US Vehicle Sales

[carcrazy]

The Accord and Camry will be I4 and in the US, the Aura 3.5 is cheaper than either. I think this will be one of the "selling" points. As far as I know, the 3.5 V6 is an old GM engine. Would I buy it? No way. If I would buy an Aura, I would buy the 3.6L V6.
I find this kind of campaign desperate and stupid, regardless if it's GM or other car company (yes, you got that right and you have the liberty to consider it otherwise). The same goes for Hyundai, which currently airs an ad, which explicitly compares the Sonata to a BMW 5-Series.  Have they lost their common sense?
Going back to the Aura, GM should have kept the Vectra intact (especially the interior) and most likely it should've sold much better by itself without such a marketing gimmick.

[carcrazy]

has a major brand image challenge to overcome while competing with 2 TITANS that offer best in the business 4 cylinder power during the highest gasoline prices in US history. 

I think he meant "power" like in "powerplant" or "engine" not like in "horse power".

[G0dspd]

I find this kind of campaign desperate and stupid, regardless if it's GM or other car company (yes, you got that right and you have the liberty to consider it otherwise). The same goes for Hyundai, which currently airs an ad, which explicitly compares the Sonata to a BMW 5-Series.  Have they lost their common sense?

Sonata Limited vs. BMW 525  (replaced in March '07 by the 528i)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw6Lmq3brjI

Santa Fe vs. Land Rover LR3 (CUV vs. real 4X4 ... wow )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz7u0DCw044&mode=related&search=

Azera vs. Lexus LS460 ( )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAvGwWAPwX8&mode=related&search=

Ford Edge vs. BMW X5  ()
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbN0aaI87M8

Ford Edge vs. Lexus RX350 ()
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QNNdb3O2WE&mode=related&search=

GM'S side-by-side promotion is a lot more realistic than those ads.

[carcrazy]

All I can say is that plain idiots run these manufacturers’ marketing organizations. Do you think they got one single BMW or Lexus shopper buying a Hyundai or Ford? If they are lucky, GM may get a hand full of confused customers buying an Aura, but that's about it.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

All I can say is that plain idiots run these manufacturers’ marketing organizations. Do you think they got one single BMW or Lexus shopper buying a Hyundai or Ford? If they are lucky, GM may get a hand full of confused customers buying an Aura, but that's about it.

You are just about completely missing the point. The ads aren't about getting BMW or Lexus buyers into Fords and Hyundais, it's about getting people who are looking at the Fords and Hyundais (and their real competitors) to feel better about their choices. Injecting levity into adverts never hurts either.

[carcrazy]

All I can say is that plain idiots run these manufacturers’ marketing organizations. Do you think they got one single BMW or Lexus shopper buying a Hyundai or Ford? If they are lucky, GM may get a hand full of confused customers buying an Aura, but that's about it.

You are just about completely missing the point. The ads aren't about getting BMW or Lexus buyers into Fords and Hyundais, it's about getting people who are looking at the Fords and Hyundais (and their real competitors) to feel better about their choices. Injecting levity into adverts never hurts either.

The point is that the Hyundai ads imply that the Hyundai's are superior to the BMW, LR or Lexus and cost less. For instance, LR3 only has more cup holders than the Santa Fe, but you pay 13K more.
BTW: Did you notice in the video how far behind the LR3 is when they say theSanta Fe beats the LR3 in 0-60 mph? I just quickly went on Edmunds to compare the 0-60 mph times for the two: Santa Fe Ltd 8.7s, LR3 8.9s. So much of a difference indeed.

I would agree with you on the Ford ads though. They just highlight one particular aspect of the car compared to the others.

[articsteve]

has a major brand image challenge to overcome while competing with 2 TITANS that offer best in the business 4 cylinder power during the highest gasoline prices in US history. 

I think he meant "power" like in "powerplant" or "engine" not like in "horse power".

I think he meant "power" like in "powerplant" or "engine" not like in "horse power".

Of course (thank you for pointing that out to Mitloaf).  The Accord and Camry 4 bangers mated to their respective 5 speed automatics are without question the best normally aspirated  four cylinder "POWER" in the business.  Each of those powertrains is flawless.  The new Accord 4 banger will be more awesome.

So now with hurricane season approaching in the USA and gas prices so subject to horrible volatility that could easily push US gas to 4 bucks a gallon, explain to me why a  3.5 gas guzzling GM V6 is a competitive advantage?

In Canada 07 Camry 4 bangers were out selling V6 Camrys by 5 to 1 when gas was 80 cents a litre.  When Americans cross that threshold, and some regions have, they will buy no differently.  Talk about a company (GM) being late to the game.       

