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Hawaii auto sales
keep rolling along

The sport-utility vehicle
craze contributes to
a 15 percent increase

By Tim Ruel
Star-Bulletin

The popularity of sport-utility vehicles and confidence in Hawaii's economy helped drive new car and truck sales up 15 percent statewide in the second quarter from the same period last year, local dealers say.

Total registrations of new vehicles equaled 13,565 for the second quarter, up 1,770 from 11,795 during the same period in 1999, according to figures from the Hawaii Automobile Dealers' Association. That follows a 39 percent jump-start during the first quarter, when 13,332 new cars and trucks were registered, up from 9,604 in the previous first quarter.

"We're just tickled about this. We've been through 10 years of decline," said Eric Miyasaki, chief executive of Nissan Motor Corp. in Hawaii Ltd.

Nissan compiles the data for HADA from county motor vehicle registration records. The numbers reflect sales of new cars and trucks in Hawaii, but registrations can lag sales by up to two months, Miyasaki said.

The largest jump in second-quarter registrations came from imported trucks, which skyrocketed 63.7 percent to 1,192 in the second quarter from 728 last year.

The SUV craze is the main reason, Miyasaki said. "The entire SUV market is one of the strongest," he said.

Sales of domestic trucks also rose, up 7 percent to 1,807 registrations.

To Don Woolbright, vice president of sales for Cutter Management Co., Hawaii's largest dealer, rising SUV sales are not surprising.

"I personally drive one," Woolbright said. "If someone's going to hit me, I'd rather be in a SUV."

Miyasaki noted that registrations of cars, both imported and domestic, are also ahead of last year.

Cutter's own figures confirm the statewide improvement in sales, though not as dramatically, Woolbright said. This is "nothing I would run around beating my chest about."

Although sales are up, Hawaii dealers will be lucky to make more profit than last year, Woolbright said, noting that advertising and inventory costs are up.

And customers, although spending more, are getting more value for their dollar from increasingly competitive products and finance packages, he said.

"I don't see anybody getting rich, I'll tell you that," Woolbright said.