FoMoCo falls only 11%, Chrysler Group drops 42%

Want more proof that Ford Motor Company made the right move in avoiding bankruptcy, unlike General Motors and the Chrysler Group, its cross-town rivals? Sales figures for the month of June 2009 show that Ford sharply lessened its sales slide with a fall of just 10.85 percent versus the same month last year. Compare that with drops of 33.6 and 41.85 percent for GM and Chrysler respectively. It appears that Ford has remained on track during these tumultuous times, and its improved performance last month could signal the beginning of a turnaround for which it may be ideally suited to take full advantage. We're sure the guys and gals at Ford are smiling today, even if the Camaro did outsell the Mustang for the first time in 15 years.

Subaru has again managed to post impressive numbers, with June 2009 sales up 3.4 percent by volume compared to last year. Volvo even posted a slight gain thanks in large part to the introduction of the all-new XC60.

Check out the rest of the numbers below. Brands and Companies are both displayed in ascending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in June 2009 compared to 24 selling days in June 2008, so the change in average daily sales can be found in the right three columns.

Brand	Volume %	June 2009	June 2008	DSR* %	DSR 6/09	DSR 6/08
Subaru	3.40	18,620	18,007	-0.73	745	750
Volvo	0.59	7,042	7,001	-3.44	282	292
Kia	-5.11	26,845	28,292	-8.91	1,074	1,179
Ford	-8.26	133,684	145,715	-11.93	5,347	6,071
Audi	-8.28	7,524	8,203	-11.95	301	342
Buick	-10.69	8,601	9,631	-14.27	344	401
Pontiac	-16.41	23,740	28,402	-19.76	950	1,183
Lexus	-16.68	16,874	20,253	-20.02	675	844
Volkswagen	-18.02	19,027	23,208	-21.29	761	967
BMW	-20.05	16,744	20,944	-23.25	670	873
Mini	-21.22	4,105	5,211	-24.38	164	217
Nissan	-21.86	51,994	66,543	-24.99	2,080	2,773
Mercedes	-22.58	15,155	19,576	-25.68	606	816
Hyundai	-24.16	37,943	50,033	-27.20	1,518	2,085
Lincoln	-26.56	7,137	9,718	-29.50	285	405
Honda	-29.17	92,140	130,083	-32.00	3,686	5,420
Infiniti	-32.25	6,304	9,305	-34.96	252	388
Chevy	-33.30	106,712	159,998	-35.97	4,268	6,667
Acura	-33.53	8,280	12,456	-36.18	331	519
Toyota	-33.65	114,780	172,981	-36.30	4,591	7,208
GMC	-35.96	19,668	30,713	-38.52	787	1,280
Mercury	-37.10	7,332	11,657	-39.62	293	486
Jeep	-37.66	16,608	26,642	-40.16	664	1,110
Dodge	-40.43	37,936	63,687	-42.82	1,517	2,654
Cadillac	-40.90	8,473	14,337	-43.27	339	597
Mitsubishi	-41.79	4,362	7,494	-44.12	174	312
Mazda	-42.24	13,729	23,771	-44.55	549	990
Hummer	-47.97	1,078	2,072	-50.05	43	86
Chrysler	-49.30	13,753	27,128	-51.33	550	1,130
Smart	-56.15	1,116	2,545	-57.90	45	106
Saab	-58.39	779	1,872	-60.05	31	78
Saturn	-60.24	7,520	18,912	-61.83	301	788
Porsche	-65.96	902	2,650	-67.32	36	110
Suzuki	-78.04	2,149	9,784	-78.91	86	408
COMPANIES
Ford Mo Co	-10.85	155,195	174,091	-14.42	6,208	7,254
BMW Group	-20.29	20,849	26,155	-23.48	834	1,090
Nissan NA	-23.14	58,298	75,848	-26.21	2,332	3,160
Honda America	-29.55	100,420	142,539	-32.37	4,017	5,939
Toyota Mo Co	-31.87	131,654	193,234	-34.59	5,266	8,051
General Motors	-33.60	176,571	265,937	-36.26	7,063	11,081
Chrysler Group	-41.85	68,297	117,457	-44.18	2,732	4,894

We weren't expecting this, especially from General Motors, which was forced to sell cars and trucks last month amidst rumors of impending bankruptcy (something that came to fruition as soon as the month was over). Despite this, GM posted a decrease in sales volume of only 29.55%. Sure, GM's sales decreased last month compared to May 2008, but they decreased at a far slower rate than its major Japanese competitors: Toyota (-40.72%), Honda (-41.46%) and Nissan (-33.10%). Plus, check out the chart below and you'll notice that GM's top four performing brands – Chevy (-23.74%), Cadillac (-39.86%), GMC (-22.13%) and Buick (-16.98%) – are the same ones that will be transferred over to New GM after it emerges from bankruptcy, which is certainly a good sign.

Ford Motor Company performed best of the mutli-brand manufacturers with a sales slide of only -24.25%. The Blue Oval was helped by new product offerings like the redesigned 2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ, as well as an unexpectedly strong sales performance by Lincoln, which was the only brand this month that recorded a sales increase (credit the new MKS and a 103.3% increase in Town Car sales).

The rest of last month's sales results are below, all ordered by the most number of vehicles sold by volume to the least.

