US Vehicle Sales

[PJungnitsch]

I do like to see that the Japanese  buy BMWs and M-Bs.  Those Chevrolet and Cadillac sales are presumably to GIs about to go home ?

Dunno, but some Japanese just like 'different' stuff. Harley owns a quarter of the big bike market over there.

[G35X]

Come to Tokyo.  You will see MB’s and BMW’s all over the place just like on the streets in Caulfeild W.Van., Manhasett , N.Y. and Stanford, CA.
However, MB’s, especially the S-class, are still considered ostentatious and you do not want to drive it to see a client, thence the reason d'etre of Lexus LS, which was called Toyota Celsior.  On the other hand dons of organized crime syndication prefer MB’s especially the S-class with V-12 engine.  If you see a black S600 with darkened window glasses quickly approaching in you rearview mirror, you let it pass immediately.  Cadillac used to be their standard issue up until about 30 years ago, but no more.  If you are caught dead in one, that’s a great shame.
There are so many 3-class BMW’s in the fashionable Roppongi area that they are called “Roppongi Carolla”.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

FEBRUARY SALES

Detroit News article...
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/UPDATE/703010474

Also...

GM surprises with 3.7% gain; Ford sales drop 13.4%
Toyota gains 12.2 percent yet still ranks No. 4 for month

Dale Jewett  |  Automotive News / March 1, 2007 - 2:45 pm / UPDATED: 3/1/2007 5:20 P.M.
 
General Motors surprised industry watchers today by posting a 3.7 percent gain in U.S. sales for February, even as it said sales to rental fleets dropped 18 percent in the month from a year earlier.

And rival Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. posted another double-digit percentage gain in monthly U.S. sales -- up 12.2 percent in February from a year earlier -- yet still ranked only No. 4 among automakers for the month.

U.S. auto sales in February totaled 1,255,105 units, down 0.5 percent from a year earlier. For the year to date, U.S. auto sales are down 2.4 percent from the same period of last year, to 2,346,421 units.

General Motors

GM's U.S. sales in February, including the Saab brand, totaled 308,411 units. For the year to date, GM's U.S. sales are down 6.4 percent from the same period last year, to 553,025 units.

GM, which offered 0 percent financing on some vehicles in a February sale, saw showroom sales rise 11 percent in the month, more than offsetting an 18 percent drop in lower-margin sales to fleet operators.

"The bottom line for us is the overall February performance was very solid. A bit above expectations, certainly on the retail side," said GM chief sales analyst Paul Ballew.

Ford

Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales dropped 13.4 percent in February from a year earlier, in part because sales to rental fleets were chopped by nearly one-third.

Ford Motor's U.S. sales -- which include the Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo brands -- totaled 210,030 units in February. After two months this year, Ford sales are down 16.0 percent from the same period in 2006, to 375,718 units.

Ford said today that it would cut production in North America by 14.2 percent in the second quarter.

Ford's sales analyst George Pipas attributed lower F-series pickup sales during February to the weaker economy, saying the No. 2 automaker would be in a position to raise production in the second half if the housing market steadied or interest rates eased.

DaimlerChrysler

February U.S. sales for DaimlerChrysler fell 7.7 percent from a year ago, to 191,829 units. For the year to date, the automaker's U.S. sales are down 2.8 percent to 365,225 units.

The Chrysler group said its U.S. sales fell 8.3 percent in February to 174, 506 units.

Dodge division today launched a new sales incentive aimed at truck buyers, offering Hemi V-8 engines at no additional charge to buyers of some models of the Ram pickup and Durango SUV.

Mercedes-Benz' U.S. sales fell 0.3 percent in February from a year earlier, to 17,304 units.

Toyota

Overall, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.'s sales in February jumped 12.2 percent to 187,330 units, and the Toyota and Lexus divisions set sales records for the month.

With the redesigned Tundra on sale, Toyota's pickup sales are certain to be watched closely. Toyota said it sold 9,669 units of the Tundra in February, down 8.5 percent from a year earlier.

