ZEROSUM "STATE OF THE DEALER" REPORT: NEW AND USED VEHICLE MOVEMENT JUMPS BY 14% AND 16% AS AUGUST SALES REACH YEARLY HIGH

Tariff-Related Cost Increases Are Slower to Materialize than Anticipated; Industry Outlook Moves from Cautious to Cautiously Optimistic

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite recent fears of tariffs potentially damaging automotive sales, new vehicle movement jumped 14% in August versus the prior month, to 1.26 million units, while used vehicle movement surged 16% to almost 1.5 million units. The findings are part of ZeroSum's September 2025 "State of the Dealer" report.

While marketplace events and competitive pressures are ever-changing, ZeroSum's outlook has shifted from one of caution to more cautious optimism in terms of near-term supply and demand dynamics. It appears that marketplace sentiment has shifted from anxiety-driven "pull ahead" sales to more of an optimistic "relief rally." August represented the highest Vehicle Movement of the year, and Turn Rate jumped by five points (also to its highest level in the past year).

In addition to rising new vehicle movement, turn rates hit a 12-month high of 43%, increasing by five points MoM and continuing to be well above end-of-2024 levels.

"August was a strong new vehicle sales month, with price increases related to tariffs remaining milder than expected and summer sales events also helping to convince shoppers to become buyers," said Josh Stoll, Vice President of Dealer Success at ZeroSum. "The extra selling day, coupled with Labor Day promotions, also contributed to vehicle movement numbers that we haven't seen in the past year."

Used vehicles have demonstrated resiliency, with vehicle movement increasing by nearly 200,000 units month-over-month. While tariffs have not added to new vehicle prices as significantly as anticipated, used vehicles are a viable option for many shoppers who are unwilling or unable to pay for vehicles with an Average Marketed Price of almost $50K.

"Used vehicles are well positioned to take advantage of the overall resiliency in the marketplace," Stoll said. "Consumers are still exhibiting strong demand in all sectors, but pre-owned choices offer the added benefit of affordability at a time when new vehicle prices-–while not affected as much as expected by tariffs—remain high. Dealers continue to have an opportunity to highlight and showcase used inventory as an important part of their overall sales and profitability strategy."

ZeroSum provides cutting-edge inventory-based market intelligence and digital advertising solutions tailored to dealers. The State of the Dealer report is the first and premier data source for the new, used, and certified pre-owned automotive markets.

Click here to download ZeroSum's entire State of the Dealer Report, including vehicle movement, turn rate, days-to-move, inventory, and pricing trends for new, used, and certified vehicles. 

About ZeroSum

ZeroSum, an Advance Automotive company, is an industry leader in software, digital advertising, and market intelligence data. Powered by its SaaS platform, MarketAI, ZeroSum is simplifying and modernizing automotive marketing by leveraging artificial intelligence, market data, and scalability to acquire new customers. ZeroSum is the first and only company that matches consumer demand with automotive data in real-time for dealer marketing efficiency. For more information, visit www.zerosum.ai

About Advance Automotive

Created in 2017, Advance Automotive is a portfolio of automotive, technology, marketing, data, and software businesses providing AI-driven marketing solutions in the automotive industry. Advance Automotive includes independently operated agencies, ZeroSum, Adpearance, and Search Optics, as well as affiliate solutions from Cloud Theory and Hoot Interactive. Advance Automotive is part of Advance Local, a key unit of Advance, a privately held company founded in 1922.

Advance's portfolio of exceptional companies includes:

• Condé Nast
• Advance Local
• Stage Entertainment
• The IRONMAN Group
• ACBJ
• Leaders Group
• Turnitin
• POP

For media inquiries, please contact: 

Mike DeVilling
(248) 875-4207
mdevilling@westshorepr.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zerosum-state-of-the-dealer-report-new-and-used-vehicle-movement-jumps-by-14-and-16-as-august-sales-reach-yearly-high-302546595.html

SOURCE ZeroSum