Top U.S. automakers experienced slower growth in new vehicle sales for the second quarter, impacted by a cyber attack on CDK’s Dealer Management Software at the end of June. General Motors reported a 0.6% rise in new vehicle sales, significantly lower than last year’s 19% increase, noting that some sales would shift to the current quarter due to the attack. Market research firm Cox Automotive estimated that U.S. new-vehicle sales volume likely grew 1% in the second quarter, compared to a 16% surge in the same period in 2023.
The CDK cyber attack disrupted dealership operations at over 15,000 retail locations, impacting sales during one of the busiest times of the month and quarter. Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds, described the incident as a major setback for the automotive industry. Hyundai also reported a modest 2% increase in second-quarter U.S. sales, down from a 14% rise last year.
Despite the setback, analysts expect automakers and vehicle retailers to recover most of the lost sales in July. The disruption caused by the CDK outage highlights the vulnerability of the automotive sector to cyber threats and the critical role of dealership management software in maintaining sales momentum.
