Autoblog By the Numbers http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog By the Numbers http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/favicon-v5.png Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and Jeff RossThe podcast by the people who obsessively cover the auto industry. <![CDATA[April 2013: Showers Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/01/april-2013-showers-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/01/april-2013-showers-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/01/april-2013-showers-edition/#comments Filed under:

Ford And Nissan Make Big Gains, Toyota Falls



Unlike the month of March, when automakers left and right were breaking monthly sales records despite having one fewer selling day, April 2013 was a month when some brands couldn't even beat their year-over-year sales numbers despite being spotted an extra selling day compared to April 2012.

The Honda Accord won this month's round of midsize sedan sales.

Some of the winners from March, though, kept on winning in April. Of the high-volume brands, Nissan posted the biggest YoY gain of 24.62 positive, while Ford, which deals in volumes more than twice the size of Nissan, moved its needle in a positive direction by an impressive 17.77 percent. Nissan can credit the popularity of its Altima (up 35.4 percent to 21,991) and Pathfinder (up 423.5 percent to 6,473) for the bump. Ford, meanwhile, was firing on all of its cylinders, with the Escape up 52 percent to 25,826 units sold and Fusion up 23.7 percent to 26,722.

Speaking of midsize sedans, the Honda Accord won this month's round, with April sales of 33,528 compared to the Toyota Camry at 31,710, the aforementioned Fusion at 26,722, and Nissan Altima at 21,991.

Lincoln also appears high up in our April table, thanks entirely to the MKZ, which is finally filling up dealer lots after having its initial production and quality woes sorted. Ford's luxury brand saw sales up 20.72 percent to 7,615 total on the back of the MKZ's 115.4-percent sales increase to 4,012 units.

Of the automakers reporting declining sales, we're most surprised to see both Toyota (-1.51 percent) and Chrysler (-12.68) among them. Toyota saw sales decline for three of its top-selling models (Corolla -6.1 percent, Camry -17.3 percent and Prius -24.1 percent), which couldn't be offset by the brand's new RAV4 posting a 17.1-percent increase to 18,541 units sold in April. Chrysler, meanwhile, only has three models, and while sales of the 200 and Town & Country were largely flat, the 300 saw sales fall 47 percent to 4,120 units.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in April 2013 and 24 selling days in April 2012, so there is a difference between the change in monthly sales volume and 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.

April 2013: Showers Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 May 2013 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> april 2013auto industryauto salesby the numbersfeatured Wed, 01 May 2013 15:48:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20554960/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20554960/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/05/01/april-2013-showers-edition/20554960/article-detail.xml 20554960 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/bythenumberscutart012213_thumbnail.png http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/bythenumberscutart012213.png <![CDATA[March 2013: Records Are Made To Be Broken Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/02/march-2013-records-are-made-to-be-broken-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/02/march-2013-records-are-made-to-be-broken-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/02/march-2013-records-are-made-to-be-broken-edition/#comments Filed under: ,



They say records are made to be broken, and the auto industry broke more than a few last month. Sales for the month of March added up to a number of all-time best months for automakers, like Nissan (+0.39 percent to 126,623) and Subaru (+13.32 percent to 36,701). General Motors reports it had its best March in five years (+6.45 percent to 245,950), Audi (+14.4 percent 13,253) achieved its second-best sales month ever, and some individual models like the Ford Fusion (+6.0 percent to 30,284 units) and Explorer (+32.5 percent to 17,509 units) also set new sales records.

Most automakers made out on the positive side of things, and many that didn't had excuses.

Indeed, even with one fewer selling day in March 2013 versus March 2012 (27 vs. 28), most automakers made out on the positive side of things, and many that didn't had excuses. Lincoln, for instance, down 22.47 percent to 6,825 sales, was still hampered last month by quality concerns with its new MKZ sedan that suppressed availability. That car's production, however, is now where it should be, so Lincoln's numbers should look much better for April. Likewise, Kia saw sales fell 14.57 percent to 49,125, largely due to production constraints on the new Forte. Mitsubishi, meanwhile, which fell 26.17 percent to 5,286 units, is down a few discontinued models compared to last year, but word on the street is that more help is coming, including a new-for-2014 Mirage subcompact.

Also worth noting is how intense the sales battle has become in the midsize sedan segment. Long dominated by the Camry, Toyota's family sedan was knocked off its pedestal last month by the Nissan Altima, which posted 37,763 units sold to the Camry's 37,663. The Honda Accord was right there with 36,504 sales, and the Ford Fusion crept into the mix with its 30,284 units sold. We'll be watching this segment as the year progresses to see if Toyota will keep its crown or lose it to the Altima, Accord, or maybe even the dark-horse Fusion.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 27 selling days in March 2013 and 28 selling days in March 2012, so there is a difference between the change in monthly sales volume and 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.

March 2013: Records Are Made To Be Broken Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> by the numbersfeaturedmarch 2013march 2013 auto sales Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:29:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20527357/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20527357/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/04/02/march-2013-records-are-made-to-be-broken-edition/20527357/article-detail.xml 20527357 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/bythenumberscutart012213_thumbnail.png http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/bythenumberscutart012213.png <![CDATA[February 2013: No Leap Day Edition [UPDATE]]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/01/february-2013-no-leap-day-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/01/february-2013-no-leap-day-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/01/february-2013-no-leap-day-edition/#comments Filed under: ,



Last year was a Leap Year, and February 2012 indeed offered automakers an extra day of selling cars compared to the 24 trips around the sun we took last month. Nevertheless, the US auto industry took full advantage of the days they were given and posted a solid month of sales in February 2013.

Among major automakers, Ford Motor Company (+9.33 percent) and General Motors (+7.17 percent) were the leaders, while Toyota Motor Company (+4.34) and Chrysler Group (+4.11 thanks to a +30.33-percent performance by Dodge) managed to stay positive. Nissan North America, however, fared less well, reporting a drop in year-over-year sales of -6.65 percent.

