Year-ago tariff rush skews year-over-year comparison
Total new-vehicle sales in March 2026 are projected to reach 1,372,877 units, an 11.4% decline from March 2025 but the strongest monthly result of the year so far, according to a joint forecast from J.D. Power and GlobalData.
The year-over-year drop is misleading, however. March 2025 sales were artificially inflated when consumers rushed to dealerships ahead of anticipated tariff-driven vehicle price increases, pushing the annualized sales pace to 18.1 million units — the highest of any month last year and well above the full-year pace of 16.3 million.
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