. Brand Volume May-09 May-08 DSR* DSR 5/09 DSR 5/08 . Ford -25.47% 137,167 184,042 -22.60% 5,276 6,816 . Toyota -41.22% 135,661 230,813 -38.96% 5,218 8,549 . Chevrolet -23.74% 127,510 167,202 -20.81% 4,904 6,193 . Honda -41.95% 88,875 153,104 -39.72% 3,418 5,671 . Nissan -32.58% 60,933 90,379 -29.99% 2,344 3,347 . Dodge -48.34% 41,399 80,130 -46.35% 1,592 2,968 . Hyundai -20.42% 36,937 46,415 -17.36% 1,421 1,719 . Kia -16.06% 26,060 31,047 -12.83% 1,002 1,150 . GMC -22.13% 23,926 30,724 -19.13% 920 1,138 . Jeep -39.67% 21,624 35,841 -37.35% 832 1,327 . Volkswagen -12.43% 19,568 22,346 -9.06% 753 828 . BMW -27.82% 18,383 25,469 -25.05% 707 943 . Subaru -5.05% 17,505 18,436 -1.40% 673 683 . Lexus -36.37% 16,922 26,593 -33.92% 651 985 . Mazda -40.12% 16,718 27,921 -37.82% 643 1,034 . Chrysler -51.22% 15,987 32,776 -49.35% 615 1,214 . Mercedes-Benz -38.18% 15,134 24,480 -35.80% 582 907 . Pontiac -52.34% 13,329 27,966 -50.51% 513 1,036 . Mercury -24.81% 10,221 13,593 -21.91% 393 503 . Acura -36.42% 9,469 14,893 -33.97% 364 552 . Buick -16.98% 9,160 11,033 -13.78% 352 409 . Lincoln 2.40% 8,566 8,365 6.34% 329 310 . Saturn -55.54% 8,046 18,099 -53.83% 309 670 . Cadillac -39.86% 8,027 13,348 -37.55% 309 494 . Audi -12.08% 7,503 8,534 -8.70% 289 316 . Infiniti -38.10% 6,496 10,495 -35.72% 250 389 . Volvo -22.95% 5,577 7,238 -19.98% 215 268 . Volvo -22.95% 5,577 7,238 -19.98% 215 268 . Mini -26.96% 4,610 6,312 -24.16% 177 234 . Mitsubishi -58.27% 4,352 10,430 -56.67% 167 386 . Suzuki -75.06% 2,585 10,364 -74.10% 99 384 . Porsche -29.22% 1,979 2,796 -26.50% 76 104 . Hummer -40.64% 1,094 1,843 -38.36% 42 68 . Saab -63.55% 783 2,148 -62.15% 30 80 . . COMPANIES . General Motors -29.55% 191,875 272,363 -26.84% 7,380 10,088 . Ford Mo Co -24.25% 161,531 213,238 -21.33% 6,213 7,898 . Toyota Mo Co -40.72% 152,583 257,406 -38.44% 5,869 9,534 . Honda America -41.46% 98,344 167,997 -39.21% 3,782 6,222 . Chrysler Group -46.88% 79,010 148,747 -44.84% 3,039 5,509 . Nissan NA -33.10% 67,489 100,874 -30.52% 2,596 3,736 . BMW Group -27.65% 22,993 31,781 -24.87% 884 1,177 . . *The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 26 days for May 2009 and 27 for May 2008. .

We're doing something new for this month's By the Numbers – ordering each brand and automaker by the most number of vehicles sold to the least. We used to order everything alphabetically, but figured this way easily surfaced an extra facet of information. On to the numbers.

Not a single brand managed to improve its sales in April versus last year, despite talk in the media about pent-up demand for autos and incentives that remain historically very high. Past hot performers like Subaru, Hyundai and Kia are dressed in red like the rest of them, though they, along with Audi, managed to fare better than most brands.

The biggest mover and shaker in the chart below appears to be the Ford brand, which, while down 29.96%, is grabbing market share from its competitors. It narrowly beat out Chevy and Toyota for the best selling brand in April. Toyota, however, took a punch to the gut with brand sales falling 42.19% and combined sales with Lexus dropping 41.87%. Only Chrysler LLC, down 48.10%, performed worse last month versus April 2008.