Among brands, we see many luxury marques near the top, including Bentley (+42.86 percent), Porsche (+30.53 percent), Audi (+27.77 percent), Mercedes-Benz (+23.05 percent), Cadillac (+20.34 percent) and Land Rover (+19.97 percent). If taken as a sign of a recovering economy, then the wealthier among us appear to be leading the way.

You might not be surprised to see Lincoln at the very bottom of the sales pile.

Perhaps more notable are the brands that didn't do so well in February. Kia (-7.84 percent) has rarely been seen in the red, and even trumpeted a new sales record for January last month. The rare dip is unusual for the Korean automaker, having increased sales four years in a row and experiencing only one month of declining sales last year in December. Likewise, Jeep (-16.48 percent) and Nissan (-7.18 percent) manage to avoid the crimson club most months, but not last month.

You might not be surprised to see Lincoln at the very bottom of the sales performance pile, having reported a large decline of -29.35 percent. Don't blame the new MKZ just yet, as production has still not yet ramped up to the levels of its predecessor. Lincoln sold 945 new MKZs in February, down 62.0 percent from the year prior, but up 47.9 percent month-over-month.

UPDATE: Honda inadvertently published incorrect numbers earlier in the day. Those numbers have now been updated reflecting the accurate sales data for Honda, Acura and Honda America.

UPDATE 2: Numbers corrected for Volkswagen, Infiniti and Acura.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 24 selling days in February 2013 and 25 selling days in February 2012, so there is a difference between the change in monthly sales volume and 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.

February 2013: No Leap Day Edition [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> auto salesby the numbersfeaturedfebruary 2013 auto sales Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:15:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20485444/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20485444/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/03/01/february-2013-no-leap-day-edition/20485444/article-detail.xml 20485444 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/03/bythenumberscutart012213_thumbnail.png http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/03/bythenumberscutart012213.png <![CDATA[January 2013: We've Got A New Graphic Edition!]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/01/january-2013-weve-got-a-new-graphic-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/01/january-2013-weve-got-a-new-graphic-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/01/january-2013-weve-got-a-new-graphic-edition/#comments Filed under: ,



Is there anything else to discuss this month besides the fact that By the Numbers has a new graphic? Since sometime in 2006, I've dutifully collected this monthly sales data and published it in table form for your perusal, and I've always accompanied the data and my analysis of it with that funny little graphic of a green car going up (or down) a red hill. I've no idea where I found it, probably a Google image search, and have resisted changing it for so long partly on account of laziness, but also an obstinate will to maintain consistency. That will, good people, has been broken, and for the better I think, based on the lovely new graphic you see above these words.

On to the numbers, which for the most part were pleasantly high across the industry. American brands lead the way with Cadillac posting a 46.97-percent surge in sales and Dodge a 37.43-percent jump. Lexus and Buick were also up over 30 percent in January.

Of the big brands selling close to or over 100,000 units per month, Toyota took top honors with a rise in sales of 26.05 percent, though not far behind was Ford with a 23.35-percent lift. Chrysler appeared in the teens at 17.56 percent, while Honda (12.74 percent) and Chevrolet (10.85 percent) each reported healthy increases, as well.

Nissan, however, showed a mere 1.76-percent rise in the raw number of vehicles it sold last month. When converted to the change in the Daily Average Sales rate, that number falls to -2.31 percent. Other surprises at the bottom of the list include Hyundai (2.39/-1.71 percent), Kia (2.21/-1.88 percent) and BMW (0.66/-3.37 percent), while Jeep and Mazda both sold fewer models last month than the year before no matter which column you look at.

The rest of the numbers are below, and you can view more from the past in our By the Numbers archive.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in January 2013 and 24 selling days in January 2012, so there is a difference between the change in monthly sales volume and 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.

January 2013: We've Got A New Graphic Edition! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> auto salesby the numberscar salesfeaturedjanuary 2013january 2013 auto salesjanuary 2013 car sales Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:15:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20446517/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20446517/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/02/01/january-2013-weve-got-a-new-graphic-edition/20446517/article-detail.xml 20446517 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/02/bythenumberscutart012213_thumbnail.png http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/02/bythenumberscutart012213.png <![CDATA[2012 - Don't Call It A Comeback Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/03/2012-dont-call-it-a-comeback-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/03/2012-dont-call-it-a-comeback-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/03/2012-dont-call-it-a-comeback-edition/#comments Filed under: ,

Best Year Since 2007, F-Series And Camry Remain Top-Sellers

Most automakers probably wish the party that was 2012 would keep right on going into 2013, because the past year was was very good for the auto industry in terms of sales. With December sales now reported, the final seasonally adjusted sales rate of the year is 15.38 million vehicles. Automotive News reports that 14.49 million light vehicles were sold in all, which is up 13 percent compared to 2011 and marks the third straight year of growth over 10 percent.

Of the major brands, Chrysler was the biggest winner with a 39.13-percent rise in sales compared to 2011, followed closely by Volkswagen with a gain of 35.06 percent. Of the big, big brands, however, Toyota led all with a rise of 27.12 percent on sales of 1,838,338 units. Honda followed with a gain of 12.69 percent on 1,266,569 sales. Both Japanese automakers can now be said to have fully recovered from both natural disasters that disrupted their production and supply lines, as well as recalls from previous years that had damaged both their brand images and reputations for sterling quality.

Perhaps it would be quicker to talk about the brands that didn't perform well, as that group is much smaller. Coming in under a red flag were Cadillac (-1.71 percent), Jaguar (-2.16 percent) and Lincoln (-4.08 percent) - all luxury brands and each missing out on reporting a sales gain by relatively small margins. At the bottom of the barrel, however, is Mitsubishi, which found itself with sales falling 28.09 percent compared to 2011. Suzuki was also down, 4.73 percent to be exact, despite some speculating the fire sale of its remaining inventory would lead to an improvement in sales for the brand, which announced it was exiting the US market back in November.

