By the Numbers - September 2008: Nobody Wins Edition
by Chris Shunk on Oct 1st 2008 at 4:28PM 
We're not waiting for Suzuki to reveal its September 2008 sales results any longer, as it is highly unlikely that the little Japanese brand will arise as the only brand/automaker to post positive numbers this month. Take a good look below, as it's the first time since we started publishing sales data back in mid-2006 that every single brand and automaker is in the red. It doesn't matter how you slice it, whether you look at the change in volume from Sept. 2007 to Sept. 2008 or if you consider the change in the Daily Sales Rate. Everyone is down.For the record, we suppose Audi is this month's Biggest Winner with a sales drop of just 5.4%, while HUMMER is again our Biggest Loser with a 54.8% fall in sales. You can peruse the rest of the carnage below for yourself.
| 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 |
| COMPANIES | ||||||
| BMW Group | -25.8% |
18,506 |
24,932 |
-22.7% |
771 |
997 |
| Chrysler LLC | -32.8% | 107,349 | 159,799 | -30% | 4,473 | 6,392 |
| FoMoCo | -34.6% | 120,788 | 184,612 | -31.8% | 5,033 | 7,384 |
| General Motors | -15.8% | 284,300 | 337,640 | -12.3% | 11,846 | 13,506 |
| Honda America | -24% |
96,626 |
127,200 |
-20.9% |
4,026 |
5,088 |
| Nissan NA | -36.8% | 59,565 | 94,269 | -34.2% | 2,482 | 3,771 |
| Toyota Mo Co | -32.3% |
144,260 | 213,042 | -29.5% | 6,011 | 8,522 |
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 5)
John 6:03PM (10/01/2008)
In this economy there are no winners. Let's just hope it doesn't last 2-3 years like some economists are predicting.
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BoxerFanatic 7:10PM (10/01/2008)
That all depends on Government.
If they pull back on taxes, we could see growth in a few quarters from now.
If they increase debt, keep spending like sailors on permanent shore leave, and put the taxpayers behind the biggest 8-ball ever dreamed of, then we may be looking at a decade of harder economics.
If they insist on a new even-more-raw-deal, and insist on new socialist controls on the mortgage and other markets, it could bring this country to it's knees in a way that has never happened before, and the U.S. might never be the same, just as socialism has done to western europe, as they toil away under EU control, with a rising immigrant muslim population, while native europeans die out en masse.
But this is a leading symptom, along with other highly elastic discretionary personal spending, that is going to get cut WAY back. Who wants to, or can afford to leverage more debt, even if the banks would loan money right now, in this economic climate.
Most people know we are going down. What we don't know is how long, and how far, and government policy has a lot to do with that.
Just like the Hawley-Smoot Tarriff act in 1930, and the socialistic New Deal sealed the Great Depression until the war forced us out of it. They are doing it again with bail-outs at the feet of the taxpayers.
Buckle your seatbelts, folks, it is going to be a roller coaster ride, at the least. Hopefully it isn't more like a plane crash.
Carlos 6:07PM (10/01/2008)
Wow I hope they used lube because that was ugly...
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RayJ 6:17PM (10/01/2008)
WOW GM really took Toyota's lunch money! Not bad all things being considered.....which is really bad....I guess.
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Purifoy 6:17PM (10/01/2008)
Three words describe this situation: PAIN AND SUFFERING.
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indimini 6:29PM (10/01/2008)
I wonder if the MINI #'s are a reflection of the lack of inventory. I know that they were selling everything they could bring to the states.
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Mi key 6:46PM (10/01/2008)
Time to breakout the elbow grease.
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P.V. 7:06PM (10/01/2008)
WOW. This is BAD.
When was the last time that MINI was not the biggest winner?
Times have truly changed...
