US Vehicle Sales

[conwelpic]

CYPRESS, Calif., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motors today
announced September 2008 sales of 7,378.

    Galant sales were 2,605, which, based on average daily selling rate is
a 1.1 percent increase, compared to September 2007. (There were 24 sales
days in 2008 and 25 sales days in 2007).

    September 2008 Lancer Evolution sales were up 154 percent over
September 2007 sales.

    In a badly depressed overall automotive sales market, Mitsubishi's
total September 2008 sales were down 39 percent, compared to September 2007
(12,102 sales).

[conwelpic]

- Audi year-over-year sales decline in challenging market
          - Launch of all-new A4 drives additional interest, sales
          - R8 sales up; A5 posts second consecutive record month
         - de Nysschen expects Audi to maintain strong market share

    HERNDON, Va., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Audi of America announced today
auto sales for the month of September totaling 7,584, a decrease of 5.4%
from last year's figures. Audi new vehicle sales fell 3.9% year-to-date as
the company faces stronger economic headwinds. Audi Certified Pre-Owned
(CPO) sales decreased by 10.6% compared to last year's September figures,
although sales continued to grow year-over-year at 31.0%.

    "The all-new Audi 2009 A4 arrived this month to critical praise and
high consumer interest in its segment-leading fuel economy, design and
performance. Demand for the new A4 boosted our overall sales by more than
one thousand units over August's figures. In addition, increased sales of
our A5 and R8 models point to the continued strength of Audi's portfolio of
all-new, progressive luxury autos," said Johan de Nysschen, executive vice
president, Audi of America. "We believe that Audi will maintain its strong
luxury market share despite consumer concerns about the economy, and we
expect to see momentum around the new A4 continue to build well into the
fall season."

    The arrival of the all-new Audi 2009 A4 models in dealer showrooms
boosted consumer interest in the brand throughout the month in spite of the
model's late-September release. Based on government data and independent
test results, the 2009 A4 2.0T leads its key competitors in fuel economy
and 0-to-60 miles per hour acceleration.

    Audi posted increased nationwide sales of its A5 model; dealers
recorded a second month of record sales for the all-new A5 due to improved
availability, with 719 units sold. Sales of the R8, Audi's premier example
of its progressive German engineering, rose by 9% compared to September of
last year.

    Audi continues to impress industry analysts and other third-party
industry watchers. J.D. Power and Associates, the respected industry
organization that measures, among other things, quality within the auto
industry, recently noted that Audi posted the greatest ranking improvement
in initial quality during the 2008 J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey. The
Audi Q7, A3, A4 and A6 have also been recognized by the Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety (IIHS) as Top Safety Picks in 2008, earning Audi the
most Top Safety Pick designations for 2008 models of any luxury automaker
this year.

[vdk]

Right thread this time..


BY THE NUMBERS - September 2008
Brand   Vol. % Change   Total Sales 9/08   Total Sales 9/07   DSR % Change   Daily Avg. 9/08   Daily Avg. 9/07
Acura -30.4% 9,997   14,369   -27.5%   417   515
Audi   -5.4%   7,584   8,020   -1.5%   316   321
BMW   -29.5%   14,744   20,901   -26.5%   614   836
Buick   -20.5%   14,121   17,754   -17.1%   588   710
Cadillac   -39.1%   12,432   20,398   -36.5   518   816
Chevrolet   -11.2%   172,803   194,637   -7.5%   7,200   7,785
Chrysler   -39.6%   23,346   38,668   -37.1%   973   1,547
Dodge   -25.2%   62,572   83,671   -22.1%   2,607   3,347
Ford   -33.8%   102,685   155,037   -31%   4,279   6,201
GMC   -12.8%   39,029   44,754   -9.2%   1,626   1,790
Honda   -23.2%   86,629   112,831   -20%   3,610   4,513
HUMMER   -54.8%   2,298   5,080   -52.9%   96   203
Hyundai   -25.4%   24,765   33,214   -22.3%   1,032   1,329
Infiniti   -24.1%   7,779   10,250   -20.9%   324   410
Jeep   -42.8%   21,431   37,460   -40.4%   893   1,498
Kia   -27.8%   17,383   24,087   -24.8%   724   963
Lexus   -36.1%   16,045   25,113   -33.4   669   1,005
Lincoln   -22.5%   7,571   9,764   -19.2%   315   391
Mazda   -35.6%   16,169   25,098   -32.9%   674   1,004
Mercedes-Benz   -16.4%   18,779   22,459   -12.9%   782   898
Mercury   -43.2%   6,478   11,403   -40.1%   270   456
MINI   -6.7%   3,762   4,031   -2.8%   157   161
Mitsubishi   -39%   7,378   12,102   -36.5%   307   484
Nissan   -38.4%   51,786   84,019   -35.8%   2,158   3,361
Pontiac   -26.7%   23,324   31,817   -23.6%   972   1,273
Porsche   -44.8%   1,458   2,641   -42.5%   61   106
Saab   -27.2%   1,765   2,424   -24.2%   74   97
Saturn   -10.8%   18,528   20,776   -7.1%   772   831
Subaru   -11.9%   14,491   16,457   -8.3%   604   658
Suzuki    N/A               
Toyota   -31.8%   128,215   187,929   -28.9%   5,342   7,517
Volkswagen   -9.4%   17,109   18,891   -5.7%   713   756
Volvo   -51.8%   4,054   8,408   -49.8%   169   336



