Earlier in the year the auto industry was bullish as it foresaw a strong increase in sales of new cars and trucks this year compared to the dismal sales pace during the past two years. The government officially declared the recession was over in September 2009 so pundits (aka analysts) presumed that by now buyers would be in the mood to buy many more new cars and trucks.
Alas things have not turned out as well as expected. Sales were up a modest 13 percent during the first six months compared to the same period last year, but the improvement slowed in May and June. I’ve gone through all the sales numbers and here are some random highlights I extracted:
Audi: Continues to be on a roll with record setting sales. In June, Audi’s sales volume was close to Cadillac and Lexus but still only half that of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. 43 percent of Audi A3 buyers opted for the TDI diesel.
Ford: The Fiesta outsold the Taurus, Mustang and Crown Victoria but in June it lagged these cars. Has the earlier trend to smaller cars shifted again since gas prices have dropped? The Ford F-Series continues to be the most popular vehicle in the US. Ford sells twice as many F-Series trucks as it’s next best selling vehicle, the Fusion.
Jeep: Sales are up by 49 percent, the best showing of any volume brand. All models have improved with the Compass and Grand Cherokee both more than doubling in volume.
Kia: Sales are up 44 percent this year and the Soul is becoming the soul of the Kia brand as it was the best selling model in the lineup in June and may well overtake the Sorento in overall sales for the year.
Mercedes-Benz: Although sales were only up by 10 percent, it, like Audi, set its best ever June and first half year sales. It continued to just outsell BMW and with Lexus falling to third Mercedes-Benz has become the leading seller of luxury cars so far this year.
Mitsubishi: Sales are up by 67 percent this year. And to think that a couple of years ago many thought the company would leave the U.S. market due to poor sales. Introduction of the Outlander Sport seems to have renewed interest in Mitsubishi cars as well.
Porsche: Sales were up by 42 percent, entirely due to the 2011 Cayenne, which has more than doubled its sales. Has the Cayenne become the soul of the brand in this country?
Volkswagen: Had its best first half year in sales since 2002. Sales of the new Jetta are up 66 percent, proving that the lower price is helping, despite some negative reviews from traditional VW enthusiasts. Apart from the Eos and Routan, all the current VW models saw increased sales. Once the new Beetle and Passat hit showrooms later this year VW’s sales will undoubtedly increase even more.
In June Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Suzuki all reported sales increases while all the other Japanese brands had sales declines that they blamed on the crisis in Japan. Is it surprising that some have been so badly affected while others have not? Perhaps Honda and Toyota had lower inventory levels than the others prior to the earthquake?
Bottom line, the auto industry is still turmoil in the U.S. Will sales pick up again during the remainder of the year? Will Toyota and Honda regain the ground they’ve lost?
Related posts:
- New Vehicle Sales Continue to Improve
- Audi and BMW Report Record Sales Worldwide
- U.S. New Car Sales Continue to Improve
No comments:
Post a Comment