Honda

Japanese rival American Honda Motor Co. posted a 3.2 percent gain in U.S. sales for February, to 110,026 units, as the Honda division set a sales record for the month.

U.S. sales of the Honda Accord jumped 20.1 percent in February from a year earlier, Honda said. Accord sales were fueled by a $199-a-month lease program.

Nissan

Nissan North America's U.S. sales rose 1.2 percent in February, to 85,218 units, on the strength of growing sales for the redesigned Nissan Altima and the new Nissan Versa cars.

Reuters contributed to this report.

 Feb. Feb. Pct. 2 mos. 2 mos. Pct.
 2007 2006 chng. 2007 2006 chng.
BMW* 24,672 22,050 11.9% 46,521 44,300 5.0%
DaimlerChrysler** 191,829 207,745 –7.7% 365,225 375,701 –2.8%
Ford Motor Co.*** 210,030 242,652 –13.4% 375,718 447,175 –16.0%
General Motors**** 308,411 297,481 3.7% 553,025 590,612 –6.4%
American Honda† 110,026 106,644 3.2% 210,816 205,038 2.8%
Hyundai Group†† 58,012 54,733 6.0% 108,257 103,051 5.1%
Isuzu 559 796 –29.8% 1,059 1,504 –29.6%
Mazda 22,067 23,580 –6.4% 41,332 41,757 –1.0%
Mitsubishi 9,726 7,977 21.9% 19,109 15,446 23.7%
Nissan††† 85,218 84,241 1.2% 167,862 160,132 4.8%
Porsche 1,967 2,700 –27.1% 4,951 5,932 –16.5%
Subaru 12,874 13,635 –5.6% 24,948 26,019 –4.1%
Suzuki 8,585 8,542 0.5% 16,764 15,752 6.4%
Toyota‡ 187,330 166,940 12.2% 363,180 327,565 10.9%
VW‡‡ 23,208 21,408 8.4% 46,459 43,938 5.7%
Other (estimate) 591 545 8.4% 1,195 1,098 8.8%
TOTAL 1,255,105 1,261,669 –0.5% 2,346,421 2,405,020 –2.4%

[Mitlov]

Good for GM.  I wonder what models in particular are responsible (I wonder whether the Aura and Solstice/Sky had anything to do with this, or whether it's essentially all the new Silverado/Sierra/Tahoe/Silverado/etc).  I suspect this trend will continue when the Astra and G8 hit showrooms, which appear to be very solid entries into the small car and large car markets, respectively.

[articsteve]

For February GM had to resort to ZERO PERCENT on many models to move their units.  Ppl now expect it.  What a hole they have dug.  Good thing they still have huge margins.

[Juke1]

...and for how long has Hyundai used 0% to move vehicles?  Furthermore my local rental agency has nothing else but Toyota on the lot, has Toyota resorted to fleet sales?  Good on GM for the sales increase, they have great looking models and more on the way, things are looking up!

[articsteve]

...and for how long has Hyundai used 0% to move vehicles?  Furthermore my local rental agency has nothing else but Toyota on the lot, has Toyota resorted to fleet sales?  Good on GM for the sales increase, they have great looking models and more on the way, things are looking up!

and for how long has Hyundai used 0% to move vehicles?

Too long it seems.

by KELLY OLSEN - Associated Press posted January 25, 2007
 
SEOUL (AP) - Hyundai Motor Co. said Thursday its fourth-quarter profit slumped 22 per cent from a year earlier, hit by a strong South Korean currency, labour unrest and share-price weakness at affiliate Kia Motors Corp.  

Furthermore my local rental agency has nothing else but Toyota on the lot, has Toyota resorted to fleet sales?

Same here in Owen Sound for Thrifty Car Rental.  They buy from the local dealer; no "fleet" deals.  Just reliable cars that ppl don't mind driving that are easy to unload at good prices.  Same with the local MPAC (land tax ppl).  A fleet of Corollas bought and serviced at the local Toyota dealer.  Previously they used Sunfires, but of course realized they were junk and too costly to use as fleet vehicles.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

See sales attachment below...
Saturn soars; Silverado scores

John K. Teahen Jr.  |  Automotive News / March 5, 2007 - 1:00 am
 
February was a pretty good month for the auto industry in the United States. But you'd make a grave mistake to generalize about the month's sales.