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sheth 7:27PM (10/01/2008)
What this really shows is that the people buying imports are not the high class, well educated, smart people with excellent credit after all. regular people buy imports and domestics and the economy and credit crunch means that those regular people cant get into Toyotas and Hondas. We all know that import brands do a lot of lease business and leasing is hurting big time right now and the results are clear. It is very possible that 2007 was the peak year for Toyota and Honda in the US market. Not only are their luxury brands suffering but the competition from Hyundai and GM is going to have an effect sooner or later. If this is what Toyota is doing now when it has a huge advantage in hybrids and small cars I dont see how things will be better in two years when Ford is selling the Fiesta, refreshed Fusion, new Taurus, etc. and GM is selling the Cruze and Volt and has 20 hybrid models on the market. Toyota has been here 50 years and I believe this is the beginning of a major shift in attitude towards. The quality problems have mounted, they have totally missed the boat when it comes to Prius allocation for the US, they have gotten too dependant on trucks and SUVs, Scion is a flop and Lexus is not hip amongst those under 60 years old. The bigger they are the harder they fall. As GM and Ford can tell you there is only one place to go once you get too much marketshare in this market- down.
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IOMTT 10:32PM (10/01/2008)
But Toyota is still actually making money as we speak will GM,Ford, and Chrysler are bleeding it. I would bet GM would trade a reduced market share and sales for actually turning a profit.
Randy 11:43PM (10/01/2008)
Ford's making money too! Just not in the US! They relied to much on trucks! (beating a dead horse, over and over and over)
So when Ford introduces all their cars that are coming into a down turned economy, it's gain over gain for Ford! Then guess who loses! The ones that are losing the market share, Toyota and Honda!
09/10 will likely be the time of Ford to kick ass and take names and then kick their ass again! Think about it, a flurry of eco cars, Mercury being retooled as all eco and small, the new trucks, Mazda with the 2 and the 1. Actually let's bang this out!
Ford: Fiesta / Festiva (ugh these names suck)
Ford: Hybrid Fusion
Ford: Taurus (the sweet one)
Ford: F-100 (likely name)
Ford: Bronco (shares F-100 platform)
Ford: F-150 (all new)
Ford: Focus (the euro model)
Ford: Focus Hybrid
Ford: Ford Transit (offsets econoline)
Mercury: D Class (names not picked yet)
Mercury: C class (names not picked yet)
Mercury: B Class (names not picked yet)
Mazda 6 (all new)
Mazda: 3
Mazda: 2 (all new)
Mazda: 1 (all new)
Mazda: 3 wagon (all new)
Mazda: 2 wagon (all new)
Mazda: 1 wagon (all new)
Other than the trucks replacing trucks, what part of whoop ass are you not seeing? The majority of this stuff is market share they don't compete much in (other than the few cars that are already on the market)
If you do the math, it's all says Back to Black!
Ya know?
Randy
tekd 7:51AM (10/02/2008)
The educated/high-class people are the same ones who are seeing their 401K's and investment accounts turn into dust in front of their eyes. Most people I know who've lost a ton of money in their investments aren't buying anything unnecessary anymore-it's not because they can't just put it on credit or even that they don't have a job anymore, but when you see your investment account lose 50 grand in a month you really start thinking about what's going to happen next.
And running out and buying a new car, no matter what brand, is pretty much the last thing on their mind.
sheth 7:34PM (10/01/2008)
I found the comments about how this is "everyone's fault" to be interesting. Why is it we look to bipartisan blame when Republicans are in charge? When you control the white house and Congress for 6 out of 8 years you can set the tone in Washington. This isnt to say that democrats are perfect when it comes to economic policy but it is to say that the buck stops with those in control. This economy is the direct result of the anything goes, free market or bust policies that have been embraced over the last 8 years. Our economy is no longer built on job creation or industrial might, its built on debt and get rich quick investment schemes based on crappy mortgages. Some folks think you can drive an entire economy by simply making sure the rich get richer and now we know for sure that is certified BS. Now we have a "free market" loving Republican president imploring Congress to pass a bill that will involve the government getting involved in the private sector in a major way because the jobs and portfolios of some very important people are in major danger. Funny how the rules change when certain important people are affected. When it comes to dealing with the middle class and the poor these same folks will tell you to lift yourself by your boostraps and work hard and everything will be OK.