 

[Mitlov]

Mitloaf

We're back in elementary school!  Yay!

[articsteve]

A thousand apologies MITLOV.     It was MEATLOAF TUESDAY at the prison cafeteria and I was still trying to get over it when I inadvertently misspelled your name. 

[safristi]

i shall be unable to NOT see "MEATLOAF" henceforth yer Honour,,,,,,,,,,,,wif a side of Mashed and Gravy...............

[PJungnitsch]

June US sales in. GM taking a pounding, down 25%. They say it could be a reduction in rental sales, might be part of it but even the mighty Silverado is down 24%

Nissan OTOH doing very well, up 18, while Jeep seems to be holding up Chrysler all by itself.

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/03/by-the-numbers-june-2007/

[airbalancer]

Part GM sale problems is a lot people are waiting for the July 4 sales, where they have been giving big discounts the last couple of years

[G0dspd]

Did they (GM) have the employee discount thing last year at this time?  Anyway, those monthly reports don't mean much without a context.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

JUNE AUTO SALES

Ford sees good news in June decline
Automaker cuts fleet sales; Focus, Edge moving up

Richard Truett
Automotive News
July 3, 2007 - 1:08 pm
UPDATED: 7/3/07 4:38 p.m.

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co.’s June sales were down 8.2 percent from last year, but the company said it saw some good news in those numbers.

The decline comes mostly from Ford's planned reduction of sales to daily rental car fleets.

Collectively, automakers sold 1,455,503 vehicles in the United States in June, down 3.0 percent from the same month last year. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate for June was 15.9 million.

Ford has said it wants to cut sales to rental fleets by 135,000 units this year. In June, it said, it achieved 22,000 units of that cut. Ford said that through the first six months of this year it has cut sales to rental fleets by 89,000 units.

Sales for all of Ford's brands, including Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, totaled 245,924, down from 267,955 a year ago.

Ford said it eked out its first monthly gain in showroom sales since October. The automaker said essentially all of the decline in its sales reflected its strategy of throttling back on fleet sales and emerging as a smaller automaker focused on higher-margin showroom transactions. Ford and General Motors are reducing low-margin sales to car rental agencies because of their low return and potential for eroding resale values.

A number of new and redesigned Ford vehicles posted strong sales in June:
The Edge crossover posted record sales of 12,470
The redesigned Escape, up 33 percent compared with June 2006, and the Mercury Mariner, up 97 percent, set June sales records.


The redesigned Taurus — actually a renamed Five Hundred sedan — sold 5,836 units in its second month on the market.

Despite higher fuel prices, the Expedition also posted an increase with 8,972 units sold, up 30.9 percent over last June. Lincoln logged its ninth straight month of sales increases, and a 30.0 percent increase over last June.

The Focus gained 20 percent compared with June 2006.

But the Mustang pulled up lame. With sales of 12,781, it was down 15.7 percent from a year ago.

The Fusion and its Mercury sibling, the Milan, also declined in June. The Fusion was off 9.2 percent compared with June 2006, and the Milan was down 13.5 percent. The key F-series truck, Ford's volume leader, lost 0.5 percent with sales of 65,156 units in June.

Sales for the Chrysler group were down 1 percent compared with June 2006 in one of its last months in operation as a unit of DaimlerChrysler. Chrysler is being taken private by Cerberus Capital Management in a $7.4 billion deal that could close this month.

Ford and Chrysler stepped up their marketing and incentive spending in June.

Chrysler ran an ad campaign through June spotlighting the fuel efficiency of its passenger cars and small SUVs, and offered an industry-leading package of sales incentives.

Chrysler said its car sales were up 55 percent in June, while sales of the new Jeep Wrangler helped lead results higher for that brand by 19 percent.

In other results:


Honda posted higher sales, mostly on the strength of new vehicles, while nearly all of its older models struggled. For the month, sales for Honda and Acura totaled 140,935, up 11.5 percent over a year ago. But that spike came from just a few vehicles.

Accord sales were down 11.3 percent from June 2006, to 28,915. Ridgeline, Pilot and Element also declined.

But sales of the recently redesigned Civic shot up 38.8 percent, to 36,512. Honda’s other winners were the redesigned CR-V, up 59.1 percent to 19,715 sales for June, and the fuel-saving Fit, up 49.8 percent over a year ago.


Toyota said U.S. sales rose 6.1 percent in June as incentives helped boost sales of its Tundra pickup. The Japanese automaker, which has overtaken General Motors as the world's largest, sold 245,739 vehicles in the United States in June.