Lastly, let's go over some particular stats to give you a better picture of last year's winners.
  • Best-Selling Brand: Ford (2,168,015)
  • Best-Selling Luxury Brand: Mercedes-Benz (295,063 *includes Sprinter)
  • Best-Selling Vehicle: Ford F-Series (645,316)
  • Best-Selling Car: Toyota Camry (404,886)
  • Best-Selling CUV: Honda CR-V (281,652)
  • Best-Selling Minivan: Dodge Caravan (141,468)
  • Battle of the Pony Cars: Chevrolet Camaro (84,391, -4.4%) beat Ford Mustang (82,995, +17.8%)
  • Top Five Midsize Sedans: Toyota Camry (404,886), Honda Accord (331,872), Nissan Altima (302,934), Ford Fusion (241,263), Hyundai Sonata (230,605)
  • Top Five Minivans: Dodge Caravan (141,468), Honda Odyssey (125,980), Toyota Sienna (114,725), Chrysler Town & Country (111,744), Nissan Quest (18,275)


*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 307 selling days in 2012 and 307 selling days in 2011, so there is no difference between the change in yearly sales volume and 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.

2012 - Don't Call It A Comeback Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> 20122012 auto sales2012 yearly auto salesby the numbers Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20416385/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20416385/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/01/03/2012-dont-call-it-a-comeback-edition/20416385/article-detail.xml 20416385 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/uphill-car-1325715318-1357249597_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/uphill-car-1325715318-1357249597.jpg <![CDATA[December 2012 - New Year's Rockin' Eve Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/03/december-2012-new-years-rockin-eve-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/03/december-2012-new-years-rockin-eve-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/03/december-2012-new-years-rockin-eve-edition/#comments Filed under: ,

Volkswagen, BMW, Honda End Year On High Notes

Let's get right to it since you're probably still nursing a hangover from New Year's Eve and what you really want to know are not sales results for the month of December, but sales results for the whole of 2012. Patience; that post is coming next, but first you have to sit through this one that focuses just on the twelfth and final month of 2012.

December was actually short on surprises with the likely brands staying near the top of our table. Volkswagen capped the year with a strong 35-percent gain in sales compared to the same month last year, as did BMW, which reported a gain of 39 percent. The gain that Honda reported of nearly 27 percent was perhaps most impressive of the bunch though, considering its much larger volume.

Many of the big mainstream brands reported minor sales gains in the single-digit range, brands like Toyota with 7.04 percent, Chrysler with 6.42 percent, Chevrolet with 3.68 percent and Ford with 2.53 percent.

If there were any surprises in December 2012's sales numbers, it was a few of the brands we found in the red. Nissan just missed out on a positive performance with a small decline in sales volume of 3.64 percent (though its daily average sales rate was a positive 0.07 percent). Jeep was also down 8.5 percent, and Kia, a consistently strong performer both in 2011 and 2012, reported sales down 9.71 percent.

Okay, okay, enough with December. We'll get back to finishing up our By the Numbers report on 2012 sales as a whole, so stay tuned.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 26 selling days in December 2012 and 27 selling days in December 2011, so there is a difference between the change in monthly sales volume and 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.

December 2012 - New Year's Rockin' Eve Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> by the numbersdecember 2012december 2012 auto salesdecember auto sales Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:59:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20416346/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20416346/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/01/03/december-2012-new-years-rockin-eve-edition/20416346/article-detail.xml 20416346 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[November 2012: Storm Surge Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/03/november-2012-storm-surge-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/03/november-2012-storm-surge-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/03/november-2012-storm-surge-edition/#comments Filed under: ,

Pent-Up Demand Lifts Many Automakers

Practically nothing good came of Superstorm Sandy, which made landfall in late October. Along with destroying infrastructure and throwing into turmoil the lives of countless people who never thought their home would go toe-to-toe with a hurricane, Sandy also suppressed auto sales that month. But what Sandy taketh away, pent-up demand for the freedom of personal transport giveth back, as evidenced by the strong month of automobile sales in the US during the month of November.

While low-volume brands like Fiat, Porsche and Smart lead our list, they're followed closely by a number or brands with a bit bigger audience that performed remarkably well. Subaru reported sales up nearly 60 percent to 28,206 units, while BMW saw a 45-percent to 21,213 units. No brand, however, can match the jump in raw number of vehicles sold that Honda reported, the Japanese automaker seeing sales rise 41 percent 104,224 units, a lift of 30,208 units compared to November 2011. Dodge (+32 percent) and Volkswagen (+29 percent) also reported healthy gains, while Toyota added 20,474 sales for an increase of 17 percent.

As for the domestics, Chrysler Group reported a respectable 14 percent rise in sales thanks to the performance of Dodge, which more than offset a 3-percent decline at Jeep. Ford Motor Company posted a 6.5-percent increase, while General Motors reported a 3.4-percent increase thanks to strong numbers from Buick (+22 percent) and Cadillac (+30 percent).

Lastly, we noticed one stand-out performer in this month's sales numbers, and that's the 2012 Honda Civic. Sales of the Civic were up 75.5 percent to 30,075 units, a number that beat the very-difficult-to-dethrone best-selling Camry's 28,765 units. We point this out because reception of the redesigned 2012 Civic was initially less-than-stellar, which led Honda to hastily revise the 2013 model with mechanical and styling tweaks that recent sales suggest, perhaps, weren't necessary, at least this soon.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in November 2012 and 25 selling days in November 2011, so there is no difference between the change in monthly sales volume and 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.

