Total new-vehicle sales for April 2025, including retail and non-retail transactions, are projected to reach 1,519,900, a 10.5% increase from April 2024 according to a joint forecast from J.D. Power and GlobalData. April 2025 has 26 selling days, one more than April 2024. Comparing the same sales volume without adjusting for the number of selling days translates to an increase of 14.9% from 2024.

The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) for total new-vehicle sales is expected to be 17.9 million units, up 1.9 million units from April 2024.

New-vehicle retail sales for April 2025 are expected to increase from a year ago. Retail sales of new vehicles are expected to reach 1,284,800, a 14.7% increase from April 2024. Comparing the same sales volume without adjusting for the number of selling days translates to an increase of 19.3% from 2024.

“April results are dominated by the prospect of future vehicle price increases due to tariffs” Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power. “Beginning at the end of March, and continuing through April, consumers have been accelerating their vehicle purchases under the expectation that prices will rise soon. In fact, an extra 83,000 sales in March and 139,000 in April have occurred due to accelerated vehicle purchases.

“However, as multiple manufacturers have committed to keep MSRPs stable through the early summer months, and uncertainty about tariffs in general persists, the rush to dealer showrooms has slowed significantly. In the first week of April, the sales pace was 28% above normal levels, but by the third week, sales were just 6% above normal.”