Northern Ohio auto sales continue to bounce back
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
Northern Ohio auto sales continue to bounce back from pandemic-driven lows of a year ago, though inventory issues are affecting the market.
The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association on Wednesday, June 2, reported that franchised new-vehicle dealers in 21 counties sold 22,872 vehicles in May, an increase of 39.3% from 16,421 in May 2020, when the economy was taking some initial steps to reopen after the pandemic severely curtailed consumer activity.
For the year to date, sales of new vehicles are up 26.6%, to 109,481 from 86,501 from the January-to-May period of 2020. Sales continue to outpace even pre-pandemic levels, said Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the association, in a statement. The association represents more than 250 franchised auto dealers.
The deadline looms for Ohioans to renew their driver licenses, identification cards and vehicle registrations that expired during the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting July 1, law enforcement can begin writing tickets for various expired identification tags. Sign up for our Newsletters At the height of the pandemic, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation extending expiration dates on driver licenses, identification cards and vehicle registrations..