November 2012: Storm Surge Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> auto salesby the numbersfeaturednovember 2012november 2012 auto sales Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20393166/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20393166/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/12/03/november-2012-storm-surge-edition/20393166/article-detail.xml 20393166 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/12/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/12/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[October 2012: Brewing Storm Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/01/october-2012-brewing-storm-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/01/october-2012-brewing-storm-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/01/october-2012-brewing-storm-edition/#comments Filed under:

Hurricane Sandy's Effect Will Be Delayed

All that's left of Hurricane Sandy, which slammed into the Eastern US this week, is some rain showers and gusts of wind, but the effect of this storm-of-the-century will be felt by those in its path for months to come. Likewise, Sandy made landfall at the tail end of October, which means its effect on new vehicle sales for the month was minimal. However, despite the fact you can't see Sandy's influence in the numbers below, we suspect that next month those Atlantic winds will be impossible to ignore.

Nevertheless, Sandy didn't do too much to shuffle the order of automakers at the top of our sales list. Of the major brands, Subaru, Volkswagen and Dodge were all up over 20 percent compared to October of last year, whereas Toyota Motor Company and Chrysler Group led the way for major automakers with increases of 15.81 and 10.19 percent, respectively. General Motors posted a respectable increase of 4.75 percent, while Ford barely managed to remain positive with sales growth of just 0.39 percent.

Indeed, sales of Ford vehicles were about even, but the Lincoln brand fell 15.4 percent, its whole lineup having been outsold for the month by the Chevrolet Sonic alone.

Also down was Nissan North America, some 3.23 percent. This despite a positive performance by Infiniti (up 27.62 percent) and the newly redesigned Altima selling well.




*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 26 selling days in October 2012 versus 26 selling days in October 2011, so there is no difference between the change in monthly sales volume and 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.

October 2012: Brewing Storm Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> auto salesby the numbershurricane sandyoctober 2012 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20368297/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20368297/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/11/01/october-2012-brewing-storm-edition/20368297/article-detail.xml 20368297 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/11/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/11/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[September 2012: A Return To Normalcy Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/02/september-2012-a-return-to-normalcy-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/02/september-2012-a-return-to-normalcy-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/02/september-2012-a-return-to-normalcy-edition/#comments Filed under: , , , ,

Toyota, VW, Honda Up Big Again, But Not As Much

As has been the case for a few months now, the same three brands led the month with the largest sales increases among major automakers: Toyota, Volkswagen and Honda. They have swapped positions on the podium each time, but each is a medalist again this month in the industry-wide sales race.

Toyota sales were up 42.33 percent in September compared to the same month last year, though that increase is lower than the prior month's gain of 47.5 percent. Likewise, Volkswagen was up 34.41 last month - far from the 62.54 gain it enjoyed in August. Honda's increase also dropped sharply month-over-month, from 57.88 percent in August to 29.33 percent last month. This could signal a return to normalcy for Japan's two biggest automakers, whose sales have appeared inflated compared with last year's numbers that were affected by that country's natural disasters and resulting production problems.

Our own domestic automakers are likewise seeing a return normalcy that doesn't include them posting double-digit sales gain every month. Well, except for Chrysler, whose portfolio of brands did exit September with a gain of 11.55 percent. General Motors, however, barely remained positive with a small 1.5-percent increase and Ford dipped slightly into the red with a decrease of 0.13 percent.

Ford did enjoy some good news with the performance of its new Escape, which racked up 23,148 sales in September, enough to lead its segment. Early signs suggest that those who were worried that the slicker, costlier new Escape couldn't replicate the popularity of the last generation's boxy bravado needn't have - at least for the moment. The Chevrolet Cruze also appears to have captured its segment's sales crown for the month of September with 25,787 sales. The mid-size sedan segment, which has heated up with a number of new totally redesigned models, was easily won by the Toyota Camry with 34,252 sales.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in September 2012 versus 25 selling days in September 2011, 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.

September 2012: A Return To Normalcy Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> auto salesby the numbersfeaturedseptember 2012 Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:45:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20339663/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20339663/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/10/02/september-2012-a-return-to-normalcy-edition/20339663/article-detail.xml 20339663 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/10/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/10/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[August 2012: Big Jumps Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/04/august-2012-big-jumps-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/04/august-2012-big-jumps-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/04/august-2012-big-jumps-edition/#comments Filed under: , , , ,

Volkswagen, Honda and Toyota Post Big Gains

If you want evidence that the economy is on the mend, look no further than the string of positive monthly sales reports coming from the auto industry this year. August continues the trend with the vast majority of brands and companies reporting improved sales numbers compared to the same month last year, Volkswagen (+62.54 percent), Honda (+57.88 percent) and Toyota (+47.5 percent) leading the way for major manufacturers.

Honda and Toyota's big gains are easy to explain. Just repeat the line we've been using all summer about these two Japanese giants enjoying the fruits of restored production capacity following last year's onslaught of natural disasters in their home region. Volkswagen's big jump, however, is harder to explain, and looks to be consolidated mostly in the Passat model line where sales jumped from just 314 last August (before the midsize sedan was redesigned) to 10,090 last month. Smaller sales gains from the Golf, Jetta, Beetle, Tiguan and Touareg also contributed.

Another individual model that jumped out at us while compiling the numbers is the Ford Escape. The all-new 2013 Escape is a big departure in both style and content compared to the last generation, which sold very well even into its waning months. We've been curious to know if consumers would embrace the new Escape's slicker shape and higher price. The answer is a resounding yes based on last month's sales of the new model, which totaled 28,188 units, a 36.8-percent improvement compared to last August and a number high enough to make the new Escape one of the industry's best selling models overall last month.

Check out how the entire auto industry did in the monthly sales chart below, and visit our By the Numbers section to see all past months.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 27 selling days in August 2012 versus 26 selling days in August 2011, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than 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.

August 2012: Big Jumps Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> auto salesauto sales august 2012by the numbershondatoyotavolkswagen Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:15:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20316030/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20316030/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/09/04/august-2012-big-jumps-edition/20316030/article-detail.xml 20316030 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/09/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/09/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[July 2012 - Not Enough Time Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/01/july-2012-not-enough-time-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/01/july-2012-not-enough-time-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/01/july-2012-not-enough-time-edition/#comments Filed under: ,

Ever hear the expression that there aren't enough hours in the day? For General Motors and Ford, there weren't enough days in July. These two domestics sold fewer vehicles last month than the year before, but they also had two fewer days to work with, July having only 24 selling days to work with this year versus last year's 26. So you may hear some news reports decrying these two automakers for slipping sales, but in actuality, the average number of vehicles that each sold per day in July increased, and that's what really counts.

