San Diego, CA
Car sales in San Diego sputtering this year
New car sales in San Diego — as well as California — are stuck in neutral this year, as high sticker prices and burdensome financing costs keep a sizable number of potential customers away.
Registrations in the state for new vehicles through the first nine months of 2024 were down 1.7% compared to the first three quarters of last year, according to data from the California New Car Dealers Association, while national sales figures were up 2.7%.
San Diego County figures were slightly better than statewide numbers, but only slightly — down 0.7% through the first three quarters.
“Looking at our economist’s analysis of a market, it feels like we’ve reached a new sales plateau,” said Brian Maas, president of the car dealers association.
According to Edmunds.com, the average price of a new vehicle in the U.S. as of September climbed to $47,431 and the average price of an all-electric vehicle came to $59,723. Even used cars are not very cheap, with the Edmunds average coming to $27,422.
“You literally cannot buy any vehicle today for the same price that you bought it five or six years ago,” said Ivan Drury, senior manager of auto insights at Edmunds. “And financing is a huge problem now.”
While the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates in September as inflation has cooled, Edmunds data show that as of last month, the average interest rate to finance a new car in the U.S. came to 7.3% and the average monthly payment was $742.
“It’s like consumers are getting hit left and right,” Drury said. According to Edmunds’ analysis, in the third quarter of this year, the average vehicle in the U.S. is on the lot 57 days before it gets purchased, compared to 37 days during the same time last year.
The California New Car Dealers Association anticipates the number of registrations in 2024 will come to about 1.75 million, which is slightly lower than the 1.77 million recorded last year. That’s a far cry from state sales figures that hovered around 2 million registrations per year prior to the pandemic.
The industry hopes that pent-up demand will eventually entice consumers back into a buying mode, especially if interest rates continue to decline.
The third quarter numbers reflected mixed messages for California’s hoped-for transition from gasoline-powered cars and trucks to electric vehicles.
On the positive side, all-electric battery and plug-in hybrid vehicles combined to make up 25.6 percent of the market in new vehicle sales and leases through the first nine months of this year — by far the highest numbers for any state.
But the rate of adoption of battery-electric vehicles, or EVs, has increased just seven-tenths of a percentage point through the third quarter of this year compared to 2023 and the market share of plug-in hybrids was flat — 3.4 percent in 2023 and 3.4 percent through Q3.
Four years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order mandating the elimination of sales of all new gasoline-powered passenger vehicles in California by 2035. And in fewer than two years, the first of a series of state-imposed targets will start rolling out.
Under standards passed by the Air Resources Board, at least 35 percent of model year 2026 passenger cars and trucks sold in the state must be electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The numbers ramp up each year, going to 68% in 2030 and 100% by 2035.
“As the mandates kick in, are there going to be enough customers to support the requirements that the mandate requires?” Maas said. “Sales continue to go up, but they’re not going up by leaps and bounds.”
Under definitions set by state policymakers, battery-electric, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles qualify toward meeting California’s zero-emission target.
Hybrid vehicles that do not have plug-ins have been posting robust sales figures — not only in the Golden State but across the country — but they do not count under the state’s mandate because they use gasoline.
The third-quarter numbers showed the top-selling car across the state is still the all-electric Tesla Model Y. It racked up more than twice the number of registrations than California’s No. 2-selling car, the Toyota RAV4. The Tesla Model 3 finished sixth.
But statewide registrations for all Tesla models are down 12.6% compared to last year.
Analysts have offered a number of possible reasons why — including the potential sales effect of Tesla founder Elon Musk weighing in political issues after buying X (formerly Twitter) and actively campaigning for Donald Trump for president.
But Drury thinks a primary reason is simply because the number of EVs available is expanding, as other carmakers roll out their own models.
“There’s more competition,” he said. “The Model Y is kind of like the default purchase versus the Model 3 when you’re looking at the Tesla lineup, so it’s kind of a cannibalization of sales there.”
Behind the Model Y and Model 3, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was No. 3 among top-selling zero-emissions vehicles in California through the third quarter with 11,711 registrations. The Ford Mustang Mach-E finished fourth, with 8,013.
Top-selling models in California
(for 2024, through September)
- Tesla Model Y 105,693
- Toyota RAV4 49,810
- Honda Civic 40,741
- Toyota Camry 40,025
- Honda CR-V 37,759
- Tesla Model 3 37,219
- Toyota Corolla 29,341
- Chevy Silverado 28,029
- Ford F-Series 26,753
- Honda Accord 25,240
Sources: California New Car Dealers Association and Experian Automotive
Joan Endres
OBITUARY
Born January 1939 in Cincinnati Ohio. Died February 14, 2026, in San Diego, California, with her sons at her side. Her beloved husband Dean passed away in 2010.
Joan was the only child of Thomas and Edna Palmer. In 1943, the family moved to San Diego, where Joan graduated from Helix High School in 1956.
In 1957 Joan married Dean Endres of San Diego, where they raised two sons. Joan followed her two great passions outside the home, the Arts, and Gardening. Both activities being a way to bring beauty to others and to the community.
Joan received a degree in Environmental Design from San Diego State University, and afterwords worked at UCSD, for the Campus Architect.