. Brand Volume April 2009 April 2008 DSR* DSR 4/09 DSR 4/08 . Ford -29.96% 116,263 165,997 -29.96% 4,472 6,385 . Chevrolet -26.71% 115,265 157,265 -26.71% 4,433 6,049 . Toyota -42.19% 112,345 194,350 -42.19% 4,321 7,475 . Honda -24.51% 92,216 122,155 -24.51% 3,547 4,698 . Dodge -48.24% 43,138 83,348 -48.24% 1,659 3,206 . Nissan -36.28% 42,258 66,318 -36.28% 1,625 2,551 . Hyundai -13.56% 33,952 39,280 -13.56% 1,306 1,511 . Kia -14.83% 25,606 30,066 -14.83% 985 1,156 . GMC -35.75% 20,467 31,854 -35.75% 787 1,225 . Jeep -41.69% 19,670 33,733 -41.69% 757 1,297 . Volkswagen -16.10% 16,289 19,415 -16.10% 627 747 . Mazda -32.07% 16,139 23,760 -32.07% 621 914 . BMW -41.26% 15,705 26,735 -41.26% 604 1,028 . Subaru -6.69% 15,649 16,771 -6.69% 602 645 . Mercedes-Benz -28.15% 14,565 20,271 -28.15% 560 780 . Lexus -39.21% 14,195 23,350 -39.21% 546 898 . Chrysler -54.76% 13,874 30,670 -54.76% 534 1,180 . Pontiac -54.86% 10,838 24,009 -54.86% 417 923 . Buick -29.51% 8,928 12,665 -29.51% 343 487 . Acura -32.34% 8,813 13,025 -32.34% 339 501 . Cadillac -41.94% 8,337 14,359 -41.94% 321 552 . Mercury -40.65% 7,662 12,910 -40.65% 295 497 . Saturn -56.38% 7,367 16,888 -56.38% 283 650 . Audi -9.31% 7,010 7,730 -9.31% 270 297 . Lincoln -42.23% 5,973 10,340 -42.23% 230 398 . Infiniti -48.29% 4,932 9,537 -48.29% 190 367 . Volvo -36.92% 4,503 7,138 -36.92% 173 275 . Mitsubishi -55.86% 3,919 8,878 -55.86% 151 341 . Mini -22.41% 3,657 4,713 -22.41% 141 181 . Suzuki -73.70% 2,543 9,669 -73.70% 98 372 . Porsche -35.28% 1,853 2,863 -35.28% 71 110 . Hummer -61.64% 913 2,380 -61.64% 35 92 . Saab -43.54% 892 1,580 -43.54% 34 61 . . COMPANIES . General Motors -33.69% 173,007 260,922 -33.69% 6,654 10,035 . Ford Motor Company -31.56% 134,401 196,385 -31.56% 5,169 7,553 . Toyota Mo Co -41.87% 126,540 217,700 -41.87% 4,867 8,373 . Honda America -25.26% 101,029 135,180 -25.26% 3,886 5,199 . Chrysler LLC -48.10% 76,682 147,751 -48.10% 2,949 5,683 . Nissan North America -37.79% 47,190 75,855 -37.79% 1,815 2,918 . BMW Group -38.43% 19,362 31,448 -38.43% 745 1,210 . . *The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 26 days for April 2009 and for April 2008.

Despite today being April Fools' Day, not one of the sales figures reported by automakers below for the month of March 2009 is a joke. The U.S. auto industry's sales slide continues, and despite the overall market selling more vehicles in March versus February, nearly all brands fell versus the same month in 2008.

The lone notable exceptions are Subaru and Kia. These two brands have ignored industry trends all year long, and this month Subaru posted a small 2.6% loss in sales volume versus last year. Adjusted for the daily average sales rate, however, Subaru sales were up 1.3%. Likewise, Kia's sales by volume were down just 0.6%, but its DSR was up by 3.4%. Hyundai also continues to hold its own, reporting a 4.8% fall in sales volume versus March 2008.

As for the rest of the industry, it appears that the performance gap between import and domestic automakers is narrowing, with Honda (-36.3%), Nissan (-37.7%) and Toyota (-39.0%) all reporting sales declines much closer to those of Chrysler (-39.3%), Ford (-40.9%) and General Motors (-44.7%). In fact, we've read a number of reports this afternoon that claim domestic sales were not as bad as expected. And that ain't no joke.

BY THE NUMBERS - March 2009
Brand	Vol. % Change	Total Sales 3/09	Total Sales 3/08	DSR* % Change	Daily Avg. 3/09	Daily Avg. 3/08
Acura	-32.2%	9,005	13,288	-29.5%	360	511
Audi	-19.4%	6,433	7,986	-16.2%	257	307
BMW	-24.2%	17,520	23,115	-21.2%	701	889
Buick	-40.2%	7,369	12,317	-37.8%	295	474
Cadillac	-53.0%	8,209	17,453	-51.1%	328	671
Chevrolet	-42.5%	94,704	164,564	-40.1%	3,788	6,329
Chrysler	-51.9%	19,502	40,539	-50.0%	780	1,559
Dodge	-32.8%	57,728	85,906	-30.1%	2,309	3,304
Ford	-41.7%	109,490	187,828	-39.4%	4,380	7,224
GMC	-50.3%	19,086	38,422	-48.3%	763	1,476
Honda	-36.7%	79,374	125,446	-34.2%	3,175	4,825
HUMMER	-75.9%	831	3,451	-75.0%	33	133
Hyundai	-4.8%	40,721	42,796	-1.0%	1,629	1,646
Infiniti	-47.6%	7,242	13,821	-45.5%	290	532
Jeep	-40.5%	23,771	39,941	-38.1%	951	1,536
Kia	-0.6%	24,724	24,871	3.4%	989	957
Lexus	-42.9%	14,239	24,939	-40.6%	570	959
Lincoln	-33.0%	7,310	10,913	-30.3%	292	420
Mazda	-33.3%	21,974	32,929	-30.6%	879	1,267
Mercedes	-25.0%	15,602	20,808	-22.0%	624	800
Mercury	-42.0%	8,307	14,333	-39.7%	332	551
MINI	-15.9%	3,605	4,289	-12.6%	144	165
Mitsubishi	-57.0%	4,620	10,750	-55.3%	185	413
Nissan	-36.2%	59,392	93,100	-33.7%	2,376	3,581
Pontiac	-30.8%	17,583	25,417	-28.0%	703	978
Porsche	-29.1%	1,749	2,467	-26.3%	70	95
Saab	-57.3%	1,265	2,962	-55.6%	51	114
Saturn	-59.6%	7,333	18,146	-58.0%	293	698
Subaru	-2.6%	16,249	16,685	1.3%	650	642
Suzuki	-24.0%	7,981	10,510	-21.0%	319	404
Toyota	-38.5%	118,563	192,791	-36.0%	4,743	7,415
VW	-19.7%	15,720	19,587	-16.5%	629	753
Volvo	-31.4%	6,358	9,263	-28.6%	254	356
COMPANIES
BMW Group	-22.9%	21,125	27,404	-19.8%	845	1,054
Chrysler LLC	-39.3%	101,001	166,386	-36.9%	4,040	6,399
FoMoCo	-40.9%	131,465	222,337	-38.5%	5,259	8,551
General Motors	-44.7%	156,380	282,732	-42.5%	6,255	10,874
Honda America	-36.3%	88,379	138,734	-33.7%	3,535	5,336
Nissan NA	-37.7%	66,634	106,921	-35.2%	2,665	4,112
Toyota Mo Co	-39.0%	132,802	217,730	-36.6%	5,312	8,374