All that said, both GM and FoMoCo barely did well last month, and some of their brands were legitimately down, including GMC (-9.05 percent by volume), Buick (-14.71 percent) and Lincoln (-10.74 percent). Both the Ford brand and Chevrolet were down by volume (-3.5 and -6.75 percent, respectively), but managed to eke out increases for their daily average sales rate.

Crosstown rival Chrysler Group had no such trouble, posting a healthy 12.55-percent sales gain across its many brands. Not even a resurgent Chrysler, however, can catch up to Honda and Toyota, both of which are still enjoying conspicuously large sales compared to the production-strapped months of summer 2011. A good example of this year's Japanese about face is comparing the difference in sales between FoMoCo and ToMoCo last year and today. In July 2011, Ford sold 50,063 more vehicles than Toyota. Last month, that number shrunk to just 9,068 and Toyota's trajectory suggests it will catch the Blue Oval and pass it in short order.

Check out how the entire auto industry did in the monthly sales chart below, and visit our By the Numbers section to see all past months.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 24 selling days in July 2012 versus 26 selling days in July 2011, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than 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.

July 2012 - Not Enough Time Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> by the numberscomparisonsfeaturedfordgeneral motorshondatoyota Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20291304/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20291304/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/08/01/july-2012-not-enough-time-edition/20291304/article-detail.xml 20291304 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/08/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/08/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[June 2012: Big Green Country Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/03/june-2012-big-green-country-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/03/june-2012-big-green-country-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/03/june-2012-big-green-country-edition/#comments Filed under:

We can't remember a time when, out of all the brands that sell cars in the U.S., only two reported negative sales for the month. Only Jaguar and Mitsubishi reported selling fewer vehicles last month than the year before. Of course, many brands just barely squeaked out a positive number, and six switch from green to red cells in our table below when comparing their daily average sales rates (there were 27 selling days in June 2012 versus 26 in June 2011) instead of raw volume.

The big story this month that will likely continue through the summer is the rebound performances of both Toyota and Honda. Toyota Motor Company was up a full 60.27 percent, followed by American Honda with a 48.77-percent increase. The next closest automaker was Nissan North America with a gain of 28.21 percent, followed closely by Chrysler Group at 20.28 percent, General Motors at 15.51 percent and Ford at 7.03 percent.

Japanese automakers, particularly Toyota and Honda, have largely restored their production capacity from last summer's crippling Japanese earthquakes and tsunamis. That will be reflected going forward in larger than normal monthly sales gains compared to the rest of the industry.

Check out how the entire auto industry did in the monthly sales chart below, and visit our By the Numbers section to see all past months.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 27 selling days in June 2012 versus 26 selling days in June 2011, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than 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.

June 2012: Big Green Country Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> by the numbersfeaturedjune 2012june 2012 u.s. auto salesjune u.s. auto sales Tue, 03 Jul 2012 17:44:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20271361/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20271361/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/07/03/june-2012-big-green-country-edition/20271361/article-detail.xml 20271361 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/07/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/07/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[May 2012: Too Good To Be True Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/01/may-2012-too-good-to-be-true-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/01/may-2012-too-good-to-be-true-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/01/may-2012-too-good-to-be-true-edition/#comments Filed under: ,

Toyota and Honda Outperform Against Backdrop of Earthquake-Related Shortages

Without context, one might think that sales for the U.S. automotive industry in May were off-the-charts good. Look at brands like Toyota and Honda, sales of which were up an astonishing 88.9 and 46.0 percent, respectively. Or look at Chrysler, up an equally incredible 82.34 percent. We're back, baby! Right? Not quite.

The performance of Toyota and Honda, as well as luxury brands Lexus and Acura, can be explained by the fact that one year ago coincides with two months after Japan was rocked with earthquakes and tsunamis that knocked out most of the country's domestic automobile production. By May, Japanese automakers, particularly Toyota and Honda, were running out of inventory to sell that couldn't be replaced. Toyota sales in the U.S. fell nearly 32 percent in May 2011 and Honda by 22.4 percent. Thus, both these automakers are about to put together a string of months that show industry-leading sales increases, but only because those sales are being compared to last summer's drought.

Likewise, Chrysler and Dodge just hadn't hit their sales stride yet at this time last year when sales of all of Chrysler Group were up only 10 percent, buoyed by solid performances from Ram and particularly Jeep. With all of four of its brands now operating on all cylinders, the Chrysler Group finished last month up over 30 percent from May 2011.

And yet, despite all of these positive numbers, despite even General Motors and Ford posting solid increases of 10.9 and 12.6 percent respectively after both experienced dips in April, the industry as a whole is not performing as well as analysts would like. With only a couple brands left to report, it's looking like the seasonally adjusted annualized rate of sales will fall well below analysts' estimates of 14.4 million units, settling somewhere in the range of 13.8 million units, the worst estimate so far this year.

Check out how the entire auto industry did in the monthly sales chart below, and visit our By the Numbers section to see all past months.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 26 selling days in May 2012 versus 24 selling days in May 2011, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than 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.

May 2012: Too Good To Be True Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> by the numbersjapan earthquakemay 2011may 2012u.s. auto salesus auto sales Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:44:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20249722/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20249722/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/06/01/may-2012-too-good-to-be-true-edition/20249722/article-detail.xml 20249722 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/06/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/06/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[April 2012: Not How It Appears Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/01/april-2012-not-how-it-appears-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/01/april-2012-not-how-it-appears-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/01/april-2012-not-how-it-appears-edition/#comments Filed under: , ,

Industry Had Three Fewer Days To Sell

The sales figures you see below aren't quite what they seem. If you look at just the left column where the battle between green and red cells is almost at a draw, you might think that April 2012 was a step backwards in terms of sales momentum for the auto industry. That column, however, is practically irrelevant this month.

