Staff report

The reality of tariffs and the end of electric-vehicle buyer assistance stalled November new car sales in Northern Ohio, the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association reported this month.

The association said franchised dealers sold 15,751 new vehicles during the period, down by approximately 3% compared to November 2024. However, dealers in Northern Ohio outperformed last year’s sales overall with 210,820 new vehicles sold year to date, an increase of 5.1% through 2025.

“As vehicle prices increased and the EV subsidies ended, we saw an expected slowdown of the market in November,” said Louis A. Vitantonio, the association’s president. “Higher priced vehicles that are now tariffed are showing up on lots, which is leading to a slowing of unit sales. We still anticipate a strong finish to the year, with single-digit growth over 2024.”

Chevrolet hit the one-year mark as Northern Ohio’s best-selling brand, with 2,212 new vehicles sold in November. Ford remains in second, with 1,711 sales in the region. Toyota narrowly held third place, selling 1,489 vehicles, just ahead of Honda’s 1,472 sales in the month. Kia again came in fifth with 1,363 sales in November.

For year to date, Chevrolet netted 30,463 in new car sales, a 10.03% increase, with Ford at 24,750 units sold. Honda recorded 19,078 vehicle sales for the 11-month period.

Tesla continued its slide last month with 108 cars sold, a 53.45% drop from the same period last year. For the year, the carmaker attracted 2,872 new customers compared to 3,125 in 2024.

Boardman Subaru had 204 used and new car sales in November when accounting for all title transfers in Ohio, the association said. It ranked fourth overall among Northern Ohio dealers.

Fairway Chevrolet GMC in Calcutta, located in Power Chevrolet Buick GMC Columbiana County, recorded 193 sales. The dealership formerly operated as Power Chevrolet Buick GMC. It was followed by Greenwood Chevrolet (183).

Trumbull County dealers among the top producers were Klaben Ford Lincoln of Warren (115), Sims Buick GMC-Truck (76), Diane Sauer Chevrolet (62) and Spitzer Chevy Lordstown (61).

Cochran Chevrolet of Boardman reported 127 new car sales in November to be the top choice among Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana county buyers. It was followed by Boardman Subaru (111) and Greenwood Chevrolet (95).

Valley purchasers looked to Greenwood Chevrolet (80), Boardman Subaru (77) and Fairway Chevrolet GMC (77) as they captured the top three slots last month in used car sales. Klaben Ford Lincoln of Warren recorded 44 used car sales last month.

Vehicle sales data includes all dealers in 21 counties: Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas and Wayne.

The association represents more than 280 franchised motor vehicle dealers, which include new-car, truck, motorcycle and RV dealers in 32 Ohio counties.

More information can be found at www.gcada.org.