Subaru sales continue to rage on like a wildfire, ironically with a vehicle called Forester. 2009 Subaru sales are up 11 percent over 2009 following its best ever month, up 52 percent over August 2008. Kia sales are up 2.7 percent this year while its larger Korean sister Hyundai is at almost break even after eight months of 2009 versus 2008. While Toyota and Honda were major beneficiaries of the government's Car Allowance Rebate System, or "cash for clunkers" program, luxury car maker Audi, with low incentives compared to the industry, is down just 10.2 percent in sales in 2009 versus last year at this point.
Here are the numbers, in order of monthly sales:
General Motors had their best sales month of the year delivering 246,479 vehicles to U.S. dealers in August, when compared with a very strong sales performance in August 2008 and lower fleet sales this year, it was down 20 percent. Retail sales were down 17 percent while fleet sales declined 29 percent. GM's strong August total sales was up more than 57,000 vehicles, or 30 percent from July. Year-to-date GM has sold 1,390,278 vehicles, down 35.3 percent from the first eight months of 2008.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., including Lexus, reported August vehicle sales of 225,088 vehicles, up 10.5 percent over year-ago levels boosted by an all-time, best-ever for month Toyota Division passenger car sales of 142,529 units, up 32.4 percent over the same period last year as the CARS program accounted for 19.4 percent of sales. Year-to-date Toyota sales are 1,170,409, down 28.3 percent from 2008.
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury reported total August sales of 176,323, up 17 percent versus last year with Fusion, Focus, Flex and Escape putting in big sale gains. Ford sales so far in 2009 are 1,080,913, a drop of 23.7 percent from eight months in 2008. Volvo, still owned by Ford, had sales of 5,826, up 24.8 percent from August 2008, bringing the year-to-date sales total to 42,013, a 24.9 percent drop from the first eight months of 2008.
American Honda, including Acura, had record August sales of 161,439, up 14.2 percent over August 2008 while year-to-date sales of 806,907, down 24.8 percent from 2008. Honda sales for the year are 806,907, a 24.8 percent decrease from 2008.
Nissan North America, including Infiniti, reported August 2009 sales of 105,312 units, a decrease of 2.9 percent from August 2008. Nissan Division sales rose 0.2 percent, while sales of Infiniti vehicles decreased by 30.2 percent. 8.7 percent of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles sold last month were attributed to the "cash for clunkers" program. Nissan has sold 524,903 vehicles this year, a 27.7 percent decline from last year.
Chrysler Group reported total U.S. sales for August of 93,222 units, an increase of 5 percent compared with July and a decrease of 15 percent compared with August 2008. Retail sales for August were 68,958 units. Year-to-date Chrysler sales are 653,319, 39 percent lower than the first eight months last year.
Hyundai Motor America August sales of 60,467 units was a 47 percent increase compared with August 2008 and a 33 percent increase over last month, marking an all-time monthly sales record. Hyundai sales in 2009 are down just 0.7 percent from the same point a year ago.
Kia Motors America had all-time record monthly sales of 40,198 in August, up 37 percent over July and 60.4 percent year over year from August 2008. Kia has sold 216,947, 2.7 percent more than in 2008.
Volkswagen of America reported August 2009 sales of 24,823 units representing an increase of 11.4 percent over August 2008 and its best sales month since December 2005. Separately, Audi sold 8,057 cars and SUVs in August, up 26 percent for its second-best August sales ever and its best month overall since June 2008. Fewer than 10% of Audi sales for the month can be attributed to the "Cash for Clunkers" incentives. VW 2009 sales are 142,421 this year, down 10 percent from 2008 while Audi has sold 52,309 vehicles in 2009 down 10.2 percent from 2008.
Subaru of America had it's best sales month ever selling 28,683 units this August, a 52 percent increase from August 2008. Subaru sales for August 2009 also showed a 31-percent increase over July 2009 which was also a record sales month. Year-to-date Subaru sales are 143,828, up 11 percent as compared to the first eight months in 2008.
The BMW Group in the U.S., including MINI, reported its best sales month so far this year with August sales of 24,343 units, a 21.3 percent drop from a year ago. The BMW Group year-to-date sales volume of 160,044 vehicles is down 26.5 percent, compared to the first eight months of last year.
Mazda North American Operations reported its best sales month of the year and best August since 2003 with sales of 26,542, 12.1 percent increase versus August of 2008. Mazda has sold 145,955 vehicles in 2009, down 26.7 percent.
Mercedes-Benz and smart had combined sales of 18,734, down 10.5 percent compared to August 2008. Mercedes-Benz USA accounted for 17,112 vehicles. Mercedes-Benz and smart year-to-date sales are 130,035, down 25.7 percent from last year.
Mitsubishi Motors North America August 2009 sales of 6,813, the highest monthly sales total for Mitsubishi since October 2008 and an increase of 41 percent from July. Year-to-date sales are 38,127.
American Suzuki had sales of 5,749 in August, a 5 percent drop from a year ago. Year-to-date Suzuki has sold 31,793 vehicles, a 55 percent drop from the first eight months of 2008.
Porsche Cars North America August sales in the U.S. was 1,526 units, up 9 percent versus August 2008. Porsche's year-to-date sales are 12,729, down 35.1 percent.
Highlights: Subaru sales are up 34 percent in July vs. July 2008 beating BMW for the month and Subaru sales year-to-date in 2009 are up 4.3 percent over 2008 after being the only automaker to have a sales gain in 2008. Hyundai July sales were up 12 percent, Kia up 9.3 percent and Ford (Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Volvo) had a 2.3 percent sales increase in July from July 2008.