*March 2009 had 25 selling days versus 26 selling days for March 2008

One more day in February wouldn't have done much to salvage yet another bad month of sales for the U.S. auto industry, but it wouldn't have hurt. All of the big automakers saw sales down around 40% or more last month compared to February 2008. Chrysler Co. (-44%), Ford Motor Company (-48.4%) and General Motors (-52.9%) again took the brunt of it, but Toyota (-39.8%), Honda (-38%) and Nissan (-37%) weren't far behind. This just goes to show that the argument about U.S. domestic automakers not selling what people want to buy is bogus, as people just aren't buying across the board.

That said, the same brands that sold well in January have pulled out another one in February. The Koreans both did relatively well with Hyundai down just 1.5% (its Daily Average Sales rate was up 2.6%) and Kia up 0.4% in sales. Subaru, meanwhile, was up a solid 1.4% in sales last month.

What are these brands doing that the others aren't? In Subaru's case, the redesigned Forester is selling like mad, up 107% last month with 5,978 units sold. Hyundai has an extra 1,263 units sold thanks to the all-new Genesis, but the Accent, Elantra and Entourage were all up, as well. Kia, meanwhile, got strong performances from the Amanti (!), Sorento and Sedona, as well as a 341 new Borregos sold last month. A combination of new models, attractive incentives and sales people who are better with the pitch than the next guy are probably all contributing to how well these brands are weathering the U.S. recession.

BY THE NUMBERS - February 2009
Brand	Vol. % Change	Total Sales 2/09	Total Sales 2/08	DSR % Change	Daily Avg. 2/09	Daily Avg. 2/08
Acura	-41.5%	7,659	13,084	-39.0%	319	523
Audi	-24.4%	4,653	6,152	-21.2%	194	246
BMW	-37.5%	12,979	20,775	-34.9%	541	831
Buick	-51.5%	6,196	12,768	-49.5%	258	511
Cadillac	-52.2%	4,666	9,760	-50.2%	194	390
Chevrolet	-54.5%	75,555	166,166	-52.6%	3,148	6,647
Chrysler	-62.8%	15,519	41,709	-61.2%	647	1,668
Dodge	-38.8%	46,590	76,141	-32.3%	1,941	3,046
Ford	-48.8%	84,422	164,915	-46.7%	3,518	6,597
GMC	-51.2%	16,204	33,237	-49.2%	675	1,329
Honda	-37.5%	63,916	102,313	-34.9%	2,663	4,093
HUMMER	-68.7%	1,053	3,362	-67.4%	44	134
Hyundai	-1.5%	30,621	31,090	2.6%	1,276	1,244
Infiniti	-36.8%	6,359	10,068	-34.2%	265	403
Jeep	-32.0%	21,941	32,243	-29.1%	914	1,290
Kia	0.4%	22,073	21,988	4.6%	920	880
Lexus	-38.4%	13,108	21,277	-35.8%	546	851
Lincoln	-41.2%	5,633	9,573	-38.7%	235	383
Mazda	-30.4%	16,401	23,548	-27.4%	683	942
Mercedes	-23.5%	14,199	18,564	-20.3%	592	743
Mercury	-44.6%	5,989	10,806	-42.3%	250	432
MINI	-17.2%	2,826	3,415	-13.8%	118	137
Mitsubishi	-50.8%	4,484	9,105	-48.7%	187	364
Nissan	-37.1%	47,890	76,151	-34.5%	1,995	3,046
Pontiac	-40.7%	14,200	23,935	-38.2%	592	957
Porsche	-11.5%	1,518	1,715	-7.8%	63	69
Saab	-62.8%	482	1,295	-61.2%	20	52
Saturn	-57.2%	6,338	14,801	-55.4%	264	592
Subaru	1.4%	13,089	12,906	5.6%	545	516
Suzuki	-60.3%	3,495	8,800	-58.6%	146	352
Toyota	-40.0%	96,475	160,892	-37.5%	4,020	6,436
VW	-17.5%	13,660	16,556	-14.0%	569	662
Volvo	-55.3%	3,356	7,505	-53.4%	140	300
COMPANIES
BMW Group	-34.7%	15,805	24,190	-31.9%	659	968
Chrysler LLC	-44.0%	84,050	150,093	-41.7%	3,502	6,004
FoMoCo	-48.4%	99,400	192,799	-46.3%	4,142	7,711
General Motors	-52.9%	127,296	270,423	-51.0%	5,304	10,817
Honda America	-38.0%	71,575	115,397	-35.4%	2,982	4,616
Nissan NA	-37.0%	54,249	86,219	-34.5%	2,260	3,449
Toyota Mo Co	-39.8%	109,583	182,169	-37.3%	4,566	7,287

February 2009 had 24 selling days versus 25 selling days for February 2009

All the numbers are in for the first month of sales in 2009... and they aren't pretty. Chrysler LLC and General Motors continue to lead the pack with sales drops of 54.8% and 48.8%, respectively. While the overall economy is weak and access to credit limited, the fact that Americans watched both domestic automakers plead for and receive federal aid in December may have contributed to their particularly poor sales performance in January. Adding support to that theory is Ford Motor Company, which saw its sales fall only 40.2% last month, while Honda (-27.9%), Nissan (29.7%) and Toyota (-31.7%) all fared better though still experienced significantly lower sales.

