Automobile dealers in the Mahoning Valley posted tremendous sales gains in April, the third consecutive month the industry experienced growth as it continues to come back from a year hurt by the pandemic.

Local sales soared 144 percent for the month, which saw dealers sell 5,789 vehicles, according to the latest data from the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association.

In April 2020, dealers in the region sold 2,371 vehicles.

For the year so far, sales are up 26 percent to 20,125. Over the same four-month period last year, sales were down 56 percent under the pressure of the state’s discontinued stay-at-home order that kept consumers away from dealer lots.

The dealers’ association also reports the new and used vehicle segments were up in April — 157 percent to 3,052 in new and 129 percent to 2,602 in used — as well as through April, a period that saw a 32 percent jump in new vehicle sales and used sales climb 19 percent.

Dealerships in Mahoning County with the most sales to local buyers were Greenwood Chevrolet with 311, making it the top-selling dealership in the Valley; Taylor Kia of Boardman, 297; and Boardman Subaru, 278.

The top new vehicle sellers for the month were Taylor Kia of Boardman, 184; Fred Martin Ford, 182; and Greenwood Chevrolet, 170. The top used vehicle sellers for the month were Greenwood Chevrolet, 141; Boardman Subaru, 117; and Taylor Kia of Boardman, 113.

Across the 23 northern Ohio counties in the dealers’ association, new vehicle sales were up 90 percent for the month with 25,667 sold and 23.6 percent for the four months compared to 2020.

Trucks and SUVs remain in high demand. Dealers sold 10,889 new trucks, SUVs and crossovers in April, beating last year’s 6,860 sales in the same month. April 2020 was the first time that sales in the segment outpaced that of cars since the dealers’ association started tracking sales figures.

Used vehicle sales last month were up 104 percent to 23,286 compared to April 2020. For the year, used vehicle sales are up by 21.6 percent.