http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/01/by-the-numbers-september-2008-nobody-wins-edition/

[initial_D]

The Ford Flex has the highest conquest rate of any
Ford product (except for Escape Hybrid), and also is attracting the highest
rate of premium and import buyers.

Conquest rate ... That does not tell people how many Flex's Ford is selling, or how well it actually sells on the market comparing to the competition. Marketing wording BS, even the sales report is full of it!

Conquest sales for Ford is a very important issue. IMO  Fords NA most important battle, to change the average N.A.consumers perception.

BTW Flex units sold for September 1,959

I agree with that, however, the actual sales do tell the true story. Porsche sells about 900 SUVs a month, BMW sells over way over X5s in a month. For a mass volume people mover, the Flex number is plain sucky, anything but conquest.

[carcrazy]

Does Flex compete in the mainstream, large CUV segment (CX-9, Pilot, Highlander, Veracruz, Acadia/Outlook/Traverse) or minivan segment (Odyssey, Sienna, Entourage, Sedona, Grand Caravan)?
I think it’s critical to define the segment it belongs to since the relative sales figures may be different between the segments.  I’d say the Flex is more of a minivan than a CUV.
Either way, 1,959 sales hardly qualify as a sales success for a mainstream Ford vehicle.

[Patate]

Does Flex compete in the mainstream, large CUV segment (CX-9, Pilot, Highlander, Veracruz, Acadia/Outlook/Traverse) or minivan segment (Odyssey, Sienna, Entourage, Sedona, Grand Caravan)?
I think it’s critical to define the segment it belongs to since the relative sales figures may be different between the segments.  I’d say the Flex is more of a minivan than a CUV.
Either way, 1,959 sales hardly qualify as a sales success for a mainstream Ford vehicle.

It is a large Crossover.

As for its numbers.. it ain't THAT bad, considering the state of the economy.  Compare those sales with other models.. let's take Nissan trucks for example. 1534 frontiers, 1361 X-terra, 1079 pathfinders (-84,8%), 410 Quest..

Don't forget the Flex is a pretty expensive model.. if the economy was going better, it would probably be a hit.  MKS is another good surprise.

[carcrazy]

Does Flex compete in the mainstream, large CUV segment (CX-9, Pilot, Highlander, Veracruz, Acadia/Outlook/Traverse) or minivan segment (Odyssey, Sienna, Entourage, Sedona, Grand Caravan)?
I think it’s critical to define the segment it belongs to since the relative sales figures may be different between the segments.  I’d say the Flex is more of a minivan than a CUV.
Either way, 1,959 sales hardly qualify as a sales success for a mainstream Ford vehicle.

It is a large Crossover.

As for its numbers.. it ain't THAT bad, considering the state of the economy.  Compare those sales with other models.. let's take Nissan trucks for example. 1534 frontiers, 1361 X-terra, 1079 pathfinders (-84,8%), 410 Quest..