Shift your head a little to the right and read the DSR (Daily Sales Rate) column. That's the important column this month. People usually ignore this column because they don't understand its purpose or because its data looks so similar to the left column, but this month it means everything.

Why? Because there were 24 selling days for the auto industry last month, versus 27 selling days in April 2011. Usually there's only a single-day variance between months or no variance at all, but three selling days is a chasm to overcome and means that if you're only comparing raw numbers like the left column does, the entire industry was at a three-day disadvantage last month compared to the same month one year ago.

The DSR column, on the other hand, shows the change in average number of vehicles sold per day during April of this year and last. This is the more accurate representation of how each automaker performed in April, and as you can see, nearly all continued their momentum of increased sales with the usual suspects occupying those bottom red cells.

Check out how the entire auto industry did in the monthly sales chart below, and visit our By the Numbers section to see all past months.




*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 24 selling days in April 2012 versus 27 selling days in April 2011, so there will be a difference between monthly sales volume and the 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.

April 2012: Not How It Appears Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 May 2012 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> aprilapril 2011april 2012auto industry salesauto salesby the numbers Tue, 01 May 2012 15:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20228469/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20228469/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/05/01/april-2012-not-how-it-appears-edition/20228469/article-detail.xml 20228469 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[March 2011 - Fool on a Hill Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/03/march-2011-fool-on-a-hill-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/03/march-2011-fool-on-a-hill-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/03/march-2011-fool-on-a-hill-edition/#comments Filed under:

Chrysler Keeps Winning, Hyundai and Kia Set Records

Another chapter has been written in the comeback story of Chrysler, which reported a 69.7-percent sales increase in March compared to a year earlier. We're starting to wonder, though, what will happen if gas prices continue rising. If consumers begin to shift their tastes back to smaller, more fuel efficient cars, Chrysler will find itself without much to offer. The promising Dodge Dart is coming but not here yet, and Chrysler doesn't offer any passenger vehicles as hybrids or diesels. The Ram HD is of course available with a diesel, but we doubt consumers will flock to it for a respite from rising fuel costs.

Hyundai also had a good month of sales in March. Actually, it had the best month of sales in its history of selling cars in the U.S. Nearly all of its high-volume products are selling well, while the Veloster is picking up momentum and adding all-new sales to the mix. Soon, the completely redesigned Azera will go on sale, which means this new all-time sales record likely won't last long. Its Korean counterpart, Kia, also enjoyed its best month ever.

A couple of automakers who seem to be teetering on the edge of trouble are General Motors and Honda. GM can be happy with positive performances last month from Chevrolet and GMC, but Buick and Cadillac continue to falter and find themselves on the very bottom of our sales chart trends this month. Honda, meanwhile, hasn't seemed to have found its footing as well as rival Toyota, despite both companies reporting that their production lines are completely restored following a year of disruptive natural disasters.

Check out how the rest of the industry did in our monthly sales chart below, and visit our By the Numbers section to see all past months.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 28 selling days in March 2012 versus 27 selling days in March 2011, so there will be a difference between monthly sales volume and the 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.

March 2011 - Fool on a Hill Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> auto salesby the numbersmarch 2012 Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20207658/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20207658/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/04/03/march-2011-fool-on-a-hill-edition/20207658/article-detail.xml 20207658 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[February 2012: Leap Year Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/01/february-2012-leap-year-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/01/february-2012-leap-year-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/01/february-2012-leap-year-edition/#comments Filed under:

Chrysler Wins Again, Small Car Battle Brewing and Mustang Beats Camaro

Automakers love Leap Year. And why wouldn't they? Who doesn't love an extra day for selling? Actually, it turns out the extra day that Leap Year provides didn't make that much of a difference, as there were 25 selling days in February of this year versus 24 last year. A variance of one day is not out of the norm for any month. Still, sales were so good last month that you'd think each automaker had an extra week.

Like last month, the best performer was again Chrysler, both the brand and company, which saw sales rise 113.87 and 40.39 percent, respectively. The 300 sedan in particular, which just won our most recent comparison test versus the Hyundai Genesis, saw sales rise 480% to 7,670 units versus the same time last year.

Indeed, nearly every major automaker had positive news to report, except for General Motors and Mitsubishi. While Chevrolet posted a positive 5.78-percent increase in sales and GMC a narrow 0.14-percent rise, GM as a whole was dragged down by Buick and especially Cadillac, which reported drops of -11.29 and -27.04, respectively. In aggregate, GM reported a sales gain of just 1.10 percent, though its daily average sales rate was 2.94 percent below February of last year. In other words, GM sold about 254 vehicles less per day on average in February of this year than last.

If we go one level deeper and look at the sales of some individual models, the most interesting numbers were in the small car segment. Both the Chevrolet Cruze and Toyota Corolla have been leading the segment lately, but February saw the resurgence of both the Ford Focus and Honda Civic. Focus sales were up 115 percent to 23,350 units while Civic sales rose 36 percent to 27,086 units. Both vehicles sold more than the Corolla at 22,148 units and Cruze at 20,427 units. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that the Mustang finally posted a better month of sales than the Camaro: 7,351 to 6,923.