The automaker said car sales rose 5 percent, driven by big increases in sales of its Camry sedan and the Prius hybrid vehicle. Truck sales rose 7.8 percent, boosted by a big increase in sales of the Tundra pickup, on which Toyota has uncharacteristically heaped big incentives. The results include both Toyota and Lexus brands.


Nissan said U.S. sales rose 22.7 percent, as strong demand for its cars offset a big decline in trucks. Nissan said it sold 92,212 vehicles in the United States in June.

U.S. sales of Nissan cars rose 56.5 percent, driven by the Versa, while truck sales fell 15 percent, the automaker said.

The automaker said its Infiniti unit's U.S. sales rose 9.3 percent compared with June 2006.

Nissan's gains came after it stepped up its incentive spending in June, offering an average discount of $2,218, compared with $1,943 in May, according to Edmunds.com.


Korean automakers had a mixed month with Hyundai up and Kia down.

Hyundai sales broke out of their funk in June, moving ahead 10.9 percent on the strength of the Elantra, Sonata, Entourage, Sante Fe and Veracruz. Hyundai sold 49,368 units in June, up from 44,508 a year ago. But total Hyundai sales are just 1.1 percent ahead of the first six months of 2006.

Hyundai’s sister company, Kia, slipped 5.1 percent in June to 26,288 from 27,443 a year ago. For the year, Kia sales are 5.3 percent higher.


Volkswagen brand car sales in the United States rose 15.0 percent in June to 23,137 units, marking its best overall sales month since August last year.

The sales helped reduce the overall drop in U.S. sales this year to just 1 percent through June, amounting to a total of 114,880 VW brand cars. VW said the increase was driven by strong sales of the GTI, Rabbit, Jetta and Passat.

Also, said VW, "The retractable hardtop convertible Eos posted its second-best month ever, as summer is now in full swing."


Volkswagen's premium brand Audi suffered a 3.1 percent drop in U.S. vehicle sales to 7,789 units, mainly due to a sharp decline in demand for its A6 full-sized model. Sales of its revamped TT sports coupe and roadster model line increased by almost fivefold to nearly 500 units. In the first six months of 2007, Audi sales have risen 13.0 percent to 45,711 units.


BMW, the world's largest premium carmaker, posted a 6.0 percent growth in U.S. vehicle sales to 29,428 units in June as demand for its BMW brand SUVs and its Mini surged, the automaker said. In the first six months of 2007, group sales rose 4.5 percent to 164,542 units.


DaimlerChrysler reported that its Mercedes-Benz unit fell 6 percent compared with June 2006, to 19,589 vehicles.


Subaru posted U.S. sales of 17,108, down 7.4 percent from June of 2006.


Mitsubishi posted U.S. sales of 13,014, up 30.1 percent from June of 2006.


Porsche sales grew by 13.8 percent last month to 3,267 units. Porsche said sales of its facelifted Cayenne SUV rose 57 percent, while demand for its flagship 911 coupe grew 7 percent.

Reuters contributed to this report

You may e-mail Richard Truett at rtruett@crain.com

 


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

 
 June June Pct. 6 mos. 6 mos. Pct.
 2007 2006 chng. 2007 2006 chng.
BMW* 29,428 27,767 6.0% 164,542 157,438 4.5%
DaimlerChrysler** 202,955 206,771 –1.8% 1,231,447 1,244,616 –1.1%
Ford Motor Co.*** 245,924 267,955 –8.2% 1,371,283 1,543,381 –11.2%
General Motors**** 320,668 407,513 –21.3% 1,897,720 2,036,037 –6.8%
American Honda† 140,935 126,449 11.5% 766,929 741,227 3.5%
Hyundai Group†† 75,656 71,951 5.1% 390,987 380,613 2.7%
Isuzu 676 745 –9.3% 3,777 4,718 –19.9%
Mazda 25,761 23,727 8.6% 152,683 140,704 8.5%
Mitsubishi 13,014 10,004 30.1% 70,357 58,361 20.6%
Nissan††† 92,212 75,154 22.7% 535,372 511,768 4.6%
Porsche 3,267 2,871 13.8% 17,859 18,610 –4.0%
Subaru 17,108 18,476 –7.4% 90,154 96,026 –6.1%
Suzuki 10,325 9,516 8.5% 57,488 56,959 0.9%
Toyota‡ 245,739 223,018 10.2% 1,331,074 1,223,542 8.8%
VW‡‡ 31,226 28,430 9.8% 162,847 158,490 2.7%
Other (estimate) 609 583 4.5% 3,755 3,518 6.7%
TOTAL 1,455,503 1,500,930 –3.0% 8,248,274 8,376,008 –1.5%
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