Despite dismal sales results from nearly the entire industry, there were two brands that did manage to post positive numbers. Kia sales were up 3% by volume, though its daily sales rate fell by 0.5%. Subaru also reported an impressive 8% gain in sales by volume, which makes it this month's Biggest Winner. The Biggest Loser this month, however, was the Chrysler brand, which reported a 68.9% fall in sales by volume (-70.1% DSR).

UPDATE: Corrected sales numbers for Hyundai, which actually reported a 14.3% rise in sales volume.

BY THE NUMBERS - January 2009
Brand	Vol. % Change	Total Sales 1/09	Total Sales 1/08	DSR % Change	Daily Avg. 1/09	Daily Avg. 1/08
Acura	-29.7%	7,856	11,168	-32.4%	302	447
Audi	-26.4%	4,722	6,418	-29.3%	182	257
BMW	-15.5%	12,232	14,475	-18.7%	470	579
Buick	-45.3%	6,969	12,749	-47.4%	268	510
Cadillac	-42.5%	8,499	14,792	-44.8%	327	592
Chevrolet	-48.4%	77,186	149,548	-50.4%	2,969	5,982
Chrysler	-68.9%	10,685	34,372	-70.1%	411	1,375
Dodge	-50.4%	34,638	69,884	-52.3%	1,332	2,795
Ford	-39.5%	79,322	131,074	-41.8%	3,051	5,243
GMC	-40.8%	19,120	32,270	-43%	735	1,291
Honda	-27.7%	63,175	87,343	-30.5%	2,430	3,494
HUMMER	-59.9%	1,222	3,050	-61.5%	47	122
Hyundai	14.3%	24,512	21,452	9.9%	943	858
Infiniti	-17.7%	7,115	8,644	-20.1%	274	346
Jeep	-49.2%	16,834	33,136	-51.2%	647	1,325
Kia	3.5%	22,096	21,355	-0.5%	850	854
Lexus	-27.5%	14,722	20,299	-30.3%	566	812
Lincoln	-23.7%	6,091	7,985	-26.7%	234	319
Mazda	-27.3%	15,420	21,212	-30.1%	593	848
Mercedes	-42.9%	10,433	18,275	-45.1%	401	731
Mercury	-44.2%	5,183	9,296	-46.4%	199	372
MINI	-15.4%	2,082	2,460	-18.6%	80	98
Mitsubishi	-34.5%	4,730	7,226	-37.0%	182	289
Nissan	-31.2%	46,769	67,961	-33.8%	1,799	2,718
Pontiac	-60.5%	9,104	23,025	-62%	350	921
Porsche	-36.1%	1,658	2,595	-38.6%	64	104
Saab	-46.1%	955	1,772	-48.2%	37	71
Saturn	-59.8%	6,172	15,359	-61.4%	237	614
Subaru	8.0%	12,194	11,289	3.9%	469	452
Suzuki	-48.7%	3,655	7,120	-50.6%	141	285
Toyota	-32.3%	102,565	151,550	-34.9%	3,945	6,062
VW	-11.6%	12,744	14,412	-15.0%	490	576
Volvo	-63.8%	2,910	8,036	-65.2%	112	321
COMPANIES
BMW Group	-15.5%	14,314	16,935	-18.7%	551	677
Chrysler LLC	-54.8%	62,157	137,392	-56.5%	2,391	5,496
FoMoCo	-40.2%	93,506	156,391	-42.5%	3,596	6,256
General Motors	-48.8%	129,227	252,565	-50.8%	4,970	10,102
Honda America	-27.9%	71,031	98,511	-30.7%	2,732	3,940
Nissan NA	-29.7%	53,884	76,605	-32.4%	2,072	3,064
Toyota Mo Co	-31.7%	117,287	171,849	-34.4%	4,511	6,874

January 2009 had 26 selling days versus 25 selling days for January 2008

We didn't know sales for the U.S. auto industry in 2008 would be this bad when the year began, but it sure ended on a fitting note. Over the past six months or so we've seen the U.S. auto sales market nearly collapse and almost take our own domestic auto industry with it.

Nevertheless, there were a couple of standouts. Both MINI and Subaru somehow managed to post sales gains in 2008 compared to the previous year. The success of MINI is likely due to production capacity more than popularity, but we have no explanation for Subaru other than its sales staff is more persuasive than at your average car dealership.

As for the big dogs, despite the whole lot of them being hit equally hard over the past few months, Japanese automakers had a stronger first half of 2008. As such, their year-end sales data looks better than the domestics with Toyota being the worst performing Japanese automaker at -15.4% and Honda fairing the best with a drop of just 7.91%. In comparison, Ford Motor Company (-20.7%) and General Motors (-22.9%) were equally unimpressive while the Chrysler Group hemorrhaged sales and finished down a full 30%.