Don't forget the Flex is a pretty expensive model.. if the economy was going better, it would probably be a hit.  MKS is another good surprise.

I know Flex is a large crossover but I think it's more of a cross between a minivan and a car versus a SUV and a car.

In any case, comparing its sales figures with the other CUVs and minivans, it would be useful. Nissan trucks/SUVs or the Quest (dead on arrival) are not quite relevant IMO.

I don't have all those numbers yet.

[initial_D]

I am sure the number of Ford dealerships int the US is higher than 2,000. That is less than 1 Flex sold by each dealership in a month.

http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/8/15/202451.shtml

From the link:

Ford has about 4,300 Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealerships nationwide, and dealer profits have declined an average of 10 percent in the first half of 2006, the company has said.

[Guy]

Preliminary numbers for October US sales:

GM -45%
Nissan -33%
Ford -30%
Honda -25%
Toyota -23%

We haven't seen the end of it..

[Guy]

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. - Hyundai Motor America said Monday its U.S. vehicle sales in October fell sharply, as demand for even its smaller cars dried up in the difficult economy.

The South Korean automaker said sales fell 31.1 percent to 20,820 from 30,232 in October 2007.

Hyundai volumes fell across all of its models, including its top-selling sedans. Sales of its Sonata car slumped 16.5 percent to 7,943, while Accent sales fell at a similar rate.

Sales of its sport utility vehicles fell even more sharply. Its best-selling SUV, the Santa Fe, tumbled 36.1 percent to 3,794, while sales of the Tucson plunged by two-thirds to 988.

So far this year, Hyundai has sold 358,484 vehicles in the U.S., compared with 388,639 a year earlier

[Guy]

DETROIT, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co Ltd (7267.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) posted an adjusted 28 percent drop in U.S. light vehicle sales in October amid the downturn in the U.S. economy and sagging consumer sentiment.

Honda said sales fell to 85,864 vehicles in October from 114,799 a year earlier, or 25.2 percent if the figures were not adjusted for the extra selling day last month compared with the year-earlier period.

Car sales including Honda and its luxury Acura brand fell by an adjusted 25 percent, while truck sales fell 32 percent, Honda reported.

Sales of Honda's fuel-efficient Fit subcompact rose 28 percent on an adjusted basis to 6,478 vehicles, while sales of its iconic Accord fell 38.4 percent and Civic fell nearly 25 percent.

Among larger vehicles, sales of the Honda Odyssey minivan fell an adjusted 38.6 percent, while sales of the Honda CR-V crossover fell 24.4 percent.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

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."

[sirAQUAMAN64]

US October '08...

[Wolverine]

US October '08...

Woot, that's a downhill.

The odds, Ferrari up 8%, the only one above the red line...

[dougjp]

Surprised nobody posted, anyway here are the November US numbers, not at all pretty:

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/02/by-the-numbers-november-2008-brother-can-you-spare-a-dime-ed/

[sirAQUAMAN64]

November '08...

[airbalancer]

Tata Motor sales are up over 3,220 over last year

[dougjp]

December numbers are in, and they are grim across the board, but particularly for Chrysler (-53%):

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/05/by-the-numbers-december-2008-i-want-my-mommy-edition/

Its even sadder with the individual models' sales comparisons, vs. last December, because its really worse than the 53% drop for Chrysler. Certain models propped that up. The Crossfire, which they don't make anymore, 'only' dropped 39%. The Jeep Wrangler 'only' dropped 22%. The Dodge Journey was UP 3,822 sales to 4,275. Of the rest, better be sitting down. Caliber (-67%), Avenger (-75%), Charger (-51%), Caravan (-67%), Nitro (-72%), Sebring (-61%), 300 (-63%).

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Santa apparently wasn't putting Accords and Camrys under anyone's tree, as Toyota and Honda sales fell sharply, off 36.7% and 34.7%, respectively. General Motors (-31.4%) and Ford Motor Company (-32.4%) fared about the same, but the Chrysler Group took an unprecedented hit on the chin for a full-line automaker. It's December 2008 sales were down a full 53% versus last year

Ouch!

[sirAQUAMAN64]

December '08...