The GCBC Analysis
Getting an accurate picture of commercial van sales in America is tough. Ford and GM are major players in this segment and both companies no longer report monthly.
With that said, the segment seems to have had one of its tougher months. From the sales data we do have, we can see that there are a few hundred fewer sales than this month last year. However, the YTD numbers look strong, with roughly 11,000 more units being sold.
The drop in sales was due to the Ram ProMaster and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter both saw double-digit percentage drops in sales. All other models saw sales increases for the month of May. YTD every model we have sales data for saw sales increases. This suggests future months will see sales increases.
Commercial Van Rankings
Commercial Van Sales Figures – This Month
| Model | Month | Month LY | Change | YTD | YTD LY | YTD Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford E-Series | 4,335 | 3,907 | 10.95 | 18,884 | 21,781 | -13.30 |
| Chevrolet Express | 8,073 | 0 | 0.00 | 32,285 | 19,774 | 63.27 |
| Mercedes-Benz Metris | 810 | 682 | 18.77 | 3,460 | 2,246 | 54.05 |
| Nissan NV | 1,829 | 1,702 | 7.46 | 7,830 | 6,695 | 16.95 |
| Nissan NV200 | 1,825 | 1,691 | 7.92 | 8,215 | 8,083 | 1.63 |
| Ram ProMaster | 3,651 | 4,092 | -10.78 | 20,775 | 13,366 | 55.43 |
| Ram ProMaster City | 1,216 | 1,011 | 20.28 | 5,784 | 5,249 | 10.19 |
| GMC Savana | 3,564 | 2,389 | 49.18 | 13,218 | 9,575 | 38.05 |
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter | 1,872 | 2,419 | -22.61 | 9,400 | 9,041 | 3.97 |
| Ford Transit | 15,474 | 15,513 | -0.25 | 60,726 | 57,879 | 4.92 |
| Ford Transit Connect | 4,092 | 3,249 | 25.95 | 16,579 | 12,330 | 34.46 |
| ∑ = 46,741 | ∑ = 36,655 | ∑ = 197,156 | ∑ = 166,019 |
Commercial Van Sales By Size
| Segment | Month | Month LY | Change | YTD | YTD LY | YTD Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Size Commercial Van | 38,798 | 30,022 | 29.23 | 163,118 | 138,111 | 18.11 |
| Small Commercial Van | 7,943 | 6,633 | 19.75 | 34,038 | 30,015 | 13.40 |
| Total | 46,741 | 36,655 | 27.52 | 197,156 | 168,126 | 17.27 |
Commercial Van Sales by Quarter
Important note: Both Ford, GM and FCA have switched to quarterly reporting, making it more difficult to accurately gauge sales. We won’t have results to report for Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, Lincoln, Jeep, Chrysler, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Dodge and Ram until the end of each quarter.