As for the rest of the auto industry, it's all there below and it isn't pretty.

BY THE NUMBERS - 2008
Brand	Vol. % Change	Total Sales 2008	Total Sales 2007	DSR % Change	Daily Avg. 2008	Daily Avg. 2007
Acura	-19.8%	144,504	180,104	-20%	469	587
Audi	-6.1%	87,760	93,506	-6.4%	285	305
BMW	-15.2%	249,113	293,795	-15.5%	809	957
Buick	-26.2%	137,197	185,791	-26.4%	445	605
Cadillac	-24.9%	161,159	214,726	-25.2%	523	699
Chevrolet	-20.5%	1,801,131	2,265,641	-20.8%	5,848	7,380
Chrysler	-38.3%	335,108	543,011	-38.5%	1,088	1,769
Dodge	-25.9%	784,113	1,058,402	-26.2%	2,546	3,448
Ford	-19.7%	1,687,731	2,101,244	-19.9%	5,480	6,844
GMC	-25.5%	376,996	505,746	-25.7%	1,224	1,647
Honda	-6.4%	1,284,261	1,371,438	-6.7%	4,170	4,467
HUMMER	-50.9%	27,485	55,986	-51%	89	182
Hyundai	NA
Infiniti	-11%	112,989	127,038	-11.3%	367	414
Jeep	-29.7%	333,901	475,237	-30%	1,084	1,548
Kia	-10.5%	273,397	305,473	-10.8%	888	995
Lexus	-21%	260,087	329,177	-21.2%	844	1,072
Lincoln	-18.4%	107,295	131,487	-18.7%	348	428
Mazda	-10.9%	263,949	296,110	-11.2%	857	965
Mercedes-Benz	-11.2%	225,128	253,433	-11.5%	731	826
Mercury	-28.6%	120,248	168,422	-28.8%	390	549
MINI	28.6%	54,077	42,045	28.2%	176	137
Mitsubishi	-24.6%	97,257	128,993	-24.8%	316	420
Nissan	-10.9%	838,361	941,200	-11.2%	2,722	3,066
Pontiac	-25.3%	267,348	358,022	-25.6%	868	1,166
Porsche	-25%	26,035	34,693	-25.2%	85	113
Saab	-34.7%	21,368	32,711	-34.9%	69	107
Saturn	-21.7%	188,004	240,091	-21.9%	610	782
Subaru	0.3%	187,699	187,208	-0.06	609	610
Suzuki	NA
Toyota	-14.6%	1,957,575	2,291,648	-14.9%	6,356	7,464
Volkswagen	-3.2%	223,128	230,572	-3.5%	724	751
Volvo	-31.2%	73,102	106,213	-31.4%	237	346
COMPANIES
BMW Group	-9.7%	303,190	335,840	-10%	984	1,094
Chrysler LLC	-30%	1,453,122	2,076,650	-30.3%	4,717	6,764
FoMoCo	-20.7%	1,988,376	2,507,366	-30%	6,456	8,167
General Motors	-22.9%	2,980,688	3,866,620	-23.2%	9,678	12,594
Honda America	-7.91%	1,428,765	1,551,542	-8.21%	4,369	5,054
Nissan NA	-10.9%	951,350	1,068,238	-11.2%	3,081	3,480
Toyota Mo Co	-15.4%	2,217,662	2,620,825	-15.7%	7,200	8,537

2008 had 308 selling days versus 307 selling days for 2007

The U.S. auto industry hasn't experienced a worse year of sales in recent memory, so it's fitting that 2008 should close with December sales data that's no better than the previous disappointing months.

The only green you'll see below is next to MINI, which beat out December 2007 sales by only four vehicles. Every other automaker and its brands sold fewer cars this past month than the year prior.

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. Chrysler brand sales alone were down an incredible 59.8% compared to 12/07. This means that HUMMER, for the first time in a long time, was not this month's Biggest Loser, managing to unload enough H3s to see sales fall by "only" 59.3%.

Props are also awarded to Audi (-9.3%), Lincoln (-10%), Subaru (-7.7%) and Volkswagen (-14.4%) who finished the year strong... well, as strong as could be expected.

Stay tuned for later today when we publish the annual By the Numbers - 2008: Phew! Glad That's Over Edition.