You have to ask each manufacturer individually. You'll get almost as many answers as there are automakers.

Dealers delivered 1,255,105 new cars and light trucks in February, 0.5 percent (6,564 vehicles) fewer than in February 2006. The sales total was smack dab in the middle of the past five years -- better than in 2005 and 2003 but not quite as good as in 2004 and 2006.

At General Motors, the answer to your sales query would be: "We're very pleased." Sales of GM's domestic-brand cars and trucks rose 3.9 percent last month, its first year-to-year upturn since last November.

Single out Chevrolet, and you'll hear cheers in the background. A spokesperson will shout: "Hey, Silverado beat the F series!" Ford's big pickup has been the nation's sales leader almost forever. Chevrolet's last win was in June 2005, the first month of a GM employee-pricing giveaway. Ford had no such program.

GM's good fortune in February was entirely the work of Chevrolet and Saturn. Chevrolet's sales were up 5.6 percent. Saturn piled up a monthly gain of 59.4 percent on strong sales of the Vue and the new Aura and Outlook.

A bummer for some

Steer clear of Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler group with your sales question. February was a bummer for both companies.

Sales of Ford's domestic brands were down 13.9 percent from the year-ago month; the Chrysler group was down 8.3 percent. Ford's loss followed a 19.6 percent setback in January, while Chrysler was up 0.5 percent that month.

GM and Ford said they were pleased by a decline in less-profitable fleet sales to rental companies in February. GM was overjoyed by an 11 percent gain in retail sales.

Ask Toyota Motor Sales about February sales, and the answer probably will be: "Oh, pretty good." Toyota is reluctant to brag about its sales prowess, fearing a protectionist backlash in Congress. But Toyota Motor Sales had a solid 12.2 percent gain last month for its Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands.

Put the same question to Nissan North America Inc. and American Honda Motor Co. Inc., and they'll tell you: "Not bad." American Honda was up 3.2 percent for the month, and Honda and Acura brand sales set a February record. Nissan North America climbed 1.2 percent.

GM pointed proudly to its February market share of 24.4 percent for domestic brands. That's a full percentage point ahead of last year and GM's highest share since last July.

Ford Motor's domestic brands recorded a 15.7 percent share of U.S. sales, down 2.5 points from last year. It was Ford's best showing since last October. The Chrysler group lost 1.2 points last month, to 13.9 percent.

But the Detroit 3 stepped back from the precipice nonetheless. Their combined February share for domestic makes was 54.0 percent -- down 2.6 points from the year-ago month but not as scary as January's 50.5 percent. Never before had Detroit come so close to a 50-50 split with import automakers.

Toyota Motor added 1.7 points and wound up with 14.9 percent of the February pie. Nissan and Honda posted fractional gains.

Trucks good, cars bad

Trucks outsold cars in February, as the latter had a bad month. The breakout: trucks, 53.3 percent; cars, 46.7 percent.

Pickup sales rose 1.5 percent in February. Minivans dropped 17.4 percent. Crossovers saved the trucks' bacon with a jump of 20.0 percent.

Sales of entry-level SUVs zoomed up 24.6 percent for the month because of the Dodge Nitro and Toyota FJ Cruiser, which weren't around a year ago, and the Jeep Wrangler. For the 2007 model year, Jeep has discovered that a four-door Wrangler is a good horse to have in the stable.

Mid-sized SUVs continued their downward sales spiral with a loss of 22.5 percent in February, and full-sized SUVs were off 2.9 percent. But sales of the highest-priced SUVs rose 6.6 percent. Apparently, folks who can afford Cadillac Escalades and Mercedes GLs don't pay much attention to rising gasoline prices.

