Analysts suggest that consumer urgency to buy ahead of potential price hikes from trade policy changes may have contributed to sales momentum in April, as several automakers reported large increases in new-vehicle sales compared to the same month a year ago.
Ford
Ford reported a 16% increase in U.S. auto sales for April, propelled by robust consumer demand for trucks and incentives tied to its employee pricing initiative. However, the automaker’s electric vehicle (EV) segment saw a steep 40% decline in sales compared to the same month last year.
Ford’s pickup truck lineup, which includes the F-Series and Maverick models, led the charge with a 23% jump in sales, totaling 99,954 units in April. The company leveraged its ample inventory to offer substantial discounts while competitors raised prices amid concerns over potential tariff impacts.
Despite the overall sales surge, Ford’s EV models struggled. The Mustang Mach-E posted a 40% drop in year-over-year sales, while the F-150 Lightning fell 17%. A Ford spokesperson told Reuters the decline was attributed to model year transitions and limited availability on dealer lots. As of April, the Mach-E and F-150 Lightning operated on a nationwide dealer supply of nine and 19 days, respectively.
The company expects a rebound in EV sales in May as inventories normalize. In contrast to the EV slump, Ford’s hybrid vehicle sales surged 30% in April.
Honda
American Honda sales totaled 137,656 units in April, with record sales of light trucks (100,079 units) and electrified models (41,116) supported by the success of all-new products and healthy inventory.
Honda brand sales totaled 123,637 in April, up 16.6% for the month and 8.5% for the year, with passenger cars, light trucks and electrified models posting sales gains across the lineup.
Honda set an all-time April record for sales of electrified vehicles with 38,785 units, led by hybrid-electric models -- total Civic sales were more than 34% hybrid, CR-V more than 53% hybrid and Accord more than 60% hybrid. Sales of the all-electric Prologue SUV reached 1,847 units.
Acura brand sales totaled 14,019 units in April, up 33% year over year, marking the brand’s best April since 2021, led by strong performance of the all-new ADX gateway SUV, and strong supply across the lineup.
Kia
Kia America delivered 74,805 total units in April, up 14% over the same period last year, achieving the highest-ever sales figure for the month of April. This record has extended Kia's record-breaking sales streak to seven months and the retail sales at Kia dealerships increased by 24% over April 2024, reinforcing the company's strong growth trajectory in the marketplace.
Kia's popular Telluride (+21%) and Sportage (+18%) SUV models set new April sales records as did the K4 (+5%) and the Carnival MPV (+79%), bolstered by the successful launch of its hybrid variant in the second half of last year. Electrified model sales also surged with Kia posting a 21% increase compared to the same period last year.
Subaru
Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) reported 56,011 vehicle sales for April 2025, an increase of 0.3% compared with April 2024 (55,863). SOA also reported year-to-date sales of 222,968, a 6.8% increase compared with the same period in 2024.
For the fourth month in a row, Forester maintained its position as the top seller with 19,330 vehicles sold, up 8.3% over April 2024. Crosstrek took the next spot, marking its best April ever with 14,935 vehicles sold, a 23.2% increase over the same month in 2024. Outback sales also remained strong with 11,501 vehicles sold, and both BRZ and Legacy saw positive sales growth over the previous year.
Hyundai
Hyundai Motor America reported record-breaking total April sales of 81,503 units, a 19% increase compared with April 2024. This was the best April in Hyundai's history, a record seventh consecutive month setting best-ever total sales.
Total sales records in April were set for Elantra (+30%), Santa Fe (+28%), Sonata (+12%), Tucson (+41%) and Palisade (+15%). April total sales of hybrid vehicles jumped 46%, while total electrified sales grew by 25%.
Mazda
Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) reported total April sales of 37,660 vehicles, an increase of 21% compared to April 2024. Year-to-date sales totaled 147,976 vehicles sold, an increase of 12.8% compared to the same time last year. With 26 selling days in April, compared to 25 the year prior, the company posted an increase of 16.3% on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis.
Certified pre-owned sales totaled 6,855 vehicles in April, an increase of 9% compared to April 2024.
Collision Repair Trends
According to CCC’s latest Crash Course Report, looking at collision repair data trends from Q1 2025, the U.S. car parc remains dominated by ICE vehicles, which account for nearly 95% of all vehicles on the road. This includes a mix of passenger cars, trucks, SUVs and other light-duty vehicles.
Within the light duty segment, data shows that SUVs and crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) now represent more than 50% of the car parc for model years 2020 and newer -- up from about 35% in 2014 -- while traditional passenger cars have declined to less than 20% in recent model years.
Data suggests that EV adoption has experienced significant acceleration, reaching approximately 4.2 million vehicles on the road in 2024 (hybrids account for about 9.6 million vehicles). While the volume of new EVs grew to more than 1.3 million units in 2024, the rate of growth continues to moderate at +7.3%.
The year-over-year change in new EVs sold was almost +90% in 2021, +66% in 2022, and +50% in 2023. This trend indicates that while EV adoption continues to expand, the pace of growth is leveling off after the initial surge.
The average age of vehicles on the road in 2024 has grown from 11.4 years in 2014 to an estimated 12.7 years in 2024 and is projected to reach 13 years by 2026.
For claims, the average age of vehicles has increased to 7.6 years -- up from 6.9 years in 2020. The average age of repairable vehicles was 6.8 years in 2024 (up from 6.1 years old in 2020) and 10.6 years for total loss vehicles (up from 10.0 years old in 2020).
