Total new-vehicle sales for September 2026, including retail and non-retail transactions, are projected to reach 1,330,100, a 2.6% increase year over year, according to a joint forecast from JD Power and GlobalData. Reporting the same numbers without adjusting for the number of selling days translates to an increase of 6.9% from September 2025. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) for total new-vehicle sales is expected to be 16.1 million units, down 0.2 million units from 2025.
New vehicle total sales for Q3 2026 are projected to reach 4,090,400 units, a 0.5% decrease from Q3 2025 on the same number of selling days.
New-vehicle retail sales for September 2026 are projected to reach 1,117,200, a 0.2% decrease from September 2025. Reporting the same numbers without adjusting for the number of selling days translates to an increase of 4.0% from 2025. The SAAR for retail new-vehicle sales is expected to be 13.9 million units, down 0.5 million units from September 2025.
Retail new-vehicle sales in Q3 2026 are projected to reach 3,469,200 units, a decrease of 1.8% from Q3 2025 on the same number of selling days.
“September results continue to demonstrate strong demand for new vehicles, with the annualized total selling rate reaching 16.1 million units,” said Thomas King, president of OEM solutions at JD Power. “However, as has been the case for several months, year-over-year comparisons are complicated by quirks in the industry sales reporting calendar and the ending of Federal EV credits on Sept. 30, 2025.”