As a group, SUV sales dipped 5.9 percent in February.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Mazda is the big winner in the US, up 47.9% for March (17.5% YTD) due to the successful launch of the CX-7 and CX-9, in addition to double-digit gains from the Mazda3, RX-8, Tribute, and B-Series.

The month was the best ever for Mazda in the U.S., breaking a 1994 sales record, the company said.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

MARCH AUTO SALES

Ford, GM see sales drop

Dale Jewett  |  Automotive News / April 3, 2007 - 2:02 pm / UPDATED: 4/3/2007 3:52 P.M.
 
March was another month where Ford Motor Co. and General Motors saw their U.S. sales drop, while most import brands gained.

Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales dropped 9.0 percent in March from the same month a year earlier, as truck sales dropped 5.8 percent and car sales fell 14.6 percent.

Ford Motor's U.S. sales -- including the Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo brands -- totaled 263,582 units in March, compared with 289,605 units in March 2006. Through the first three months of the year, the automaker's U.S. sales totaled 639,530 units, down 13.2 percent from the same period last year.

U.S. sales at GM dropped 4.0 percent in March from a year earlier to 345,418 units. For the year to date, GM's U.S. sales, including the Saab brand, are down 5.5 percent from a year ago to 898,443 units.

Both Ford and GM cite a reduction in sales to rental fleets as a factor in their sales declines.

Nissan North America posted a 7.8 percent increase in U.S. sales for March, to 111,119 units. Nissan attributed the gain to more sales of the redesigned Nissan Altima and Infiniti G35 sedans. For the year to date, Nissan North America's U.S. sales are up 6.0 percent to 278,981.

Sales at Ford affiliate Mazda North America Operations rose 47.9 percent in March compared with a year earlier, to 37,742 units. The increase was propelled by the CX-7 and CX-9 wagons. For the year to date, Mazda's U.S. sales are up 17.5 percent compared with a year earlier, to 79,074.

Despite a record-setting month for its Audi brand, U.S. sales for the Volkswagen group were down 8.6 percent in March to 25,677 units. Sales were down for every model in the VW lineup except the Eos convertible, which was not on sale a year ago.

For the year to date, the Volkswagen group's U.S. sales are up 0.2 percent to 72,136 units.

Analysts expect the auto industry as a whole to report weaker to flat sales for March, continuing a trend that began late last year as the U.S. manufacturing sector slipped into a broader slowdown.

On an annualized basis, Wall Street forecasts for industrywide U.S. auto sales for March had been projected at 16.2 million to 16.6 million vehicles compared with 16.6 million a year ago.

Last month, sales incentives offered to new-car buyers in the United States fell slightly, according to Edmunds.com, an auto industry tracking Web site.

The average manufacturer incentive on cars and light trucks sold in the United States was $2,512 in March, down 0.4 percent from a year earlier, Edmunds.com said.

Sales incentives are widely tracked as an indication of the relative profitability of various automakers and the pressure they face to move inventory.

On an industry-wide basis, the total sales discounts amounted to $3.8 billion for March, with the U.S. automakers accounting for 69 percent of that total, Edmunds said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

You may e-mail Dale Jewett at djewett@crain.com
 


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
 March March Pct. 3 mos. 3 mos. Pct.
 2007 2006 chng. 2007 2006 chng.
BMW* 29,014 28,384 2.2% 75,535 72,684 3.9%
DaimlerChrysler** 228,066 237,851 –4.1% 593,291 613,552 –3.3%
Ford Motor Co.*** 263,582 289,605 –9.0% 639,530 736,966 –13.2%
General Motors**** 345,418 359,705 –4.0% 898,443 950,317 –5.5%
American Honda† 143,392 128,806 11.3% 354,208 333,844 6.1%
Hyundai Group†† 69,551 67,770 2.6% 177,808 170,821 4.1%
Isuzu 743 947 –21.5% 1,802 2,451 –26.5%
Mazda 37,742 25,514 47.9% 79,074 67,271 17.5%
Mitsubishi 12,536 10,249 22.3% 31,645 25,695 23.2%
Nissan††† 111,119 103,095 7.8% 278,981 263,227 6.0%
Porsche 3,278 3,185 2.9% 8,229 9,132 –9.9%
Subaru 18,027 19,048 –5.4% 42,976 45,067 –4.6%
Suzuki 11,030 10,887 1.3% 27,794 26,639 4.3%
Toyota‡ 242,675 217,286 11.7% 605,855 544,851 11.2%
VW‡‡ 25,677 28,084 –8.6% 72,136 72,022 0.2%
Other (estimate) 648 610 6.2% 1,819 1,726 5.4%
TOTAL 1,542,498 1,531,026 0.7% 3,889,126 3,936,265 –1.2%