Here are the numbers, in order of monthly sales:
General Motors delivered 189,443 total vehicles in July, down 19.4 percent compared with a year ago. Year-to-date GM has sold 1,143,799 vehicles, down 37.8 percent from the first seven months of 2008.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., reported July vehicle sales of 174,872 vehicles, down 11.4 percent from last July but hit a new monthly high for the year jumping 27.7 percent from last month. Year-to-date Toyota sales are 945,321, 33.9 percent lower than the same period of 2008.
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales were 158,838, up 1.6 percent versus a year ago. Volvo Cars of North America which is owned by Ford, had July sales of 6,441 units, a 25.7 percent gain over July 2008. Volvo has sold 36,187 units year-to-date, which represents a 29.5 percent decrease for the same period of 2008. Total Ford sales, including Volvo were 165,279, a 2.3 percent gain over July 2008, bringing the 2009 Ford total to 940,777, a drop of 28.6 percent from the first seven months of 2008.
American Honda, including Acura, posted total July vehicle sales of 114,690, a decline of 17.3 percent compared to July 2008 results. American Honda year-to-date sales of 645,468 represented a 30.7 percent decline. Acura's contribution was 8,662 for July, a 32.5 percent drop from July 2008 and Acura's year-to-date stands at 90,742, a 33.8 fall from the first seven months of 2008.
Chrysler Group LLC reported total U.S. sales for July 2009 of 88,900 units, a decrease of 9 percent from July 2008 and an increase of 30 percent versus last month. Year-to-date Chrysler has sold 560,097 vehicles, a drop of 42 percent from 2008.
Nissan North America reported sales for July of 71,847 units, a decrease of 24.6 percent. Year-to-date Nissan sales are at 419,591, a drop of 32.1 percent from 2008.
Hyundai Motor America had July sales of 45,553 units, a 12 percent increase compared with July 2008 and a 21 percent increase over last month. Cash-for-clunkers deals accounted for 22 percent of Hyundai sales. Year-to-date Hyundai has sold 250,239 vehicles in the U.S., down 7.9 percent from the first seven months of 2008.
Kia Motors America July sales of 29,345 units were up 9.3 percent from June and year-to-date sales are 176,749 total units.
Volkswagen of America announced July 2009 sales of 20,590 units, a 0.7 percent increase over July 2008. Year-to-date VW sales are at 117,598, 13.5 percent lower than last year. Separately, Audi sold 6,407 vehicles in the U.S. during July and year-to-date has sold 44,213, a 14.6 percent fall from the same stretch in 2008.
Subaru of America had its best sales month ever with 21,839 vehicles sold, a 34 percent increase in sales in July over July 2008. Year-to-date Subaru has sold 115,145, up 4.3 percent over 2008.
The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported July sales of 21,253 vehicles, a decrease of 26.7 percent from the 28,977 vehicles sold in the same month of 2008. The BMW Group has year-to-date sales volume of 135,701 vehicles, down 27.4 percent, compared to the first seven months of last year.
Mazda North American Operations reported July 2009 sales of 19,032, down 15.1 percent versus July of 2008. Overall, total yearly sales are reported at 119,413, down 32.0 percent compared to 2008.
Mercedes-Benz USA July sales of 16,228 vehicles, off by 21.7 percent versus July 2008 and strongest so far this year. On a year-to-date basis, Mercedes has sold 101,316 new vehicles, a decrease of 27.6 percent over the comparable period last year. smartUSA recorded 1,418 sales in July 2009, an increase of 27% versus June 2009 bringing Mercedes total including smartUSA to 17,646 for July and 111,301 for 2009.
Mitsubishi Motors North America announced July 2009 sales of 4,487 and year-to-date sales of 31,314.
American Suzuki sold 3,507 vehicles in July, a 57 percent fall from July 2008 and year-to-date sales are 25,915, a 60 percent drop.
Porsche Cars North America sales for the month of July totaled 1,544, a decrease of 51.6 percent. Year-to-date, Porsche has sold 11,203, a 38.5 percent drop from 2008.
This was the most expensive June on record, with the average U.S. incentive at $2,930 per vehicle sold, up 20 percent from a year earlier according to Edmunds' stats. Subaru continues to buck the industry and economy with June sales up 3 percent from June 2008. Here's a look at the June auto sales in order of volume:
General Motors delivered 176,571 vehicles in June, down 33.6 percent compared with a year ago. Year-to-date GM has sold 954,356 vehicles, down 40.5 percent from the first six months of 2008.
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales totaled 148,153 in June, down 11 percent versus a year ago. Year-to-date Ford 2009 sales are 745,752, a drop of 32.8 percent from the first six months of 2008.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., recorded June sales of 131,654 units, a decrease of 34.6 percent from last June bringing half-year sales to 770,449 vehicles down 37.5 percent from the first six months of 2008.
American Honda, including Acura, posted June vehicle sales of 100,420, a decline of 32.4 percent compared to June 2008 results. American Honda year-to-date sales of 530,778 represent a 33.1 percent decrease.
Chrysler Group LLC reported total U.S. sales for June of 68,297 units, a decrease of 42 percent compared with June 2008. Year-to-date Chrysler has sold 471,197 vehicles, a drop of 46 percent from 2008.
Nissan North America reported sales for June of 58,298, a decrease of 23.1 percent. Year-to-date Nissan sales are at 347,744, a drop of 33.4 percent from 2008.
Hyundai Motor America today announced June sales of 37,943, a 24 percent decline versus June 2008. Hyundai outsold Dodge in June for the first time, making Hyundai the number-six best-selling brand in the U.S. Year-to-date Hyundai sales are 204,686, is a drop of 11.4 percent from 2008.
