OCTOBER AUTO SALES
October October October 10 mos. 10 mos. Pct.
2008 2007 chng. 2008 2007 chng.
Aston Martin 140 172 –18.6% 1,400 858 63.2%
BMW Group* 25,512 26,857 –5.0% 262,172 275,447 –4.8%
Chrysler LLC** 94,530 145,316 –34.9% 1,278,049 1,724,139 –25.9%
Daimler AG*** 17,257 22,842 –24.5% 212,886 203,305 4.7%
Ford/Lincoln/Mercury 128,531 181,589 –29.2% 1,656,173 2,023,449 –18.2%
Aston Martin – – – – 856 –
Jaguar – 1,030 – 7,021 13,047 –46.2%
Land Rover – 4,237 – 14,292 40,311 –64.5%
Volvo 3,717 7,761 –52.1% 63,745 88,645 –28.1%
Ford Motor Co.**** 132,248 194,617 –32.0% 1,741,231 2,166,308 –19.6%
General Motors***** 168,719 307,408 –45.1% 2,581,385 3,241,501 –20.4%
American Honda† 85,864 114,799 –25.2% 1,266,447 1,308,319 –3.2%
Hyundai Group†† 36,303 55,417 –34.5% 602,055 645,867 –6.8%
Isuzu 251 576 –56.4% 4,440 6,110 –27.3%
Mazda 16,442 22,201 –25.9% 231,850 250,601 –7.5%
Mitsubishi 7,486 9,280 –19.3% 87,591 115,106 –23.9%
Nissan††† 56,945 84,946 –33.0% 842,644 898,000 –6.2%
Porsche 1,427 2,862 –50.1% 22,503 29,140 –22.8%
Subaru 12,917 14,979 –13.8% 156,706 153,601 2.0%
Suzuki 3,482 6,536 –46.7% 77,999 88,536 –11.9%
Tata Motors‡ 2,850 – – 16,639 – –
Toyota‡‡ 152,100 197,592 –23.0% 1,945,402 2,199,237 –11.5%
VW‡‡‡ 23,478 25,059 –6.3% 266,849 271,575 –1.7%
Other (estimate) 641 654 –2.0% 6,521 6,343 2.8%
TOTAL 838,592 1,232,113 –31.9% 11,604,769 13,583,993 –14.6%
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; actuals for Maserati
*Includes Mini and Rolls-Royce
**DaimlerChrysler sold the Chrysler group on Aug. 3, 2007
***Incudes Maybach, Mercedes-Benz and Smart
****Includes Jaguar and Land Rover (through May 31, 2008) and Volvo; Aston Martin's estimated sales are included through May 2007
*****Includes Saab
†Includes Honda Division and Acura
††Includes Hyundai and Kia
†††Includes Nissan Division and Infiniti
‡Tata Motors includes Jaguar and Land Rover as of June 1, 2008; Jaguar Oct. 2008 sales are estimates
‡‡Includes Toyota Division, Lexus and Scion
‡‡‡Includes VW, Audi and Bentley
OCTOBER AUTO SALES
Industry sales plunge 32%, GM down 45%
Sales down 2 million vehicles for year-to-date period
Automotive News
November 3, 2008 - 12:06 pm ET
UPDATED: 11/3/08 3:57 p.m. EST
DETROIT -- Auto sales at General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC plunged in October, dragging the U.S. industry to a 32 percent decline and its weakest performance in a quarter century.
GM plummeted 45.1 percent from a year earlier. Ford sold 132,248 cars and trucks, down 32 percent. Toyota Motor Corp. outsold Ford on its way to its 23 percent drop. Daimler AG and American Honda were down more than 24 percent, while Nissan, Hyundai and Chrysler were all down at least 33 percent.
"If you adjust for population growth, this is probably the worst industry sales month in the post-WWII era," said Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president for sales and marketing.
"Until the credit markets open up and consumer confidence improves, the entire U.S. economy, and any industry like autos that relies on financing, will suffer."
October's performance pushed the industry's slide for the year-to-date to 14.6 percent -- or nearly 2 million units -- to 11.6 million vehicles sold. The industry sold 13.6 million vehicles through the same 10-month period a year ago.
Vehicles sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 10.9 million, the lowest since March 1983, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. For the second time in as many months, industry sales fell below 1 million. It was the U.S. market's 12th-straight monthly decline and the second straight of more than 25 percent.
No hot segments
"When the industry is hovering around 11 million, there are no hot segments or hot products," Ford sales analyst George Pipas said today. "These are very challenging times.''
U.S. auto sales averaged 16.8 million this decade through 2007.
Ford's U.S. brands -- Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury -- fell 29.2 percent. Its Volvo unit plunged 52.1 percent. Ford's comparisons factor in 5,267 Jaguars and Land Rovers from October 2007; the U.K. brands are now owned by India's Tata Motors Ltd.
Lowest since March 1983
Of the four biggest automakers in the United States, only two have reported monthly sales increases this year: GM in January and Toyota in April. Ford's last increase was in November 2007.
Chrysler has posted one monthly gain under its current owner, Cerberus Capital Management LP, in December. Cerberus is talking to GM and other automakers about a possible sale.
Audi posts a gain
Volkswagen's Audi luxury unit was the only brand to have an increase for the month. The VW brand dropped 7.9 percent.
"This is the toughest economy we've seen in a long time," Mark Barnes, COO of VW Group of America, said in a statement.
Porsche, Isuzu, and Suzuki fell more than 45 percent.
Jim Tidwell Ford in Atlanta sold 132 new and used vehicles in October, said Blake Dobbs, new-car sales manager. At the start of the year, the monthly average was about 250.
A 31 percent decline in average U.S. gasoline prices during the month helped trucks, he said. But one new Ford vehicle, the Flex, has been a disappointment, said Dobbs.
"We ordered a bunch to help Ford out, but the price point is too high,'' he said. "We only sold two in October."
