According to 2016 vehicle registration data collected by auto industry watcher IHS Markit, where you live in California can influence what car you buy. For example, a Bakersfield resident in the market for a new car last year more than likely purchased a light-duty pickup truck, where as someone living in the San Francisco Bay Area tended to prefer Honda and Toyota sedans. While low gas prices and a solid economy have contributed to a statewide increase in the sales of light-duty trucks and SUV’s, more fuel-efficient sedans remained the top choices overall. Brian Maas, president of the California New Car Dealers Association, claims that people in a state as large as California have always had different vehicle preferences. Maas stated,
The number of Priuses sold by a Toyota dealer in Bakersfield is not the same as the number of Priuses sold by a Toyota dealer in Santa Monica. Dealers spend a lot of time, money and effort to figure out the appropriate vehicle product mix to serve their clientele.
The Honda Civic was the top California seller last year, followed by a trio of similarly-sized sedans: the Honda Accord, the Toyota Corolla, and Toyota Camry. Two trucks, the Ford F Series and Chevrolet Silverado, were the fifth- and sixth-most popular. Pickups represented four of the five top-selling vehicles in Bakersfield, were as in San Francisco, four of the five top-selling vehicles were sedans. The Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto market area had more of a mix with the Ford F Series truck as the top-selling vehicle, followed by the Honda Accord and Honda Civic, the Dodge Ram truck, and the Chevrolet Silverado pickup. According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, Californians registered about 2.3 million new vehicles during the year ending June 30th.
The number of registered new vehicles was down slightly from the previous fiscal year, but still 156,000 vehicles more than new vehicle registration total in 2014-15. It really is interesting to know that where you live actually influences things about you such as the vehicle you drive.