Kia Motors America June sales of 26,845 units, a 5.1 percent decline from June 2008 and year-to-date sales of 147,404 is 6.5 percent lower than the first six months of 2008. Kia posted its fourth consecutive month of increased sales with June up 3 percent from May.
Volkswagen of America had June 2009 sales of 19,027, an 18 percent decrease from June 2008. Year-to-date VW sales are at 97,008, 16 percent lower than last year. Volkswagen's diesels posted their best sales month since their re-launch with 5,072 units, representing 26 percent of total sales. Separately, Audi U.S. sales for the month of June reached 7,524 units, its best sales month of 2009 and year-to-date has sold 37,845, a 15.9 percent fall from 2008.
The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported June sales of 20,849 vehicles, a decrease of 20.3 percent from the 26,155 vehicles sold in the same month of 2008. The BMW Group also reported a year-to-date sales volume of 114,448 vehicles, down 27.5 percent, compared to the first half of 2008.
Subaru of America set a sales record for the month of June as sales were 18,620, up 3-percent over June 2008. Year-to-date Subaru sales of 94,094 is just 1% lower than the first half of 2008.
Mercedes-Benz USA June sales of 16,271 including smart, with 15,155 Mercedes vehicles sold, a decline of 22.6 percent compared to June 2008. On a year-to-date basis, Mercedes sold 85,088 new vehicles, a decrease of 28.7 percent over the comparable period last year. smart USA recorded 1,116 sales in June bringing year to date sales of 8,567, a decline of 24.8 percent. Since its introduction in the United States, over 33,000 smart fortwos have been sold.
Mazda North American Operations reported June sales of 13,729, down 42.2 percent versus June of 2008. Year-to-date sales are 100,381, down 34.5 percent compared to 2008.
Volvo Cars of North America June sales were 7,042 units, a 0.6 percent gain over June 2008. Overall in North America (United States and Canada), Volvo has sold 33,172 units year-to-date, which represents a 33.8 percent decrease for the same period of 2008.
Mitsubishi Motors North America reported June sales of 4,362. Year-to-date, Mitsubishi has sold 26,467 vehicles.
Porsche sold 902 vehicles in the U.S. in June, a 66 percent drop For the first six months of the year, Porsche has sold 9,659 cars, down 36% from 2008.
For many companies May sales were up over April but still well below May 2008 sales. Ford sold more vehicles than Toyota in May while Chrysler slipped to fifth place behind Honda. Here are the May 2009 sales and year-to-date numbers in order of volume:
General Motors delivered 191,875 vehicles in May, it's best month of 2009, down 29.6 percent compared with a year ago. Year-to-date GM has sold 777,785 vehicles, down 41.9 percent from the first five months of 2008.
Ford, including Lincoln & Mercury, had sales of 155,954, its highest sales for any month since July 2008, down 24.3 percent from May 2008. Ford, Lincoln and Mercury market share grew to highest level since 2006. Year-to-date Ford sales are 597,599, down 36.6 percent from the first 5 months of 2008.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., including Lexus, reported May sales of 152,583 vehicles, a decrease of 38.4 percent from last May. Year-to-date Toyota has sold 638,795 vehicles down 38 percent from last year.
American Honda May vehicle sales of 98,344, was a decline of 39.2 percent compared to May 2008. Year-to-date Honda has sold 430,358, a drop of 33.3 percent from 2008.
Chrysler LLC reported May U.S. total sales of 79,010, down 30% from May 2008. Year-to-date Chrysler has sold 402,900 vehicles, a drop of 46 percent from 2008.
Nissan North America reported May sales of 67,489, a decrease of 33.1 percent from May 2008. Year-to-date Nissan sales are at 289,446, a drop of 35.2 percent from 2008.
Hyundai Motor America sales of 36,937 vehicles in May, was a 20 percent decline versus May 2008. Year-to-date Hyundai sales of 166,743, is a drop of just 7.9 percent from 2008.
Kia Motors America sold 26,060 vehicles in May, a decline of 16 percent from May last year and year-to-date Kia sales are at 120,559, down 6.8 percent from 2008.
Volkswagen of America had May 2009 sales of 19,568, a 12.4 percent decrease from May 2008. Year-to-date VW sales are at 77,981, down 15.5 percent from last year. Separately, Audi of America sold 7,503 units in May down 12.1 percent from May 2008 and year-to-date has sold 30,321, a 17.7 percent fall from 2008.
BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported May sales of 22,993 vehicles, a decrease of 27.7 percent from the same month of 2008. Year-to-date BMW sales are 93,599, a fall of 29 percent from last year.
Subaru of America sold 17,505 all-wheel drive vehicles in May, just 5 percent less than May 2008 and year-to-date Subaru sales of 74,686 are down just 2 percent from 2008.
Mazda North American Operations reported May 2009 sales of 16,718, down 40.1 percent versus last year, and year-to-date sales of 86,652, down 32 percent.
Mercedes-Benz, including smart, had May sales of 16,303, a decline of 33.4 percent. smart USA sales were 1,169 in May. Year-to-date Mercedes' sales are at 69,933, down 29.9 percent from last year.
Mitsubishi Motors North America had May 2009 sales of 4,352.
American Suzuki May 2009 vehicles were 2,585, a 75 percent tumble from May 2008. Year-to-date Suzuki has sold 20,259 vehicles in the U.S. down 56 percent from 2008.
Porsche U.S. sales fell to 1,979, a 29 percent drop from May 2008.Year-to-date Porsche has sold 8,757, down 30 percent from the first five months of 2008.