BY THE NUMBERS - December 2008
Brand	Vol. % Change	Total Sales 12/08	Total Sales 12/07	DSR % Change	Daily Avg. 12/08	Daily Avg. 12/07
Acura	-39.3%	10,680	17,582	-39.3%	411	676
Audi	-9.3%	7,712	8,504	-9.3%	297	327
BMW	-40.2%	18,060	30,199	-40.2%	695	1,162
Buick	-38.1%	8,909	14,400	-38.1%	343	554
Cadillac	-38.3%	13,235	21,436	-38.3%	509	824
Chevrolet	-25.8%	137,691	185,626	-25.8%	5,296	7,139
Chrysler	-59.8%	19,453	48,384	-59.8%	748	1,861
Dodge	-51.9%	47,269	98,235	-51.9%	1,818	3,778
Ford	-33%	116,188	173,648	-33%	4,469	6,679
GMC	-34.5%	29,783	45,503	-34.5%	1,146	1,750
Honda	-34%	75,405	114,210	-34%	2,900	4,393
HUMMER	-59.3%	2,170	5,333	-59.3%	83	205
Hyundai	NA
Infiniti	-34.6%	8,273	12,655	-34.6%	318	487
Jeep	-48.5%	23,091	44,804	-48.5%	888	1,723
Kia	-39.2%	14,644	24,068	-39.2%	563	926
Lexus	-32.4%	23,362	34,555	-32.4%	899	1,329
Lincoln	-10%	9,053	10,065	-10%	348	387
Mazda	-27.9%	17,965	24,933	-27.9%	691	959
Mercedes-Benz	-32.1%	18,507	27,269	-32.1%	711	1,049
Mercury	-29.8%	8,873	12,631	-29.8%	341	486
MINI	0.1%	3,566	3,562	0.1%	137	137
Mitsubishi	-22.6%	4,570	5,904	-22.6%	176	227
Nissan	-30%	53,829	76,900	-30%	2,070	2,958
Pontiac	-45.5%	16,466	30,211	-45.5%	633	1,162
Porsche	-25.5%	2,154	2,891	-25.5%	82	111
Saab	-57%	1,179	2,748	-57%	45	106
Saturn	-30.9%	12,570	18,196	-30.9%	483	700
Subaru	-7.7%	17,287	18,739	-7.7%	664	721
Suzuki	NA
Toyota	-37.5%	118,587	189,844	-37.5%	4,561	7,302
Volkswagen	-14.4%	17,577	20,543	-14.4%	676	790
Volvo	-47%	4,953	9,341	-47%	191	359
COMPANIES
BMW Group	-35.9%	21,626	33,761	-35.9%	832	1,299
Chrysler LLC	-53%	89,813	191,423	-53%	3,454	7,362
FoMoCo	-32.4%	139,067	205,685	-32.4%	5,349	7,911
General Motors	-31.4%	221,983	323,453	-31.4%	8,538	12,441
Honda America	-34.7%	86,085	131,792	-34.7%	3,311	5,069
Nissan NA	-30.1%	62,102	89,555	-30.1%	2,389	3,444
Toyota Mo Co	-36.7%	141,949	224,399	-36.7%	5,460	8,631

December 2008 had 26 selling days versus 26 selling days for December 2007.

GM, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota all down over 30%

While the Detroit 3 have their hands out in front of Congress, the entire U.S. auto industry turned in a report of dismal November sales today. Every major automaker saw its sales crash and crash hard last month, and the only brand to gain ground was MINI, which saw sales jump 43% on account of last year's numbers being artificially low because production of the then-new Coopers couldn't meet demand.

Credit, we suppose, should also be given to Lincoln and Subaru, each of which posted only a single-digit percentage loss of sales last month.

Clearly what's effecting the Detroit 3 automakers is effecting the entire industry, which sort of blows a hole in the argument that people aren't buying from GM, Ford and Chrysler right now because of their inferior product. Toyota and Honda were both down over 30% last month and Nissan fell 42.2%, which means that Americans just aren't buying as many cars in general as they were last year.

We're curious to find out how last month's sales numbers hinders or helps the cause of the Detroit 3 in Washington this week. We'll find out Thursday when all three CEOs testify again after Congress has reviewed their proposed plans.

Also check out our Top Ten Best-Selling Vehicles for November 2008. You might be surprised to see which vehicle is back at No. 1.

BY THE NUMBERS - November 2008
Brand	Vol. % Change	Total Sales 11/08	Total Sales 11/07	DSR % Change	Daily Avg. 11/08	Daily Avg. 11/07
Acura	-38.9%	7,888	12,910	-38.9%	316	516
Audi	-25.4%	6,788	9,104	-25.4%	272	364
BMW	-36%	15,217	23,808	-36%	609	952
Buick	-43.3%	7,516	13,245	-43.3%	301	530
Cadillac	-48.3%	8,815	17,041	-48.3%	353	682
Chevrolet	-36.9%	95,756	151,642	-36.9%	3,830	6,066
Chrysler	-56%	20,017	45,510	-56%	801	1,820
Dodge	-44.3%	44,941	80,670	-44.3%	1,794	3,227
Ford	-30%	103,055	147,310	-30%	4,122	5,892
GMC	-41.5%	20,214	34,549	-41.5%	809	1,382
Honda	-30.6%	68,345	98,521	-30.6%	2,734	3,941
HUMMER	-63.9%	1,454	4,029	-63.9%	58	161
Hyundai	-39.7%	19,221	31,883	-39.7%	769	1,275
Infiniti	-28%	7,631	10,604	-28%	305	424
Jeep	-41.8%	20,302	34,908	-41.8%	812	1,396
Kia	-37.2%	15,182	24,177	-37.2%	607	967
Lexus	-34.7%	16,223	24,848	-34.7%	649	994
Lincoln	-8.3%	8,019	8,744	-8.3%	321	350
Mazda	-31.3%	14,134	20,580	-31.3%	565	823
Mercedes-Benz	-38.2%	14,102	22,819	-38.2%	564	913
Mercury	-41.4%	7,744	13,204	-41.4%	310	528
MINI	43%	4,545	3,177	43%	182	127
Mitsubishi	-35.4%	5,096	7,893	-35.4%	204	316
Nissan	-44.4%	38,974	70,079	-44.4%	1,559	2,803
Pontiac	-53.4%	12,140	20,040	-53.4%	486	1,042
Porsche	-48.2%	1,378	2,662	-48.2%	55	106
Saab	-57.5%	852	2,003	-57.5%	34	80
Saturn	-46.2%	8,130	15,105	-46.2%	325	604
Subaru	-7.8%	13,706	14,868	-7.8%	548	595
Suzuki	-46.3%	3,216	5,987	-46.3%	129	239
Toyota	-33.8%	114,084	172,341	-33.8%	4,563	6,894
Volkswagen	-19.2%	14,295	17,689	-19.2%	572	708
Volvo	-46.5%	4,404	8,227	-46.5%	176	329
COMPANIES
BMW Group	-26.8%	19,762	26,985	-26.8%	790	1,079
Chrysler LLC	-47%	85,260	161,088	-47%	3,410	6,444
FoMoCo	-30.6%	123,222	177,485	-30.6%	4,929	7,099
General Motors	-41.3%	154,877	263,654	-41.3%	6,195	10,546
Honda America	-31.6%	76,233	111,431	-31.6%	3,049	4,457
Nissan NA	-42.2%	46,605	80,683	-42.2%	1,864	3,227
Toyota Mo Co	-33.9%	130,307	197,189	-33.9%	5,212	7,888

