US Auto Sales Slump as Less Affluent Buyers Walk Away

US Auto Sales Slump as Less Affluent Buyers Walk Away
Unsold cars are stored in the parking lot of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on April 28, 2020. Mark Makela/Reuters
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U.S. new vehicle sales could fall to the lowest first-quarter volume in the past decade as chip shortages and the Ukraine crisis squeeze inventories and rising prices push less affluent buyers out of the market, research firm Cox Automotive said Monday.

U.S. car and light truck sales are expected to fall more than 24 percent to about 1.22 million units in March and decline more than 16 percent in the first quarter.