General Motors delivered 173,007 vehicles in April, down 34 percent compared with a year ago. However, when comparing GM's April sales with March, total volume was up 11 percent, or about 16,600, largely driven by a return to more normal volumes of fleet sales compared with a very weak first quarter.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. reported April sales of 126,540 vehicles, a decrease of 41.9 percent from last April.
Ford sales fell 32 per cent to 134,401 in April, down 40 per cent year to date at 458,772.
American Honda Motor Co., posted April vehicle sales of 101,029, a decline of 25.3 percent compared to April 2008.
Chrysler LLC today reported April U.S. total sales of 76,682 units, representing a 48 percent decrease versus 2008. Total April sales include a fleet reduction of 66 percent year-over-year for the same period.
Nissan North America reported sales for April of 47,190 units, a decrease of 37.8 percent from April 2008.
Hyundai Motor America sales of 33,952 vehicles in April, was a 14 percent decline versus April 2008.
Kia Motor Americas April sales of 25,606 was a 14.8% drop from April last year.
Volkswagen of America had April 2009 sales of 16,289 units, a 16.1 percent decrease over April 2008. Audi of America sales of 7,010 in April was a 9.3% drop from 2008.
BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported April sales of 19,362 vehicles, a decrease of 38.4 percent from the same month of 2008.
Mazda North American Operations reported April 2009 sales of 16,139 in the U.S., down 32.1 percent versus last year, and year-to-date sales of 69,934, down 31.1 percent.
Mercedes-Benz, including smart, had April sales of 15,910, a decline of 28.1 percent. smart USA sales were 1,345 in April.
Subaru of America sold 15,649, down 7 percent from April 2008 and year-to-date Subaru sales are down just 1 percent at 57,181.
Mitsubishi Motors North America April sales fell to 3,919, a 56 percent from a year earlier.
American Suzuki April sales of 2,543 was a 74 percent tumble from 2008 and year-to-date sales are down 51 percent.
Porsche U.S. sales fell to 1,853, a 35.3 percent drop from April 2008.
General Motors delivered 127,296 vehicles in February, down 52.9 percent compared with a year ago, driven by a 75 percent reduction in fleet sales. However, GM's car sales compared with January were up nearly 23 percent. Year-to-date GM sales of 256,523 is 51% lower than 2008.
Toyota's February sales of 109,583 was a 37.3% decline from Feb. 2008 giving them a year-to-date total of 226,870, 35.9% less than a year ago.
Ford reported February sales of 96,044, a 48.2% drop from Feb. 2008 so year-to-date Ford has sold 186,640 vehicles - down 44.1% from the first two months of last year.
Chrysler's total February U.S. sales were 84,050 units (including fleet), a decrease of 44 percent. Chrysler February retail sales of 66,658 units, was a 26 percent decrease versus 2008 after a fleet reduction of 71 percent year-over-year for the same period. Chrysler year-to-date sales of 146,207 is a 49% drop from 2008.
Honda sold 71,575 vehicles last month, down 35.4% from Feb. 2008 bring their 2009 total to 142,606 a 33.3% fall from the first two months of 2008.
Nissan had sales of 54,249 last month, a 37.4% slide from Feb. 2008, and year-to-date sales of Nissan and Infiniti nameplates are 108,133, down 33.6% from 2009.
Hyundai sold 31,090 vehicles in the U.S. last month, up 1.5% from 2008 and in 2009, Hyundai has sales of 52,542, a drop of just 4.7% from last year.
Kia February sales were 22,073 up 4/10% over the same month last year and total sales in 2009 are 44,169, a gain of 1.9%.
Mazda February sales were 16,401 down 30.4% from 2008 and so far in 2009 Mazda sales are 44,760, a drop of 28.9% fro last year.
BMW, including MINI, had February sales of 15,805, a drop of 34.7% giving them a year-to-date total of 30,119, a 26.8% fall from 2008.
Mercedes-Benz, including smart, came in at 15,614 in February, a 20.6% decline and in the first two months of 2009 sales are 27,823 down 27.9%.
Volkswagen February sales of 13,660 was 17.5% less than Feb. 2008 and year-to-date of 26,404 is down 14.7% from 2008. Audi sold 4,653 vehicles last month, down 24.4% from the same month a year ago and in 2009 sales are 9,375, a 25.4% drop from 2008.
Subaru's February sales of 13,089 were up 1% over 2008 and the year-to-date total of 25,283 up 4% from last year.
Mitsubishi sales of 4,484 was a 50.8% fall from Feb. 2008.
Volvo sales last month were 3,356 down 55.3% from Feb. 2008 and so far in 2009 sales are 6,266, a freefall of 59.7%.
Hyundai, Kia & Subaru bucked the downtrend with increased sales in January over the same month a year ago while GM, Ford and Chrysler slashed fleet sales. In order of most sales to least:
General Motors delivered 129,227 vehicles in January, down 49 percent compared with a year ago. GM says fleet sales fell 80 percent while retail sales were off 38 percent, but retail market share held steady compared with December.
Toyota Motor Sales reported January sales of 117,287 vehicles, a decrease of 34.4 percent from last January, on a daily selling rate basis.
Ford Motor Company, including the Ford, Lincoln and Volvo nameplates, sold 93,506 vehicles in January down 40.2 percent from January 2008. Fleet sales were 65 percent lower and retail sales to individuals were 27 percent lower. Volvo contributed 2,910 to that total, a drop of 63.8% from January a year ago.
American Honda posted January total vehicle sales of 71,031, a decline of 30.7 percent compared to January 2008.