[MKII]

Impressive Mazda3 numbers from the US market as well, with 15,606 units March 2007 compared to 2006 sales of 8,087, a  +93.0% increase. .
 

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Import brands steal the first-quarter thunder

John K. Teahen Jr.  |  Automotive News / April 9, 2007 - 1:00 am
 
No matter how you slice it, the first quarter of 2007 was a bad one for the Detroit 3. U.S. sales were down, and so was market share.

Not so with the import brands -- most of them at least. While each of the Detroit 3 suffered, surging imports kept the overall size of the U.S. market nearly even with last year. Industrywide, sales of 3,888,952 in the quarter were down just 1.2 percent (47,313 units) from 2006.

March was the first month of 2007 that topped last year. Sales were 1,542,498, up 0.7 percent (11,472 units) from an equally strong March 2006. Any time monthly sales top 1.5 million, things are robust.

They just didn't feel robust for the Detroit 3, meaning, in this report, the North American brands of General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler group.

Meanwhile, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. (Toyota-Lexus-Scion) notched its best U.S. sales month ever in March, and American Honda Motor Co. had its third best month of all time.

Barely above 50%

In market share, the Detroit 3 managed to stay above 50.0 percent in March and for the first quarter -- but not by much. The three companies' combined market share was 51.6 percent for March -- off 3.6 percentage points from the same month last year. The Detroit 3 share for the quarter was 52.1, down 3.7 percentage points from 2006.

Ford Motor was socked the hardest on the sales front, down 9.1 percent for March and 13.6 percent for the three months. A bright spot for Ford: Its F-series pickup, the company's pride and joy, outsold Chevrolet's Silverado in March. The Silverado was on top in February. The F series also is 18,936 ahead for the year.

Another encouraging sign: Lincoln sales rose for both periods, mainly because of the new MKX crossover.

The Chrysler group reported the smallest losses of the Detroit 3 in the first quarter, but it is awash in incentives. Edmunds.com said last week that Chrysler group vehicles were loaded with an average of $4,351 in incentives in March. That was $1,230 more than Ford Motor and $1,496 more than GM.

At GM, Saturn was the winner, up 27.0 percent for March and 20.2 percent for the first quarter. Saturn got boosts from the new Aura sedan and the new Outlook crossover. Sales of Saturn's carryover nameplates declined.

Buick fared worst among GM's brands, with declines of 30.3 percent for March and 29.9 percent for the quarter. Chevrolet, Pontiac, Cadillac and Hummer lost ground for both the month and the quarter.

In all, sales of GM's North American vehicles slipped 3.9 percent for March and 5.4 percent for the first quarter.

Toyota: A lion in March

The picture is much brighter for the import brands. In March, Toyota-Lexus-Scion set a record with 242,675 sales, up 11.7 percent over last year.

Toyota's tiny Scion took a 23.0 percent sales bath in March because of model changeovers. But sales of the hybrid Toyota Prius more than doubled in March and are up 79.4 percent for three months. Toyota dealers sold 13,196 units of the redesigned Tundra pickup in March, up from 9,669 in February. The goal is 200,000 Tundras a year; that's 16,667 a month.

American Honda (Honda-Acura) reported its best March and third highest month in history. Nissan North America (Nissan-Infiniti) sales jumped 7.8 percent.