BRANDS Vol. % Feb-12 Feb-11 DSR* % Feb-12 Feb-11
Chrysler 113.87 27,008 12,628 105.32 1,080 526
Jaguar 62.48 1,022 629 55.98 41 26
Smart 58.88 769 484 52.53 31 20
Suzuki 47.60 2,425 1,643 41.69 97 68
Volkswagen 42.47 30,577 21,462 36.77 1,223 894
Mini 42.16 4,980 3,503 36.48 199 146
Kia 37.29 45,038 32,806 31.79 1,802 1,367
Mazda 32.31 25,651 19,387 27.02 1,026 808
Jeep 30.37 37,312 28,619 25.16 1,492 1,192
BMW 29.17 21,204 16,416 24.00 848 684
Land Rover 27.40 3,255 2,555 22.30 130 106
Dodge 27.21 42,692 33,561 22.12 1,708 1,398
Bentley 24.75 126 101 19.76 5 4
Lexus 20.73 16,678 13,814 15.90 667 576
Hyundai 17.50 51,151 43,533 12.80 2,046 1,814
Nissan 17.14 97,492 83,226 12.46 3,900 3,468
Subaru 17.02 25,374 21,683 12.34 1,015 903
Mercedes-Benz 16.90 18,910 16,176 12.23 756 674
Lincoln 16.21 6,912 5,948 11.56 276 248
Ram 14.72 23,282 20,294 10.13 931 846
Ford 14.29 172,207 150,678 9.72 6,888 6,278
Honda 13.33 98,899 87,263 8.80 3,956 3,636
Toyota 11.49 142,745 128,032 7.03 5,710 5,335
Audi 10.03 8,531 7,753 5.63 341 323
Volvo 9.76 5,263 4,795 5.37 211 200
Porsche 6.44 2,149 2,019 2.18 86 84
Chevrolet 5.78 151,197 142,929 1.55 6,048 5,955
Acura 4.28 11,258 10,796 0.11 450 450
Infiniti 1.04 9,239 9,144 -3.00 370 381
GMC 0.14 32,581 32,534 -3.86 1,303 1,356
Buick -11.29 14,023 15,807 -14.83 561 659
Cadillac -27.04 11,505 15,768 -29.95 460 657
Mitsubishi -31.29 4,736 6,893 -34.04 189 287
Fiat NA 3,227 0 NA 129 0
COMPANIES
Chrysler Group 40.39 133,521 95,102 34.78 5,341 3,963
Jaguar LR NA 31.72 4,277 3,247 26.45 171 135
BMW Group 31.45 26,184 19,919 26.19 1,047 830
Nissan NA 15.55 106,731 92,370 10.93 4,269 3,849
Ford Mo Co 14.36 179,119 156,626 9.79 7,165 6,526
Toyota Mo Co 12.39 159,423 141,846 7.90 6,377 5,910
American Honda 12.34 110,157 98,059 7.84 4,406 4,086
General Motors 1.10 209,306 207,028 -2.94 8,372 8,626

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in February 2012 versus 24 selling days in February 2011, so there will be a difference between monthly sales volume and the 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.

February 2012: Leap Year Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> 2012auto salesby the numbersfebruaryfebruary 2012 auto sales Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20183952/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20183952/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/03/01/february-2012-leap-year-edition/20183952/article-detail.xml 20183952 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[January 2012 - Hangover Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/01/january-2012-hangover-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/01/january-2012-hangover-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/01/january-2012-hangover-edition/#comments Filed under: ,

Camry and Civic lead comeback of Toyota, Honda

When 2011 ticked over to become 2012, something changed with the dynamic that had been in place nearly all of last year. We had become so used to the domestics seeing increased sales month after month while Toyota and Honda struggled to keep their heads above water while fixing disaster-related production issues. No more.

January saw both Toyota and Honda report strong positive sales figures (up 9.00 and 9.25 percent, respectively). That's good enough to out-trend Ford (up 8.29 percent) and General Motors (down 6.11 percent), the latter of which saw its new year kick off with a decline after finishing 2011 with 11 out of 12 monthly sales gains. Conversely, Honda kicked off its new year right after posting eight straight months of sales declines to end 2011.

The Chrysler Group was King of the Hill in January, posting a 44.26-percent increase in sales.

Both Toyota and Honda should especially be pleased with how their traditional top sellers performed. The redesigned 2012 Toyota Camry entered the market without skipping a beat and posted a 55.9-percent increase on 28,295 units sold. Likewise, the Honda Civic, which received a harshly criticized redesign in 2011, bounced back in January with a 49.5-percent increase on sales of 21,883 units. It replaces the aging Accord at the top of Honda's sales heap, which remained flat in January with just 13,659 units sold.

What about Chrysler? Shockingly, the Chrysler Group was King of the Hill in January, posting a 44.26-percent increase in sales compared to 2011, led by an indomitable Chrysler brand that reported an 81.39-percent increase in sales on the back of strong performances by its 200 and 300 sedans. Ram (41.86 percent), Jeep (37.40 percent) and Dodge (29.37 percent) all reported strong sales, as well.

Additional mentions should be made for Mazda (up 68.19 percent) and Volkswagen (up 47.87 percent). Mazda enjoyed a 532.6-percent in Mazda2 sales to 3,032 units, as well as a 118-percent increase in Mazda6 sales to 4,929 units. Meanwhile, the Volkswagen Passat went from selling just 108 units last year to moving 6,318 last month.

Check out the rest of last month's sales numbers in the table below.

