WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. -

Following the first year-over-year decline in certified pre-owned sales in six months, the market got right back on the upswing in May.

CPO sales last month jumped more than 8 percent year-over-year and bested April’s total by 9.7 percent, according to Autodata Corp., which said dealers moved 156,997 certified vehicles in May.

Domestics took a bigger piece of the CPO pie than they did a year ago, increasing their certified market share from 29.5 percent to 31.5 percent as they moved 49,505 units, according to the firm. The CPO sales total for the Big 3 represents a 16.3-percent year-over-year uptick.

The greatest improvement spotted within the Big 3 was at Ford, where its brands combined to sell 14,806 certified vehicles for a 41.8-percent gain.

Meanwhile, Asian automakers commanded a 51.1-percent share of the certified market, which was off 0.5 percentage points from May 2011. They sold 80,244 CPO vehicles for a 7.6-percent improvement.

Particularly noteworthy were Kia (up 152.6 percent), Hyundai (up 66.3 percent) and Mazda (up 39 percent), which had the largest increases up among the Asian brands.

Next up, the market share for Europeans was at 17.4 percent, down from 18.9 percent in May 2011. Their CPO sales totaled 27,248 units, essentially static from last May.

Autodata pointed out that two European brands — Mini and Porsche — had their strongest CPO months ever.

Looking at year-to-date numbers provided by Autodata, the certified market has moved 754,907 units for a 4.9-percent increase.

Editor’s Note: Stay tuned to an upcoming print edition of Auto Remarketing for more comprehensive coverage of May’s certified sales results, including a brand-by-brand breakdown and commentary from CPO leaders across the industry