(Reuters) – New U.S. light vehicle sales volumes are set to rise again in July as easing supply-chain snags help automakers ramp up production to meet pent-up demand, automotive research firm S&P Global Mobility said on Monday.
S&P projects new light vehicle sales to reach 1.33 million units in July, up 18% year-over-year. It also upgraded the 2023 U.S. light vehicle sales forecast to 15.4 million units, from 15.1 million estimated earlier.
Top global automakers have reported a rise in second-quarter new vehicle sales on improving supply and strong demand, signaling that rising interest rates are yet to have a meaningful impact on purchases.
“New light vehicle sales will continue to progress in July, reflecting the current trend of sustained demand levels to the fleet sector while retail sales continue to climb,” said Chris Hopson, principal analyst at S&P Global Mobility.
In the second half of the year, however, high inflation could lead to affordability issues while production advances build up inventory quicker than anticipated, S&P said.
(Reporting by Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)