YOUNGSTOWN — Local automobile dealers posted their fifth consecutive month of sales growth in June compared to the previous year, when the pandemic ravaged the industry.

Sales of new and used vehicles were up 27.5 percent for the month, which saw dealers in the Mahoning Valley deliver 5,245 vehicles, according to the last data from the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association. In June 2020, dealers sold 4,114 vehicles.

For the year so far, dealers sold 25,963 vehicles from 20,009 over the same period in 2020 — an increase of 29.7 percent.

The association also reports new car sales in June were up 33.7 percent, from 2,154 last year to 2,881. For the year, the segment is up 36.5 percent, from 10,399 to 14,204.

Used car sales for the month were 2,233, up 17 percent from 1,909 in June 2020. For the year, used vehicle sales are up 20.4 percent, from 9,224 over the same period last year to 11,112.

Dealerships in Mahoning County with the most sales to local buyers in June were Greenwood Chevrolet, the overall top-selling dealer in the Mahoning Valley, 252; Sweeney Chevrolet, 239; and Fairway Ford, 236.

The top new vehicle sellers for the month were Sweeney Chevrolet, 160; Greenwood Chevrolet, 135; and Fairway Ford, 125. The top used vehicle sellers for the month were Greenwood Chevrolet, 117; Fairway Ford, 111; and Fred Martin Ford, 99.

Across the 23 northern Ohio counties in the dealers’ association, new vehicle sales were up 14.2 percent over the same month last year. For the first half of the year, sales were up 24.1 percent.

“Consumer demand continues to be strong while inventory is considerably low in the northern Ohio market, similar to across the country,” said Louis A. Vitantonio, dealers’ association president. “Consumers in the market, in many cases, are limited to the few vehicles on the lot or must reserve a vehicle in transit to the store.”

Used vehicle sales in the region were down 1.7 percent.

business@tribtoday.com