November 2008 had 25 selling days versus 25 selling days for November 2007

Sales for the month of October 2008 were... ahem... not good. The auto industry in the U.S. has found a way to slide further into oblivion with only a few bright spots from Audi and MINI, the latter of which enjoyed monster sales last month we suspect on account of greater production capacity this year versus October 2007.

While all the major players were down, General Motors, the largest of them all, was hit the hardest. Its sales volume for October 2008 fell 45% compared to last year. It went from selling an average of 11,923 cars per day in October 2007 to just 6,318 last month. Each of its brands were down, with HUMMER taking the Biggest Loser crown (yet again). The real story, however, is how close behind the other brands were, with Cadillac falling 55.1%, Buick 46.3%, Chevy 40.3%, GMC 52.5%, Pontiac 48.2% and Saturn 54.6%.

What can account for GM's entire brand portfolio taking such a hit? GMAC, the financing arm of General Motors that's majority owned by Cerberus. Halfway through the month GMAC decreed it would only lend money only to buyers with a credit score above 700, which effectively wiped out in-house financing for the majority of GM customers. While dealers could still work with banks to secure financing (and were encouraged to do so), it appears the damage wrought by GMAC could not be undone.

BY THE NUMBERS - October 2008
Brand	Vol. % Change	Total Sales 10/08	Total Sales 10/07	DSR % Change	Daily Avg. 10/08	Daily Avg. 10/07
Acura	-21.56%	10,108	12,886	-24.46%	374	496
Audi	0.3%	7,443	7,420	-3.4%	276	285
BMW	-13.9%	20,203	23,451	-17%	748	902
Buick	-46.3%	7,642	14,231	-48.3%	283	547
Cadillac	-55.1%	9,541	21,267	-56.8%	353	818
Chevrolet	-40.3%	107,313	179,825	-42.5%	3,975	6,916
Chrysler	-50.8%	19,903	40,440	-52.6%	737	1,555
Dodge	-27%	53,267	73,020	-29.75%	1,973	2,808
Ford	-27.9%	114,969	159,361	-30.5%	4,258	6,129
GMC	-52.5%	21,109	44,456	-54.3%	782	1,710
Honda	-25.66%	75,756	101,913	-28.41%	2,806	3,920
HUMMER	-64.6%	1,368	3,864	-66%	51	149
Hyundai	-31.1%	20,820	30,232	-33.7%	771	1,162
Infiniti	-28.5%	7,112	9,954	-31.2%	263	383
Jeep	-32.9%	21,360	31,856	-35.4%	791	1,225
Kia	-38.5%	15,483	25,185	-40.8%	573	969
Lexus	-35.2%	16,283	25,119	-37.6%	603	966
Lincoln	-27.7%	7,399	10,229	-30.3%	274	393
Mazda	-25.9%	16,442	22,201	-28.7%	609	854
Mercedes-Benz	-34.3%	14,996	22,820	-36.7%	555	878
Mercury	-47.4%	6,753	12,844	-49.4%	250	494
MINI	56.4%	5,272	3,370	50.6%	195	130
Mitsubishi	-19.3%	7,486	9,280	-22.3%	277	357
Nissan	-33.5%	49,833	74,992	-36%	1,846	2,884
Pontiac	-48.2%	13,054	25,182	-50%	483	969
Porsche	-50.1%	1,427	2,862	-52%	53	110
Saab	-13.2%	1,975	2,275	-16.4%	73	88
Saturn	-54.6%	8,583	18,908	-56.3%	318	727
Subaru	NA
Suzuki	-46.7%	3,482	6,536	-48.7%	129	251
Toyota	-21.3%	135,818	172,473	-24.2%	5,030	6,634
Volkswagen	-7.9%	15,889	17,260	-11.4%	588	664
Volvo	-52.1%	3,717	7,761	-53.9%	138	299
COMPANIES
BMW Group	-5%	25,475	26,821	-8.5%	944	1,032
Chrysler LLC	-34.9%	94,530	145,316	-37.4%	3,501	5,589
FoMoCo	-30.2%	132,838	190,195	-32.7%	4,920	7,315
General Motors	-45%	170,585	310,008	-47%	6,318	11,923
Honda Amer.	-25.2%	85,864	114,799	-28%	3,180	4,415
Nissan NA	-33%	56,945	84,947	-35.4%	2,109	3,267
Toyota Mo Co	-23%	152,101	197,592	-25.9%	5,633	7,600

October 2008 had 27 selling days versus 26 selling days for October 2007

Update: Dodge numbers fixed.