Chrysler LLC reported total January 2009 U.S. sales of 62,157 units, down 55 percent versus the same month in 2008 (137,392 units), and down 31 percent from December 2008 (89,813 units). Fleet sales were down 81 percent for January compared to the same time last year while dealer retail sales were down 35 percent.
Nissan North America reported sales for January of 53,884 units versus 76,605 units a year ago, a decrease of 29.7 percent.
Hyundai Motor America announced sales of 24,512 for the month of January, up 14 percent versus 2008 and 2 percent over December.
Kia Motors America announced January sales of 22,096 units, an increase of 3.5 percent over January of 2008 and the second best January in the company's history.
Mazda North American Operations reported January 2009 sales of 15,420, down 27.3 percent versus last year.
Volkswagen of America had January 2009 sales of 12,744 units, a 11.6 percent decrease from January 2008. Separately, Audi sales for the month of January was 4,722 units, a 26.4 percent decrease from record January sales in 2008.
The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported January sales of 14,314 vehicles, a decrease of 15.5 percent from the same month of 2008.
Subaru of America had January 2009 sales of 12,194, an 8 percent sales increase for January 2009 over last year's January results.
Mercedes-Benz USA reported January sales of 10,433 vehicles, a 42.9 percent decrease compared to January 2008.
Mitsubishi Motors January 2009 sales of 4,730 was a decrease of 34.5 percent compared to January 2008 sales of 7,226.Suzuki sold 3,655 vehicles in January a 49% drop from January 2008.
Suzuki sold 3,655 vehicles in January a 49% drop from January 2008.
Porsche Cars North America January sales of 1,658 was a drop of 36 percent from the same month a year ago.
Amazing but true! While the overall U.S. auto industry saw an 18.5% sales drop, Subaru of America reported a 0.3% sales increase for full-year 2008 sales over 2007, the only multi-nameplate manufacturer in the top 15 to post a gain. Tim Colbeck, vice president of sales for Subaru of America said, "To post increased sales for the year the Industry has just experienced reflects the strength of our products, our dealers and the Subaru brand. In a difficult market we were able to establish new sales records for Forester, Impreza and Legacy sedan and also record our highest market share ever."
The Subaru Forester, 2009 Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year, led Subaru sales with 60,748 sold, a 36.4% increase over 2007 with a starting MSRP of $19,995. The Impreza, with variants like the WRX and WRX STI which traded on the Car Stock Exchange, had sales of 49,098, a 6% gain over 2007. The Outback had sales of 44,280, a 22.8% drop from the previous year but Subaru's 4th best seller, the Legacy had sales of 22,596 a 7.1% rise over 2007. The Tribeca contributed 10,975 to Subaru's total U.S. sales of 187,208. All Subaru's have Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive drivetrains.
In my Southern California neighborhood I don't have to look too far to find a Subaru - next door and across street my neighbors have the Impreza WRX models. With this winter's heavy snowfall in many parts of the country, all-wheel drive shoppers could drive Subaru's 2009 sales past 2008. Also, to help that cause, Subaru will show a Concept Legacy Sedan this weekend at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
To those mainstream media criticizing GM, Ford and Chrysler for making cars that Americans won't buy, the Detroit 3 sold a combined 6,349,084 vehicles or 48% of all vehicles sold in the U.S. last year. So why are they losing money?
Chrysler President & Vice-Chairman Jim Press told us on September 2nd, "Because we were spending money as a four million car company, we had the manufacturing capacity to do four million cars and trucks; the problem is, the revenue to pay for all that was only two and a half million." Press goes onto say, "We've taken a million capacity out of Chrysler in less than a year." Four months after those remarks we know that Chrysler sold less than 1.5 million in 2008 so that gap translates to a money-losing business until they scale back more and sales of profitable vehicles pick up.
Chrysler's sales fell 30% in 2008 from 2007 and much of that was by design. Press, in the same speech, said, "In terms of capacity, we've cut out alot of fleet volume on purpose." Why? "We were doing almost 40 percent of our volume for fleet, mainly daily rental." Press adds, "We weren't covering our overhead, and we were really hurting our residual values."
Ford F Series, Chevy Silverado and Dodge Ram had combined sales of 1,226,418 or about 9.3% of all vehicles sold in 2008 so people are buying pickup trucks. Press says, "If you look at full-size trucks and SUVs, it's about 2 million or a little less per year going forward. There's enough market there for us."
Volkswagen Jetta sales of 97,461 in 2008 represents 44% of VW's 223,128 U.S. sales and Audi A4 sales of 43,343 is 49.4% of Audi's U.S. sales.
Small cars helped luxury carmakers Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Mercedes-Benz sold 225,128 vehicles in 2008, an 11.2% drop from 2007, but add in the 24,622 smart cars sold, total Mercedes sales fell just 1.5%. The BMW brand sold 249,113, a drop of 15.2% but add the MINI to the mix with sales of 54,077, a 28.6% jump from 2007 and BMW total sales fell only 9.7%.
General Motors was the top selling manufacturer in the United States in 2008 with a total of 2,980,688 vehicles sold, a 23% drop from 2007. The Chevrolet brand accounted for 60% of GM sales with the Silverado pickup truck selling 465,065, the Impala sedan 265,840, the Cobalt 188,045 and Malibu at 178,253. Notable sales increases over 2007 were the Malibu up 39%, Buick Enclave up 53% and Cadillac CTS up 3%.