[MKII]

Toyota Division passenger cars recorded July sales of 112,153, a
decrease of 10.2 percent from last July.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-01-2007/0004637330&EDATE=

[MKII]

Average Incentives Automaker
                   July 2007/ June 2007/ July 2006

Chrysler Group $4,082 /$3,830/ $2,623
Ford               $2,984/ $3,109/ $3,888
General Motors $3,130 /$2,834 /$4,502
Honda             $1,146/ $1,324 /$896
Nissan             $2,290/ $2,137/ $2,618
Toyota           $1,492/ $1,395 /$1,009

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Shaping up to be a poor month.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

For brand detail http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/01/by-the-numbers-july-2007/


JULY U.S. AUTO SALES

Sales wilt in July
It's a first: Detroit 3 market share dips below 50%
Richard Truett and John K. Teahen Jr.
Automotive News
August 1, 2007 - 12:01 am
UPDATED: 8/1/07 3:20 p.m.
 
For U.S. automakers, July was the darkest month in the 102-year history of the automobile business in the United States.

For the first time, foreign manufacturers controlled the market. The import-badged cars and trucks captured 51.9 percent of the market, leaving only 48.1 percent for the domestic brands of General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler group. A year ago, the domestics had 52.0 percent of the July market.

In raw numbers, the score was: Imports, 679,523; Detroit 3, 629,569. The domestic brands still hold the lead for the year to date. Seven-month market shares were 51.4 percent for the Detroit 3 domestics and 48.6 percent for the import-badged brands.

Still, sales weren't great for the imports, either. Auto sales wilted for just about everybody in July. For the month, total sales fell 12.4 percent.

Withered by high fuel prices and blistered by consumers strapped for cash because of rising mortgage rates, five of the big six automakers lost ground in July. Only Nissan eked out a small gain.

Not even Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. and American Honda Motor Co., which seem to always prosper in good times and bad, could buck the July drought. Both jacked up their incentive spending, but suffered sales declines anyway.

As usual, the news was the worst for the Detroit 3:
General Motors: down 22.3 percent
Ford Motor Co.: down 19.2 percent
the Chrysler group: down 8.4 percent
GM said it sold 315,870 vehicles in July, down from 406,298 in July 2006. Ford delivered 194,092 vehicles in July, compared with 240,104 last year. The Chrysler group sold 137,728 vehicles in July, down from 150,349 a year ago.

Toyota was off 3.5 percent from a year ago, while Honda's sales fell 3.2 percent. But the results might have been much worse had it not been for incentives, which were way up for both automakers in July.

"We are seeing combined incentive spending for Japanese automakers reach record highs," said Jesse Toprak, executive director for industry analysis for Edmunds.com, an industry research firm.

Record incentives

In July, Toyota's average incentive spending per vehicle totaled $1,492, up nearly 50 percent from July 2006. Honda, which typically shies away from cash payouts, spent an average of $1,146 per vehicle on incentives, up nearly 30 percent from a year ago. Nissan's July incentives of $2,290 per vehicle topped the Asian automakers but were down about 12 percent from a year ago.

Still, the Detroit 3 led the league in givebacks in July by a wide margin. The Chrysler group averaged $4,082 per vehicle, up from $2,623 a year ago. Ford's average of $2,984, was down sharply from $3,888 in July 2006 and was best among the Detroit 3. GM, with an average of $3,130, was down nearly 20 percent over a year ago.

Ford sales analyst George Pipas said declines in both daily rental fleet and retail sales contributed to the big drop.

"Obviously, the magnitude of the decline in July is fairly substantial," Pipas said.

He said softer industry sales are a concern, but Ford will stick with its plans rather than unilaterally lowering prices to spike consumer interest.

"Sometimes you just take your medicine and get on with it," Pipas said.

August doesn't look sunny

GM had almost no bright spots, and no indication that August will be any better than July. With the exception of the Saturn Aura, Pontiac Solstice and Cadillac DTS, sales of all of GM's car lines were down. For GM's bread-and-butter pickups, the Chevrolet Silverado fell 26.5 percent, and the GMC Sierra was off 28 percent.

Only GM's new trio of mid-sized crossovers, the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, had any traction in July. Combined, the three stylish crossovers sold 12,080. The sales are encouraging for GM because the crossovers are moving off showroom floors despite low incentives, and production is just now ramping up.

Paul Ballew, GM's executive director of market and industry analysis, said, "We didn't have a terrific retail month for sure, but it's better than June."
 