Mazda posted an upturn of 47.9 percent for the month with strong sales of the new CX-7 and CX-9 crossovers and the Mazda3 and Mazda6 sedans. Give the Q7 crossover the credit for Audi's 14.7 percent gain in March.

A few import brands would like to forget March. The loss column for March included Volkswagen division, down 16.3 percent; Saab, off 12.4; Jaguar, minus 10.7; Subaru, 5.4; Volvo, 4.2; and Acura, 3.1.

See attachment for March '07 sales...

[MKII]

May 1 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. all posted declines in U.S. auto sales in April as gasoline prices rose.

GM sales fell 9.5 percent, and Ford dropped 13 percent from the year-earlier month. Nissan slipped 18 percent, and Toyota was down 4.3 percent, for its first monthly falloff in two years. DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler, led by Jeep, had a surprise 2 percent increase.

Sales declines by most of the biggest automakers will send the U.S. industry to its second straight monthly drop and the third of the year. Analysts had forecast the slide, citing rising gasoline prices and a weak U.S. housing market.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a.HQvMvVIXX0&refer=home

[sirAQUAMAN64]

APRIL U.S. AUTO SALES

More losers than gainers

Dale Jewett  |  Automotive News / May 1, 2007 - 9:39 am / UPDATED: 5/1/07 4:26 P.M.
 
April is looking like a cold month for auto sales in the United States.

Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Nissan North America all posted sizeable sales declines in April, compared with April 2006.

The industry is being hit by a weak housing market and gasoline prices that have climbed to near $3 a gallon, analysts said.

GM sales in its home market fell 9.5 percent in April from a year earlier to 307,554 vehicles. The automaker’s U.S. sales this year are down 6.5 percent.

GM’s executive director of global market industry analysis attributed the decline to the automaker’s decision to dial back on sales to daily rental fleets. Paul Ballew added that industry sales were strong in areas of the country not hit by the slowdown in housing sales.

Ford Motor Co.’s U.S. sales in April were down 12.9 percent to 227,560 units. Sales were down for nearly all the automaker’s brands, and most of its car and truck model lines. In the first four months of 2007, Ford Motor’s sales are down 13.1 percent.

Mazda North American Operations saw its U.S. sales slip 5.9 percent for the month. Still, year-to-date sales are up 11.7 percent. Mazda Motor Corp. is one-third owned by Ford Motor.

Nissan takes a hit

Nissan North America, which has launched several new models over the past few months, saw its U.S. sales plunge 18.0 percent in April. Nissan’s sales are virtually unchanged from the first quarter of 2006 at 350,105 units.

Hyundai Group’s sales in the United States dropped 5.4 percent in April. After four months, combined sales of the Hyundai and Kia brands are up 1.4 percent.

The Volkswagen group also posted lower U.S. sales in April, down 3.1 percent from a year earlier to 27,494 units. While its luxury Audi brand noted that its U.S. sales in April set a record for the month, Volkswagen brand sales tumbled 7.0 percent, the automaker said.

Sales for Porsche Cars North America, Subaru of America Inc. and American Suzuki Motor Corp. also fell short of year-ago totals.

On the other hand, Mitsubishi Motors North America saw its U.S. sales rise 11.1 percent in April from a year earlier, to 12,047 units, on the sales strength of the redesigned Lancer sedan. U.S. sales for Mitsubishi Motors are up 19.6 percent so far from the same period in 2006.

Analysts expect industry-wide U.S. auto sales to have dropped to an 18-month low in April, raising questions about the strength of demand for the remainder of the year.

Reuters contributed to this report.
 