Toyota, including Lexus and Scion, was in 2nd place with 2,217,662 vehicles sold, a 15.7% decline from 2007. The Camry was the best selling car at 436,617 while the Corolla was 3rd with sales of 351,007. Notable sales gains were the Yaris with 102,328, a 20% jump over 2007 along with the Sequoia, Land Cruiser and Lexus LX SUV's posting gains in 2008. Prius sales were 158,884, down 12.8%.
Ford, including Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo brands, took 3rd place with 1,915,274 vehicles sold in 2008, a 20.2% drop. The F Series pickup truck with sales of 515,513 was the top selling vehicle for the 32nd straight year though down 25.4% from 2007. Ford's top selling car was the Focus compact sedan with sales of 195,823, a 13% increase over 2007.
Chrysler was 4th with 2008 sales of 1,453,122, a 30% drop from 2007. Its biggest sellers were the Dodge Ram pickup truck with 245,840, a 31% decline from 2007, the Dodge Caravan minivan with 123,749, a 30% drop and the Chrysler Town & Country minivan at 118,563, down 14% from 2007. Chrysler's top selling sedan was the Charger at 97,367, an 18% fall in sales from the previous year.
Honda, including Acura, was a close 5th with 2008 sales of 1,428,765, an 8.2% slide from 2007. The Honda Accord was the 2nd best selling car with sales of 372,789, down 5.3%, and the Civic was the 4th best selling car with 339,289, an increase of 2.1%. The CR-V was again the best selling SUV with sales of 197,279, a 10.3% drop from 2007.
The top 5 accounted for sales of almost 10 million at 9,995,511 vehicles sold. 6th place Nissan, including Infiniti, sold 951,350 vehicles, a 10.9% drop from 2007. Hyundai sold 401,742, a 14% decline. Volkswagen, including Audi and Bentley, had 313,581, a 4.4% decrease. BMW, including MINI, had 2008 sales of 303,190, a 9.7% decline. Kia sold 273,397 vehicles, a 10.5% drop.
Mazda sold 263,949, a 10.7% fall. Mercedes-Benz, including Maybach and smart, had sales of 249,750, 1.5% fewer than 2007. Subaru, led by its Forester, sold 187,699 vehicles, a 0.3% gain over 2007. Mitsubishi sold 97,257 vehicles in 2008, a 25% slide from 2007. Suzuki sold 84,865 vehicles, a 17% drop. Porsche sales were 26,035, a 25% fall. 2008 sales itemized in this article is 13,148,326. (Jaguar/Land Rover, owned by Tata Motors are not included). 2007 U.S. auto sales were 16.1 million so there was a sales drop of about 3 million vehicles or 18%.
Sales figures were gathered from the manufacturers' websites.
On the the same day that GM, Ford and Chrysler were on Capitol Hill looking for a staggering $34 billion in government hand-outs and loans, November auto sales were released showing a near 38% drop across all vehicle lines from November 2007 for an 11 month industry sales total of 12.3 million vehicles sold in the United States. Amazingly year-to-date both Subaru and Daimler, which includes Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach, have 1.2% gains over 2007 sales after 11 months.
The Lincoln MKS (a SEMA version shown above) has been trading on the Car Stock Exchange for 5 months and has already surpassed the Edmunds.com 6 month sales target of 9,000 while all other vehicles are well short of projections in the worst year for the industry in 26 years.
Two vehicles retired at the end of October and many other CSX-traded vehicles either went on sale or had their first full month on the market in October. The Pontiac G8 retired with 6 months of sales of 9,487, well short of the Edmunds.com estimate of 15,750 while on the positive side, the fun-to-drive peppy compact Volkswagen Tiguan (right) had sales of 6,533, falling well short of the 15,300 forecast in the first full six months in dealerships.
Five more vehicles will retire at the end of November and all look to far short of forecasts, though the Nissan Maxima could come close. The Lincoln MKS after four months on the market is poised to beat our sales target.
You may also notice on the chart below that some vehicles that we posted last month with one month sales figures are still at the one month stage - that's because it turned out it was not a full month. Some of you even commented on the Hummer H3T's sale of one vehicle in September, well, October's 251 is more like a full month on the market. Ditto for the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, VW Routan minivan and Chevy Traverse which really got rolling in October.
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI diesel started selling in October and hit sales of 2,967. Recently winning accolades for its fuel-efficiency could launch significant sales for this vehicle even in this poor economic environment.
CSX Vehicle Sales October 2008
Vehicle
October
thru October
Forecast
On Sale
Pontiac G8
1,082
9,487
15,750
6mo. - ret.
Volkswagen Tiguan
1,856
6,533
15,300
6 mo - ret.
Ford Flex
2,017
9,569
40,500
5 months
Honda Pilot
4,980
36,216
67,500
5 months
Nissan Maxima
4,341
22,291
28,800
5 months
Infiniti FX
954
6,410
11,250
5 months
Acura RL
272
1,748
6,750
5 months
Lincoln MKS
2,072
8,539
9,000
4 months
Hyundai Genesis Sedan
1,121
3,327
9,000
3 months
Kia Borrego
207
1,403
9,000
3 months
Chevrolet Aveo5
885
2,287
12,600
2 months
Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
230
230
1,750
1 month
Hummer H3T
251
251
5,000
1 month
Volkswagen Routan
789
789
20,000
1 month
Chevrolet Traverse
1,359
1,359
58,500
1 month
Volkswagen CC
659
659
6,300
1 month
Volkswagen Jetta TDI
2,967
2,967
20,000
1 month
Mazda6
4,040
4,040
31,500
1 month
Ford F Series
43,324
43,324
360,000
1 month
Honda Fit
6,478
6,478
27,000
1 month
October was not a good month for the industry compared to October of 2007. GM sales were down 45%, Toyota fell 25.9%, Ford sales dropped 29.2%, Chrysler slid 35%, Honda down 28%, Nissan fell 33.5%, Hyundai slipped 31%, BMW was down 5% but without MINI saw a 13.9% drop, Kia sales slid 38.5% and, rounding out the top 10 sellers of 2008, Mazda sales were off 25.9% from October 2007. On the bright side, Audi set an October record with a 0.3% increase in sales over October 2007. On a year-to-date basis, MINI sales are up 30.2% and Subaru is up 2% with VW down just 0.6%. Keep reading these blogs and keep trading!