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

 
 July July Pct. 7 mos. 7 mos. Pct.
 2007 2006 chng. 2007 2006 chng.
BMW* 28,398 23,643 20.1% 192,940 181,081 6.5%
DaimlerChrysler** 156,333 171,963 –9.1% 1,387,780 1,416,579 –2.0%
Ford Motor Co.*** 194,092 240,104 –19.2% 1,565,375 1,783,485 –12.2%
General Motors**** 315,870 406,298 –22.3% 2,213,590 2,442,335 –9.4%
American Honda† 141,049 151,804 –7.1% 907,978 893,031 1.7%
Hyundai Group†† 70,201 73,634 –4.7% 461,188 454,247 1.5%
Isuzu 586 712 –17.7% 4,363 5,430 –19.7%
Mazda 25,856 25,963 –0.4% 178,536 166,667 7.1%
Mitsubishi 10,347 10,502 –1.5% 80,704 68,863 17.2%
Nissan††† 87,877 86,408 1.7% 623,256 598,176 4.2%
Porsche 3,230 3,202 0.9% 21,089 21,787 –3.2%
Subaru 15,438 18,923 –18.4% 105,592 114,949 –8.1%
Suzuki 7,943 8,030 –1.1% 65,431 64,989 0.7%
Toyota‡ 224,058 241,826 –7.3% 1,555,132 1,465,368 6.1%
VW‡‡ 27,051 29,824 –9.3% 189,898 188,314 0.8%
Other (estimate) 617 564 9.4% 4,372 4,082 7.1%
TOTAL 1,308,946 1,493,400 –12.4% 9,557,224 9,869,383 –3.2%
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]

US July '07 nameplate sales...

[Allen]

Ford, Toyota U.S. sales fall in September
DEE-ANN DURBIN

Associated Press

October 2, 2007 at 2:14 PM EDT

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales plummeted 21 per cent in September as the auto maker made deep cuts in sales to rental agencies. Toyota also posted a decline, but General Motors and Honda fared better despite a tough economic climate.

General Motors Corp. said sales were flat compared with last September. The company got a boost from its new lineup of pickups as well as the new Cadillac CTS, which posted a 73 per cent sales increase.

Honda Motor Co. reported a U.S. sales increase of more than 9 per cent.

Ford's car sales dropped 39 per cent compared with last September, while its truck sales were down 5 per cent. Sales of Ford's F-150 pickup, long the best-selling vehicle in the United States, fell 21 per cent as newer pickups from GM and Toyota Motor Corp. stole its thunder.
 
Ford said a 62 per cent reduction in sales to rental car fleets partly was to blame. Ford has been trying to cut back on rental sales, which can hurt brand image and profits. Ford's overall sales were down 13 per cent for the first nine months of the year. Ford hasn't seen a month when sales rose since October, 2006, according to Ward's AutoInfoBank.

George Pipas, Ford's top sales analyst, said Ford is on track to cut sales to daily rental fleets by more than its original goal of 30 per cent this year, or 135,000 vehicles.

“At the very beginning of the year, we said planned reductions in daily rental were of such a magnitude that we expected a sales decline every month this year,” Mr. Pipas said in a conference call with investors and media. “What has transpired has been in line with what our expectations were at the beginning of the year.”

Toyota's overall decline compared with September of last year was led by its trucks, which were off 5.7 per cent. Car sales were down 3.5 per cent, the company reported, but it said the figures were compared with a best-ever September, 2006.

Analysts have said that a drop in Toyota sales usually is a sign of a bad month for all auto makers since the company had been showing increases during most months.

Honda bucked the negative trend thanks to a 7.2 per cent rise in car sales, while truck sales were up 12.5 per cent. Honda Motor, which includes Honda and the Acura luxury brand, said its Honda division reported a record September. Its new Accord sedan and CR-V crossover vehicle helped fuel the increase, the company said.

Many analysts predicted that jittery consumers put off big-ticket purchases in reaction to the credit crunch, high gas prices and the troubled housing market. Last week's two-day strike against GM by the United Auto Workers wasn't expected to have much impact. Wall Street analysts predicted overall sales would be down 4 per cent for the month.

The Associated Press reports unadjusted figures, calculating the percentage change in the total number of vehicles sold in one month compared with the same month a year earlier. Some auto makers report percentages adjusted for sales days. There were 25 sales days last month and 26 in September, 2006.

Ford's shares were up 25 cents, or 3.04 per cent, to $8.48 in afternoon trading as investors anticipated a new contract with the UAW that could help Ford. GM shares rose 71 cents, or 1.97 per cent, to $36.76.