Automakers Start New Year Off With Big Gains

Who can argue with a January sales performance like that? Even Smart posted a sales gain! And Saab! Way to go, guys. You'd have to feel pretty bad about yourself right now if you're one of the five brands that failed to post positive sales numbers last month (really four brands, since Mercury is a dead brand selling).

We'll let the numbers do most of the talking this month, though we will point out the stellar performance of General Motors and its brands. GM, up 23 percent in January, used more incentives during the month than its competition, which helped gives brands like Cadillac, up an astonishing 49%, healthy bumps.

Check out the table below to see how the rest of the industry performed and draw your own conclusions in the comments.

Brand/Company Vol. % January 2011 January 2010 DSR%* January 2011 January 2010
Cadillac 49.05 12,580 8,440 49.05 524 352
Jaguar 48.18 935 631 48.18 39 26
Jeep 46.86 23,079 15,715 46.86 962 655
Mitsubishi 37.03 5,714 4,170 37.03 238 174
Buick 31.89 13,269 10,061 31.89 553 419
GMC 29.83 27,658 21,303 29.83 1,152 888
Smart 28.78 358 278 28.78 15 12
Saab 28.77 658 511 28.77 27 21
Kia 25.61 27,789 22,123 25.61 1,158 922
Suzuki 25.59 2,562 2,040 25.59 107 85
Toyota 23.68 102,996 83,279 23.68 4,292 3,470
Mini 22.43 2,751 2,247 22.43 115 94
Hyundai 22.00 37,214 30,503 22.00 1,551 1,271
Dodge 21.86 24,314 19,953 21.86 1,013 831
Ford 21.65 121,511 99,888 21.65 5,063 4,162
BMW 20.83 15,905 13,163 20.83 663 548
Subaru 20.80 18,858 15,611 20.80 786 650
Porsche 20.38 2,150 1,786 20.38 90 74
Audi 20.00 7,812 6,510 20.00 326 271
Chevrolet 19.08 125,389 105,294 19.08 5,225 4,387
Ram 18.02 13,020 11,032 18.02 543 460
Land Rover 15.99 2,271 1,958 15.99 95 82
Nissan 15.36 64,442 55,861 15.36 2,685 2,328
Mercedes-Benz 13.95 17,273 15,158 13.95 720 632
Honda 13.19 68,308 60,347 13.19 2,846 2,514
Acura 11.62 7,961 7,132 11.62 332 297
Infiniti 10.34 7,405 6,711 10.34 309 280
Volvo 3.59 4,276 4,128 3.59 178 172
Volkswagen 2.12 18,401 18,019 2.12 767 751
Chrysler -7.07 9,705 10,443 -7.07 404 435
Mazda -9.09 14,267 15,694 -9.09 594 654
Lexus -17.12 12,860 15,517 -17.12 536 647
Lincoln -21.01 5,558 7,036 -21.01 232 293
Mercury -95.48 248 5,482 -95.48 10 228
COMPANIES
Jaguar Land Rover 23.83 3,206 2,589 23.83 134 108
GM 23.29 178,896 145,098 23.29 7,454 6,046
Chrysler Group 22.71 70,118 57,143 22.71 2,922 2,381
BMW Group 21.06 18,656 15,410 21.06 777 642
Toyota Mo Co 17.27 115,856 98,796 17.27 4,827 4,117
Nissan N America 14.82 71,847 62,572 14.82 2,994 2,607
Ford Motor Company 13.27 127,317 112,406 13.27 5,305 4,684
American Honda 13.03 76,269 67,479 13.03 3,178 2,812
*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 24 selling days in January 2011 versus 24 selling days in January 2010, so the change in monthly sales volume will be the same as the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company. Also, brands are combined and reported as companies only if their sales figures are released jointly.