 percent between April 2014 and April 2015, while used vehicle registrations are up 3.9 percent.
That pace is down from the 4.9 percent increase in new vehicle registrations and the 4.4 percent increase in used vehicle registrations year-to-date.
So far this year, new car registrations are down 2.5 percent, while light truck sales are up 9.4 percent. Among domestic names, Chrysler is enjoying an 83.4 percent jump in new vehicle registrations year-to-date in Colorado, while Lincoln, Buick and GMC are also gaining in popularity.
Porsche, BMW, Subaru and Infiniti lead for new registration gains among non-domestic brands.
Makers of gas sipping models like Fiat, Smart, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Kia are losing marketshare in the new vehicle market this year, although electric carmaker Tesla is ramping up sales.
More fuel-efficient models continue to find favor with used car buyers, but vehicles aged 6 years or older are losing marketshare.