 April April Pct. 4 mos. 4 mos. Pct.
 2007 2006 chng. 2007 2006 chng.
BMW* 28,726 28,595 0.5% 104,261 101,279 2.9%
DaimlerChrysler** 214,018 211,388 1.2% 807,309 824,940 –2.1%
Ford Motor Co.*** 227,560 261,193 –12.9% 867,090 998,159 –13.1%
General Motors**** 307,554 339,797 –9.5% 1,205,997 1,290,113 –6.5%
American Honda† 126,419 139,124 –9.1% 480,627 472,968 1.6%
Hyundai Group†† 65,144 68,833 –5.4% 242,952 239,654 1.4%
Isuzu 592 884 –33.0% 2,394 3,335 –28.2%
Mazda 21,060 22,385 –5.9% 100,134 89,656 11.7%
Mitsubishi 12,047 10,841 11.1% 43,692 36,536 19.6%
Nissan††† 71,124 86,720 –18.0% 350,105 349,947 0.0%
Porsche 3,015 3,341 –9.8% 11,244 12,458 –9.7%
Subaru 13,786 16,073 –14.2% 56,764 61,141 –7.2%
Suzuki 9,179 10,669 –14.0% 36,973 37,308 –0.9%
Toyota‡ 210,457 219,965 –4.3% 816,312 764,816 6.7%
VW‡‡ 27,494 28,386 –3.1% 99,456 100,408 –0.9%
Other (estimate) 661 581 13.8% 2,480 2,307 7.5%
TOTAL 1,338,836 1,448,775 –7.6% 5,227,790 5,385,025 –2.9%
Numbers in this table are calculated by Automotive News based on actual monthly sales reported by the manufacturers and may differ from numbers reported elsewhere.
Source: Automotive News Data Center
Note: Other includes estimates for Ferrari, Lamborghini and Lotus
*Includes Mini and Rolls-Royce
**Includes Mercedes-Benz
***Includes Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo
****Includes Saab
†Includes Honda Division and Acura
††Includes Hyundai and Kia
†††Includes Nissan Division and Infiniti
‡Includes Toyota Division and Lexus
‡‡Includes VW, Audi and Bentley

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Or for easier reading... http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/01/by-the-numbers-april-2007/

[MKII]

Interesting (to me) the automotive news sales article does not make any mention of Toyota's 1st monthly decline in 2 years. Being a rare event for Toyota to be in the minus column.

[Cord]

Interesting (to me) the automotive news sales article does not make any mention of Toyota's 1st monthly decline in 2 years. Being a rare event for Toyota to be in the minus column.

Nor do they mention Honda's loss of over 9%.

[airbalancer]

GMC is up, I guess the new pick up is selling will

[G0dspd]

Toyota USA: Down 4.3%
MarketWatch.com reported Toyota posted a sales decline of nearly 10 000 units compared to this time last year, which Toyota blames on two fewer selling days in April.  They said that had they had those exra days, they would have increased sales by 3.7%.

mmeeehh

Honda USA: Down 9.1%
Honda posted weaker sales for both its car and truck divisions in the April selling period MarketWatch.com reported.  Car sales were down 14.1% and truck sales were down 2.6%.  Acura sales fell about 15% according to Honda's press release.

Isn't there a 200$/month promotion on the new Civic (probably base model)?

[PJungnitsch]

Ahh the devil's in the details, Autoblog points out a short selling month compared to April 2006 means that things are not nearly as bad as they look:

As you scan the interweb for news of April sales numbers today, be careful. There were two less selling days in April of this year compared to 2006 (24 vs. 26). On account of this, other media outlets are painting a bleaker picture by comparing the raw numbers for April in 2006 and 2007. When you compare the daily average sales rate (DSR), as we have, it's apparent the month isn't as bad as some are saying.

COMPANIES
BMW Group
8.8% at 28,692 (4/06: 28,563)
Chrysler Group
10% at 193,104 (4/06: 190,095)
Ford Motor Co
–5.7% at 228,623 (4/06: 262,722)
General Motors
–2.2% at 311,687 (4/06: 345,404)
Honda America
–1.6% at 126,419 (4/06: 139,124)
Nissan North America
–11% at 71,124 (4/06: 86,720)
Toyota Motor Co.
3.7% at 210,457 (4/06: 219,965)

Looks like Chrysler knew what they were doing with the Compass. Jeep sales up by 40%!