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SteveJ 8:04PM (10/01/2008)
Two problems with your statement:
1. Republicans haven't been in control of Congress for 2 years. The Democrats had plenty of time to plan for this. They didn't.
2. The "free-market" loving President isn't the only one pushing the bill along. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was also pushing hard for it.
So, yes it is funny how the rules change when certain people are affected. You just showed that, by ignoring the facts. It is everyone's fault. Accept it.
AngeloD 10:04PM (10/01/2008)
""I found the comments about how this is "everyone's fault" to be interesting. Why is it we look to bipartisan blame when Republicans are in charge?""
Well, that would be because the Democrats DO share a lot of the blame for our current economic meltdown.
All of this mess can be traced to the huge runup in subprime mortage lending over the past 30 years.
This is when banks were forced by Carter-era Federal legislation to start giving mortages to low income and minority applicants with little or no credit history, and where welfare and unemployment insurance were counted as income.
The Bush Administration tried to get legislation passed five times in the past eight years that would have tightened up lending standards by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. McCain also introduced similar legislation. It was shot down by the Democrats each time. In fact, there is video out on you tube showing barney Frank and other Dems claiming there was no problem with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
So, it IS a bipartisan fiasco. The republicans controlled both houses of Congress and the White House and should have passed this legislation despte democratic opposition.
Blame the Liberals for this mess, both Democrat and Republican.
jsjs 12:43AM (10/02/2008)
While there is plenty of blame to go around, the person most instrumental in this mess is none other than McCain's good buddy and economic "guru", Phil Gramm.
Gramm was the one who was led the way for the deregulation of not only the finance/banking firms, but the commodities market as well (including the "Enron loophole").
The dot.com bubble, Enron (Phil's wife was on the Board of Enron, the sub-prime mess and the rash of speculators in oil all arise from these deregulations pushed by Gramm (btw, as Vice-Chairman of UBS, Gramm also lobbied Congress to not crack down on sloppy/careless lending practices by mortgage companies/banks).
As for Fannie/Freddie - they have their issues/problems, but they didn't cause this mess and just happened to get caught up in it.
Even w/o Fannie/Freddie, all the overvalued mortgage-backed securities (MBS) churned out by Wall Street was enough to tank the mortgage industry once people started defaulting on their loans as their variable interest rates skyrocketed up.
why not the LS2LS7? 5:06AM (10/02/2008)
No one forced banks to give out more risky loans than they could afford to make. No one forced them to offer interest-only loans to people. No one forced them to offer loans for more than the value of the house.
Don't try to blame this on minorities or lending laws. The problem was the mortgage lenders took on too much risk, and they engaged in bad lending practices.
anti-believer 7:35PM (10/01/2008)
Yes, i read the numbers, stupid.
Everyone is in the red, stupid.
Honda, Toyota, Mitsubushi, Subaru, BMW, Mercedes (who all build in the US) are not asking for a bailout, stupid!
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why not the LS2LS7? 5:10AM (10/02/2008)
They're not broke at this time. If they were, they'd be looking for a bailout from one source or another, as Nissan and Subaru did. They got their bailouts privately by being bought.
Tagg 7:40PM (10/01/2008)
You have to remember GM ran a "Employee Pricing for Everyone" incentive campaign the last 2 months. They were the only ones to offer that high of an incentive and for the first time Ford and Chrysler (not 100% sure on Chrylser) didn't join them.
If anything it shows GM is actually losing it influence in the market because it was GM that started the 0% financing that everyone joined in on. They were also the company that started the employee pricing plans as well so I would have to respectfully disagree that there is a silver lining. If anything they could have really accelerated their cash burn rate without gaining any real sales advantage.
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