November Fleet-Commercial Sales Perk Up as Share of Total Volume

Fleet-commercial sales continued to improve in November and accounted for 35.84 percent of total vehicle sales, according to CNW Market Research.

The Bandon, Ore.-based research firm found that fleet-commercial sales were down only 0.9 percent in November, compared to the year-ago period.

Small business fleets have seen a steady improvement in monthly purchases from 2008 to 2009, with major progress achieved between spring and fall this year. Small-business sales were down 77 percent in May, but were only down 12 percent in November.

However, a recent CNW survey of small-business owners revealed a possible decline in capital spending, as the cost of business remains uncertain due to the uncertainty of healthcare, cap and trade and other major initiatives, Art Spinella wrote in CNW’s monthly newsletter.

Medium-sized business fleets have remained fairly consistent this year, while large-business fleets, including daily rental, have improved with declines shrinking from 45 percent in May to 26 percent in November.

Government fleet volume also may “increase over the coming quarter as aging vehicles are replaced with newer conventional and hybrid models,” and states receive an injection of federal dollars into their budgets, Spinella added.