A rough month for automakers on a weakening economy due to falling real estate, stock and credit markets. General Motors with employee pricing saw a 16% drop in sales last month from September 2007, Ford was down 34%, Chrysler slipped 33%, Toyota fell 32%, Honda sales were 24% lower than September 2007, Nissan saw a 37% drop, Kia had a 28% decline, Hyundai a 25% drop, BMW tumbled 30%, Mercedes down 16% and Volkswagen fell 9%.
Four of the five just-retired CSX stocks were based on vehicles which had sales that topped the estimates of our Edmunds.com experts led by the Hyundai Sonata and also included the Acura TSX, Subaru Forester and BMW 1 Series. The BMW X6 fell way short of the forecast. Two hot cars went on sale in September recording partial month sales: the Audi A4 had sales of 3,148 and the Mazda6 3,694. GM sold one Hummer H3T in September.
Twenty vehicles were retired after six full months of sales following their IPO dates on the Car Stock Exchange and of those, eight beat the Edmunds.com sales estimates led by the Toyota Corolla with 185,291 a whopping 48,041 over the 137,500 forecast. Next biggest surprise was the Dodge Journey which sold 30,025 in six months topping the projection of 15,750 by 14,275 in sales. The other six with better-than-expected sales in no particular order were the Subaru WRX STI, Nissan Murano, Chevrolet HHR SS, MINI Clubman, Pontiac Vibe and BMW M3.
The three worst performers were the GMC Yukon hybrid with sales of 1,059, a quarter of the 4,050 estimate along with the Infiniti EX35 selling 7,401, less than half the 13,500 forecast and the Saturn Astra at 7,155 in sales was a third of the 20,250 target.
Watch for your stock portfolios to be re-calculated accounting for the vehicle retirements. 46 vehicles remain trading on the Car Stock Exchange.
With 23 vehicles racing down the stretch run to retirement after six months of trading on the Car Stock Exchange, five have already surpassed our Edmunds.com forecasts after five months of sales with another four in position to eclipse the predictions that were made well in advance of their showroom sales launches. (See sales table at end of blog posting)
The Chevy HHR SS, MINI Clubman, Toyota Corolla, BMW M3 and Dodge Journey have all exceeded our six month sales targets after just 5 months with the Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Nissan Murano, Pontiac Vibe and Hyundai Sonata positioned to push past those numbers when six months of sales are tallied up at the end of August. The Matrix version of the Corolla could also top the estimate.
In shear numbers, the Toyota Corolla at 160,559 and the Dodge Journey at 25,438 after five full months of sales are very impressive compared to our team's forecasting. The Corolla is the number one selling nameplate of all-time and is benefitting from the buying shift while Dodge flooded the media with blanket marketing and advertising campaigns during big sports play-offs in the Spring.
Many vehicles that trade on the Car Stock Exchangehave
racked up four full months of sales since March 1st through June 30th
with just two months remaining before they retire:
VehicleSales:
March 1st - June 30th
2008 Lexus LX 570 2,669
2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI1,681
2008 Toyota Sequoia11,550
2008 Infiniti EX354,644
2009 Nissan Murano26,011
2008 Saturn Astra3,606
2008 smart fortwo9,657
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution1,401
2008 Chevrolet HHR SS3,547
2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid 1,425
2009 GMC Yukon Hybrid 669
2009 MINI Clubman4,171
2009 Pontiac Vibe18,725
2009 Toyota Corolla130,942
2009 Toyota Matrix21,608
2008 BMW M3 2,829
2008 BMW 1 Series6,101
2009 Dodge Journey21,989
2009 Jaguar XF4,323
2009 Lexus IS F 1,252
2009 Audi A51,291
2008 Pontiac G86,270
2009 Hyundai Sonata52,802
3 Months of Sales:
2009 BMW X62,010
2 Months of Sales:
2009 Subaru Forester12,242
2009 Acura TSX8,433
One Month of Sales:
2009 Honda Pilot7,282
2009 Volkswagen Tiguan 1,044
2009 Ford Flex 1,379
2008 Acura RL 369
2009 Nissan Maxima 2,656
Keep in mind the current stock price divided by 1,000 is the six month sales expectation and the price at which the stock will retire. Every stock's price is well above it's expected retirement price which means to secure big profits and win prizes, there will be heavy summer stock shorting.
Manufacturers are aggressively creating incentives to move vehicles off the lots. For the vehicles that trade on the Car Stock Exchange, there's $3,000 cashback on the Toyota Sequoia, $1,500 on the Chevrolet HHR SS, $750 on the Toyota Corolla and Matrix, $1,000 cashback on the Dodge Journey, $500 on the Pontiac G8, $2,000 on the Hyundai Sonata and $3,500 on the Hummer H3T. General Motors is extending its 72-Hour Sale to July 7th with 0% financing for 72 months in an attempt to drive showroom visits.
Toyota has sold 145,159 hybrid vehicles this year after sales of 17,806 in June, and, of those 11,765 or two-thirds were the Prius while the Camry Hybrid had June sales of 3,054 units.
