YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania vehicle dealers report trucks and SUVs remain their top sellers, although some aren’t counting sedans out.

“Right now, it’s really still our core four that always is: Civics, the Accords, HRVs and CRVs,” says Jess Briganti, marketing director at Apostalakis Honda in Cortland and Shenango Honda in Hermitage, Pa. 

Honda is known for being gas friendly, she adds. The auto maker doesn’t include any large pickup trucks in its lineup. 

“We’re known for our two sedans, the Civics and Accords, and then I want to say our most popular SUVs are the HRV and CRV,” Briganti continues. “Those are still riding true.”

Barry Gonis, general manager at Spitzer Chevrolet in North Jackson, Ohio, points to a truck and an SUV as the dealership’s most popular vehicles.  

“It’s still the Equinox and Silverado are our best sellers,” he says.

The Equinox has been a top Chevrolet seller for the last few years.

“The Equinox is just a great little SUV,” Gonis says. “It has the right price range, starting at $33,000 and going up from there, so cost efficiency and good gas mileage.”

Trucks and SUVs dominate General Motors’ and Ford’s vehicle arrays as the automakers phased out sedans a few years ago and others cut back on them.

“The closest to a car that we carry is the Chevy Trax,” Gonis says. “Even that’s like a small SUV with a hatchback.”

Pat Primm, sales professional at Cascade Auto Group in Cuyahoga Falls, says SUV sales continue to dominate across the group’s three brands: Mazda, Audi and Subaru.

“However, there’s a very interesting turn,” he says. “Sedans that were pretty much shelved over the last 10 years are starting to come back as far as the interest with the clients.”

Both Mazda and Subaru also cut back on production of sedans while Audi didn’t scale them back as much, Primm explains.

“But people are starting to lean back towards sedans,” he says. “I’m not saying that they’re going to be a dominant part of the market, but again, more people are rethinking sedans. And it’s also true with younger people.”

Expense and gas mileage figure into that change but the fun factor is part of it too, Primm continues. 

“An SUV is a utility vehicle, whereas a car still is a little more fun,” he explains. “It sits a little lower to the ground, handles a little better, so it’s a combination. I wouldn’t say it’s any one factor, but I think all those are together making people a little more interested in sedans again.”

Hybrids

Hybrid vehicle sales have increased across the three vehicle lines at Cascade Auto Group since gas prices have gone up.

“That’s a way that people can save on fuel, be a little bit greener but not make the full electric commitment, which is still a little tough for some people,” Primm says.

And when the federal tax credits ended for electric vehicles, Cascade made a decision different from many competitors. Audi was sending most of its EVs to states that maintain the electric vehicle push including California and Colorado.

Audi didn’t expect other dealerships across the rest of the country to stock them, but Primm and his Audi brand manager opted to stock pure EVs when none of the dealers around them were.

“So we are kind of being very successful, because even though they’re not as prominent, there’s still a chunk of people that want full EVs,” Primm says. “By stocking them, we’ve had a good amount of success, because we have the cars and not a lot of our competition is stocking them. So yes, EVs have not gone away.”

He estimated EVs comprise about 10% of the market and believes that will increase as the cars’ range lengthens and more charging stations become available. 

“They’re not going to go away all the way, but in the meantime, hybrids are the stopgap measure,” Primm says.

Chevrolet opted for a fully electric lineup. Its only hybrid is the Corvette E-Ray.

Briganti, the marketing director at Apostalakis Honda and Shenango Honda, says there’s still buzz about Honda hybrids.

“I think a lot of the allure that came with all electric, meaning a plug-in, has definitely tapered off, obviously, for various reasons,” she says. “And so, for us, Honda’s hybrids do not have plug-ins. They are just strictly gas and electric, so you just get a better bang for your buck.”

The battery charges while the car is driven, so a tank of gas lasts longer.  

But the dealerships haven’t seen an uptick in hybrids since gas prices increased. 

“It’s steady as it goes,” Briganti says. “A lot of our inventory, I want to say – depending on the month where we sell and what we’re allocated – it’s 50-50 gas and hybrid so we have a pretty good selection either way.”

The dealerships have a pre-owned lot though and lately there’s been an increase in big trucks being traded in for a Civic, Accord, HRV or CRV, Briganti says. 

“I think what’s surprising is the hybrids are not like killing it where we can’t keep them in stock,” she says. “People still want a typical gas because Honda is known for such good gas mileage.”

Of the three brands at Cascade, Subaru’s hybrid push is the strongest so the dealership is selling the highest number of hybrids in that brand, according to Primm. The Outback hybrid has proven popular.

“Mazda has the CX 90, which is a seven passenger SUV that comes in hybrid,” he says. “A seven passenger hybrid or SUV is a big vehicle that’s a little thirsty so this definitely helps it be more economical.” 

Rather than hybrids, Audi opted for all electric or all gas across its vehicles. 

Sales

Despite inflation, Primm says sales are strong at the Cuyahoga Falls dealership. 

“May was a very good month, and we’re following up with a strong June,” he adds. “Traditionally, June is a hard month for us, because let’s face it, a large percentage of Ohio is on vacation this time of year, so they’re spending their money on their trips. But we’re having a very good June.”

Briganti acknowledges that higher prices across various sectors of the economy make shoppers cautious. If someone hasn’t bought a new car for awhile, sticker shock may strike when they learn the cost.

“But when you see what goes in the brand new car, you’re understanding it’s not the same Honda Civic from 10 years ago,” she says. “The higher price point is because of all the technology, all the safety features – all of that has to come at a cost. But I understand consumers are very concerned about the price of new cars.”

That’s where the reliability Honda is known for comes in, Briganti says. Hondas last longer than other brands, she adds. 

“Honda is known for being such a mainstay with reliability,” the marketing director says. “And our service department – it’s amazing. We have cars that are still coming in that are Hondas that are 15, 16 years old, and the body looks good, and they’re maintaining it. So I think the big draw with Honda is the reliability. And again, there’s a lot of USA built behind Hondas, now more than ever.”

Primm looks forward to a new Audi slated for this year’s fourth quarter. The Q9 is a large, seven-passenger SUV.

“That’s a segment we’ve never had before,” he says. “It’s going to compete with the larger BMW and Mercedes and Lexus SUVs, so we’re very, very excited about that. They’re also remodeling the Q7 which previous to the new model was our largest SUV. That’s getting a complete refresh, and along with the new Q9, our larger SUVs should be a very, very good product towards the end of the calendar year.”

Pictured at top: The Chevrolet Equinox remains one of the automaker’s most popular models.