(DODGE Co.) Vehicle sales across south central Wisconsin continue to climb this year, even as car sales lag behind last year’s pace in several counties.
New year-to-date figures through November – from Waterloo-based industry tracking firm Reg-Trak – show overall vehicle sales are up 7.5 percent across the region compared with the same point last year, driven largely by strong truck sales.
In Dodge County, total vehicle sales rose 5.5 percent year over year. Dealers sold 2,842 vehicles through November, up from 2,693 last year. That increase came despite a drop in car sales, which fell more than 13 percent. Truck sales, however, climbed more than 7 percent, continuing a trend seen across much of the region.
Columbia County followed a similar pattern. Total vehicle sales there increased 9.3 percent, rising from 2,350 vehicles last year to 2,568 this year. Truck sales grew by more than 12 percent, offsetting a nearly 20 percent decline in car sales.
Jefferson County also posted a year-over-year gain. Total sales increased 6.2 percent, with 2,500 vehicles sold so far this year compared with 2,355 at the same point in 2024. Truck sales rose more than 7 percent, while car sales dipped about 6.5 percent.
Across the entire south central Wisconsin region, the story is much the same. Truck sales are up nearly 10 percent year to date, climbing from about 34,700 last year to more than 38,100 this year. Car sales, meanwhile, fell more than 9 percent, dropping from just over 5,000 to about 4,600 vehicles.
Altogether, dealers across the region sold nearly 43,000 vehicles through November, up from about 39,800 at the same time last year.