As an artist, Joan worked in various media, especially ceramics. She was active in many cultural and arts organizations, eventually becoming President of the Combined Organization for the Visual Arts (COVA). Later she turned to gardening, with the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca Community College and the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County.
Joan is survived by her son Jeff and wife Katrin, grandson Jackson, and son Todd Endres, all of La Mesa, and sisters Alice Buck of Phoenix, Elaine Kennedy of San Diego, Nancy and husband Don Jones of Vista, Eva Budzinski of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and their children and grandchildren.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Joan in the near future. Those who wish to attend should contact celebratejoanuvart@gmail.com to receive details when they are confirmed. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests a donation to the Water Conservation Garden or the Diego Visual Arts Network (SDVAN).
The San Diego State Aztecs’ have moved off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 64 in the latest ESPN’s Bracketology projections.
The Aztecs must feel like a yo-yo, but now it’s in a good way. Bracket expert Joe Lunardi moved them from the bottom of the First Four Out — No. 72 — to holding the Mountain West’s automatic bid after an 89-72 home romp Wednesday night over Utah State, which had held the auto-bid in bracketology for a few weeks now.
Lunardi now has the Aztecs as the No. 11 seed in the West Region, with a projected first-round date against former MW rival BYU in Portland.
Lunardi wrote that SDSU’s auto-bid “shifts the entire bubble.”
Wednesday night’s victory not only pulled the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4) into a tie with Utah State (23-5, 13-4) atop the MW standings, but it was just their second Quad 1 victory in six such opportunities.
SDSU’s next two games are both Quad 1 chances, at New Mexico on Saturday and then at Boise State on Tuesday night.
The win lifted the Aztecs only one spot in the NCAA NET Rankings, to No. 43. Those rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness.
SDSU’s resume for earning an at-large berth has been on shaky ground all season, and was seriously damaged last week when the Aztecs lost at home to Grand Canyon and were then routed at Colorado State, both Quad 2 games.
SDSU’s best bet to assure a trip to March Madness for the sixth straight season is to win the MW tournament in Las Vegas and claim the automatic bid. That requires winning three games in as many days, and perhaps a third showdown against the Aggies, who beat the Aztecs 71-66 in Logan on Jan. 31.
Lunardi now has Utah State projected as an at-large team, but still with the No. 7 seed in the East, facing No. 10 Texas A&M in a first-round game in St. Louis.
New Mexico (21-7, 12-5), lurking just a game behind SDSU and USU, has dropped from the Last Four In at No. 68 to the First Four Out at No. 70.
The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW regular-season title in their final season in the league before moving into the Pac-12 along with Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.
Saturday’s game at New Mexico is set to tip off at 11 a.m. PT and will air on CBS.
The top teams in the West Coast Conference are jockeying for position in the standings as the regular season draws to a close, and the Oregon State women took care of business Thursday night, blowing out the San Diego Toreros 83-49 to move to 21-9 on the season, and 13-4 in conference play.
Oregon State’s Tiara Bolden Grabs WCC Honor After 44 Points Over Two Games
The Toreros have been a basement dweller in the conference for the last few seasons, so this result isn’t surprising, though it’s magnitude is a bit eye-raising. The Beavers wasted no time putting San Diego into a hole, opening the first quarter on an 8-0 run that Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler getting involved early. Oregon State held a 14 point, 26-12 lead after one.
The second quarter wasn’t as lopsided, but San Diego wasn’t able to make much headway into the Beaver lead. Six points from Olivia Owens kept San Diego within shooting distance, but defensive pressure from Kennedie Shuler and strong rebounding from Lizzy Williamson kept the Toreros under control. Oregon State ended the first half up by 13, 40-27.
Oregon State Dominates Cougars in 79-51 Blowout
Oregon State tightened their grip in the third. While Olivia Owens and Kylie Ray managed to give the Toreros some hope early in the quarter, Oregon State went on a run late in the period to get their lead to 21 at the highest. San Diego finally snapped the Beaver hot streak, but a three from Kennedie Shuler ended the quarter in a 61-43, 18 point Beaver lead.
The bottom seemed to fall out of San Diego in the fourth, with the Toreros only putting six points on the board. Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler kept the points flowing for the Beavers, while Lizzy Willilamson continued to dominate the boards. A layup with an and one from Elisa Mehyar were the last Beaver points of the game, giving Oregon State a 34 point, 83-49 win.
Oregon State Takes Down Portland 64-54 in Season Saving Game
It was a good night for several Beavers, with Kennedie Shuler once again leading the team in scoring. She finished the night with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. She can do just about everything on the court.
Tiara Bolden continued her hot streak with a 17 point night, along with four rebounds and four assists. Jenna Villa added 14 points, one rebound and one assist. Lizzy Williamson added another double double to her resume, with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Oregon State’s Winning Streak Ends With 55-51 Loss to LMU
There’s one last item on the agenda for Oregon State, a season-closing meeting with the Loyola Marymount Lions Saturday at Gill Coliseum. The Lions handed Oregon State their first WCC loss of the season back in January, so getting some revenge before the conference tournament would be a good statement from the team. Tip off is set for 1 PM PT.
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