GM has sold 4,376 hybrids so far this year, a fraction of what Toyota did. It breaks down this way: 547 hybrid Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon 2-mode SUVs hybrids, along with 295 Chevrolet Malibu, 30 Saturn Aura and 277 Vue hybrids. For the month, a total of 1,149 hybrid vehicles were delivered.
Honda sold 2,717 hybrids in June with the Civic hybrid accounting for 2,710 and the Accord just 7 units. So far in 2008, Honda has sold 19,032 Civic Hybrids, a gain of 11.8% over the first half of 2007. 191 Accord Hybrids have been sold this year.
Comparing the first six months of 2008 to the first half of 2007, the impact of a weak economy with consumer confidence at its lowest level since 1992 and record high gas prices is clearly hurting overall vehicle sales, especially SUVs and trucks. Honda with its smaller fuel efficient vehicles and virtually no trucks in its line-up is the lone bright spot in the top 5.
Manufacturer Year-to-Date vs. 2007
1. General Motors 1,604,942 -16.5% 2. Toyota 1,240,086 -6.2% 3. Ford 1,155,241 -14.3% 4. Chrysler 867,826 -22% 5. Honda 798,358 +4.8%
Kia will launch the Borrego
this summer and the Soul
near the end of the year and both will start trading on the Car Stock Exchange
tomorrow. Targeting the one-time SUV segment-leading Ford Explorer buyers, the Borrego, with a 3rd row of seats, will offer Kia's first V8 engine, the same 300 horsepower power plant that will be in the Hyundai Genesis. The Soul is after Toyota Scion shoppers and others wanting to express their personality through small box-like designs with fuel efficient engines that have given Chrysler's PT Cruiser and Chevy's HHR wide popularity.
Kia reported a record sales month for April, up 16% from April 2007, and for the first four months of 2008 Kia's U.S...
There are 25 Car Stock Exchange
vehicles now on sale at dealerships and the CSX Sales Shocker of the Month is: Dodge Journey
, with its ad blitz and $1,000 rebate, had April sales of 6,667 for total sales of 10,049 so far. If the April pace continues, Journey will sell 40,000 in 6 months, blowing past the Edmunds.com
forecast of 15,750 and making the current CSX
Journey stock price more reasonable. April sales from totallyall-new vehicles
:
- Audi A5 had April sales of 394.
- BMW 1-Series had April sales of 1,125 for a year-to-date total of 2,621 from its March start date...
Volkswagen's March U.S. sales of 19,587 were up 12.7% over March 2007 bringing the first quarter total to 50,554, a 4 tenths of a percent increase over the first three months of 2007. With the onslaught of new products coming this year: Tiguan, Passat CC, Routan, Jetta TDI and Jetta SportWagen along with a new 'Das Auto' ad campaign, VW could continue to buck the industry downtrend. 43% of VW's first quarter sales were the Jetta Sedan at 21,941, a 1.7% rise over 2007...
Just when you thought small and fuel efficient was becoming the trend, Toyota reports that Sequoia sales in March were 2,856 up from 2,617 in February and bringing the year-to-date total to 7,850, a 14.6% increase over the first three months of 2007. Obviously, the all new Sequoia is luring buyers as 95% or 2,713 of the March Sequoia sales were the new 2008 model year and 5% of the sales were the outgoing 2007 model year.
The all new Lexus LX 570 had sales of 642 in March, up from February's 569 sales figure for a year-to-date sales total of 1,921.
The all-new, high acclaimed Jaguar XF kicked off its first month of sales with 1,161driving off dealer lots. Edmunds.com forecasts Jag XF sales in its first six months to be 8,100 cars which is definitely within reach. Total Jaguar sales in March were 1,752 so the XF represented two-thirds of the total for the brand. Jaguar's March sales were up 5.1% from 2007 but year-to-date Jaguar sales are 3,479, down 18.1 from the first three months of last year...
General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner
in Geneva for the auto show to make presentations and crank off non-stop interviews reacted on Tuesday to GM's 13% drop in February U.S. sales from a strong February a year ago by saying "the U.S. market is tough and it's not a bad start". Wagoner went on to say that GM is "strong outside the U.S...
Lexus sold 710 all-new LX570
SUV's in January, its first full month on the market which puts it on track for 8,520 for 2008 but obviously each month won't be the same due to weather, budgets, rebates and incentives and many other factors.
Toyota sold 2,377 all-new Sequoia
SUV's in January, like the Lexus, its first full month of sales and it puts it on track to do 28,524 this year but many variables can and will change that target.
Infiniti sold 690 all-new EX35
crossovers in its first full month on the market which multipied by 12 puts it at 8,280, but like the others in this blog, they are just getting started.
The 2009 Nissan Murano
went on sale in January with sales of 2,900 which is 34,800 annualized...
In the car segment, Toyota Camry took the checkered flag selling 473,108 units, a 5.2% gain over 2006. The Honda Accord sold 392,231, a 10.3% increase, and the Honda Civic 331,095, a 4.2% rise. The Chevy Impala was a pleasant surprise for General Motors recording a 7.3% bump in sales to 311,128, next was the Nissan Altima at 284,762, a 22.1% jump over 2006.
Toyota Prius
The biggest percentage mover in cars was the Toyota Prius hybrid with sales of 181,221, an huge 68.9% leap from 2006...
General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner
in Geneva for the auto show to make presentations and crank off non-stop interviews reacted on Tuesday to GM's 13% drop in February U.S. sales from a strong February a year ago by saying "the U.S. market is tough and it's not a bad start". Wagoner went on to say that GM is "strong outside the U.S...
