Hawaii auto sales
increase in 1st quarter

Consumers bought a few more,
but rental companies held back

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By Tim Ruel
truel@starbulletin.com

Hawaii consumers bought 12,994 new cars and trucks in the first quarter, a slight increase from 12,847 vehicles in the same quarter in 2001, according to the Hawaii Automobile Dealers' Association.

"We had some very good recovery," said Eric Miyasaki, chief executive of Nissan Motor Corp. in Hawaii. Last year, automobiles sales skidded 1.8 percent from 2000, the third-best year on record for sales.

"We're looking for an up year," Miyasaki said, with overall sales rising 3 percent to 5 percent.

By contrast, sales of cars to rental companies haven't yet recovered, the result of the lapse in tourism worsened by the events of Sept. 11. Rental car sales dropped 17.6 percent to 10,181 from 12,350 cars in the year earlier. Miyasaki noted that rental car sales did increase from the fourth quarter's 5,976 cars, an indicator of some improvement.

In the consumer auto sales market, the strongest showing in the quarter came from imported trucks, sales of which rose 9 percent to 1,298 from 1,191. Nissan's Hawaii truck sales were up 5 percent over the same quarter last year, Miyasaki said.

Statewide, sales of imported cars were up 7.9 percent to 7,175 from 6,651.

Sales of domestic cars, meanwhile, fell 10.7 percent to 2,895 from 3,240, while domestic truck sales were down 7.9 percent to 1,626 from 1,765.

Because of the relative strength in import auto sales, overall foreign market share has increased to 65.2 percent from a share of 61 percent last year.

Hawaii auto sales got a boost from lower interest rates, as well as the fact that the 2002 First Hawaiian International Auto Show took place earlier in the year than usual, Miyasaki said. The show was last month, though it typically has been in April. Showroom traffic was up following the show, Miyasaki said.