Commercial fleet sales from nine manufacturers totaled 638,154 through 2020, representing 20.4% decline compared to 2019, which was impacted heavily by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdown of vehicle assembly plants from mid-March to mid-May in 2020.
Meanwhile, total fleet sales for the entirety of 2020 — which is comprised of commercial, rental, and government sales — came in at 1,684,879 units, which represented a 39.7% year-over-year drop. The overall truck and SUV market was down 34.5% through 2020, while car sales were down 53.1%. However, sedans make up a smaller share of the overall market; car sales were at 364,394 through 2020, while there were 1,320,485 trucks and SUV sold.
The overall declines through 2020 were also driven by the heavy reduction in sales in the rental market; year-to-date, rental sales were down 54.1%. The month of December also saw overall declines of 41.2%, year-over-year.
Commercial fleet sales totaled 66,494 in December 2020 to round out the year. Though this represented a 1.1% decline, the drop was not as significant as the previous final months of 2020. Commercial truck and SUV sales were up 2.7% in December, which was the first month that this segment saw year-over-year increases since just prior to the pandemic in February when the segment saw a 10.4% increase. The biggest overall monthly drop for commercial fleet sales in 2020 was during the month of May, a 91.3% decline, just as assembly plants began resuming vehicle production. The following month in June, comparatively, saw a 26.1% decline.
For all of 2020, truck and SUV sales for commercial fleets were down 19.1%, and car sales were down 32.3%
Meanwhile, government fleets saw gradual growth in sales in the final months of 2020, and closed out all of 2020 with a just a 2% year-over-year decline. Strength in truck and SUV sales for government fleets through the end of the year helped maintain strength for overall government fleet sales, and rounded out the year with a 3.3% year-over-year increase in December.
Year-to-date truck and SUV sales for government fleets was up 4%, but car sales were down 38%. Despite cars making up a smaller share of the segment, overall government fleet sales were down 2% year-to-date.