Brand/Company Vol. % Jan 2012 Jan 2011 DSR* % Jan 2012 Jan 2011
Chrysler 81.39 17,604 9,705 81.39 734 404
Mazda 68.19 23,996 14,267 68.19 1,000 594
Volkswagen 47.87 27,209 18,401 47.87 1,134 767
Bentley 43.90 118 82 43.90 5 3
Ram 41.86 18,470 13,020 41.86 770 543
Land Rover 41.13 3,205 2,271 41.13 134 95
Smart 38.55 496 358 38.55 21 15
Jeep 37.40 31,710 23,079 37.40 1,321 962
Dodge 29.37 31,454 24,314 29.37 1,311 1,013
Kia 27.81 35,517 27,789 27.81 1,480 1,158
Mercedes-Benz 22.91 21,230 17,273 22.91 885 720
Mini 21.19 3,334 2,751 21.19 139 115
Subaru 20.94 22,807 18,858 20.94 950 786
Audi 19.74 9,354 7,812 19.74 390 326
Hyundai 14.73 42,694 37,214 14.73 1,779 1,551
Nissan 12.53 72,517 64,442 12.53 3,022 2,685
Honda 9.25 74,628 68,308 9.25 3,110 2,846
Toyota 9.00 112,266 102,996 9.00 4,678 4,292
Ford 8.29 131,589 121,511 8.29 5,483 5,063
Porsche 6.25 2,550 2,400 6.25 106 100
Jaguar 5.35 985 935 5.35 41 39
Acura 5.28 8,381 7,961 5.28 349 332
Volvo 4.33 4,461 4,276 4.33 186 178
BMW 3.14 16,405 15,905 3.14 684 663
Chevrolet -1.22 123,864 125,389 -1.22 5,161 5,225
Lexus -4.56 12,274 12,860 -4.56 511 536
Lincoln -7.86 5,121 5,558 -7.86 213 232
Infiniti -8.22 6,796 7,405 -8.22 283 309
GMC -9.73 24,966 27,658 -9.73 1,040 1,152
Mitsubishi -17.55 4,711 5,714 -17.55 196 238
Buick -23.07 10,208 13,269 -23.07 425 553
Cadillac -29.06 8,924 12,580 -29.06 372 524
Suzuki -41.26 1,505 2,562 -41.26 63 107
Fiat NA 1,911 0 NA 80 0
Saab NA NA 658 NA NA 27
COMPANIES
Chrysler Group 44.26 101,149 70,118 44.26 4,215 2,922
Jaguar Land Rover 30.69 4,190 3,206 30.69 175 134
Nissan NA 10.39 79,313 71,847 10.39 3,305 2,994
American Honda 8.84 83,009 76,269 8.84 3,459 3,178
Toyota Mo Co 7.50 124,540 115,856 7.50 5,189 4,827
Ford Mo Co 7.38 136,710 127,317 7.38 5,696 5,305
BMW Group 5.81 19,739 18,656 5.81 822 777
General Motors -6.11 167,962 178,896 -6.11 6,998 7,454
*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 24 selling days in January 2012 versus 24 selling days in January 2011, 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.

January 2012 - Hangover Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> auto salesautomotive salesby the numbersfeaturedjanuary 2012 auto salesmonthly auto sales Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20162238/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20162238/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/02/01/january-2012-hangover-edition/20162238/article-detail.xml 20162238 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/02/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/02/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[2011: Onward and Upward Edition [UPDATE]]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/04/2011-onward-and-upward-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/04/2011-onward-and-upward-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/04/2011-onward-and-upward-edition/#comments Filed under: ,

Which were the best-performing brands and automakers in 2011? We'll tell you, and the answers may be surprising. The top two best-performing brands surprised us. Jeep led the pack with a 44.04-percent sales increase for the year, followed by Mitsubishi, whose sales jumped 40.07 percent.

Behind those two are the two brands we knew early on would have great years: Kia and Volkswagen. Kia gained significant ground on fellow South Korean automaker Hyundai last year by posting a larger sales increase for the year, 36.27 percent to 19.97 percent, respectively. Volkswagen, meanwhile, proved everyone wrong who questioned its decision to make the redesigned Jetta more cost competitive with a sales gain of 26.21 percent for the year on the back of that little compact car's 54.5-percent increase in sales.

The bottom of our table is also not surprisingly occupied almost entirely by Toyota, Honda and their luxury brands, which are joined by Infiniti and Lincoln. One could too easily argue that Toyota's and Honda's sales trouble in the U.S. last year had everything to do with natural disasters and their effect on production, but that would be ignoring their aging fleet of products, some not-so-well-received redesigns and how much more fierce their competition has become.

Finally, since we teased you last month with a select group of particular sales races we were interested in, we thought we'd let you know which models won.
UPDATE: All brands and companies are now reported.

Brand/Company Vol.% 2011 2010 DSR*% 2011 2010
Jeep 44.04 419,349 291,138 43.57 1,366 951
Mitsubishi 40.07 77,995 55,683 39.61 254 182
Kia 36.27 485,492 356,268 35.83 1,581 1,164
Volkswagen 26.31 324,402 256,830 25.90 1,057 839
Mini 25.54 57,300 45,644 25.13 187 149
Volvo 24.64 67,240 53,948 24.23 219 176
Ram 20.97 257,610 212,952 20.58 839 696
Hyundai 19.97 645,691 538,228 19.58 2,103 1,759
Land Rover 19.57 38,099 31,864 19.18 124 104
GMC 18.81 397,986 334,981 18.42 1,296 1,095
Dodge 17.56 451,040 383,675 17.17 1,469 1,254
Ford 17.45 2,062,915 1,756,439 17.07 6,720 5,740
Nissan 17.25 944,073 805,159 16.87 3,075 2,631
Mercedes-Benz 16.28 261,573 224,944 15.90 852 735
Audi 15.68 117,561 101,629 15.30 383 332
Porsche 14.62 29,023 25,320 14.25 95 83
Buick 14.32 177,633 155,389 13.94 579 508
Chevrolet 13.42 1,775,812 1,565,632 13.06 5,784 5,116
BMW 12.57 247,773 220,113 12.20 807 719
Chrysler 12.10 221,346 197,446 11.74 721 645
Suzuki 10.94 26,618 23,994 10.57 87 78
Mazda 9.09 250,426 229,566 8.73 816 750
Cadillac 3.72 152,389 146,925 3.38 496 480
Saab 3.01 5,610 5,446 2.68 18 18
Subaru 1.20 266,989 263,820 0.87 870 862
Lincoln -0.22 85,643 85,828 -0.54 279 280
Infiniti -4.79 98,461 103,411 -5.10 321 338
Toyota -5.75 1,446,109 1,534,266 -6.05 4,710 5,014
Honda -6.65 1,023,986 1,096,874 -6.95 3,335 3,585
Acura -7.71 123,299 133,606 -8.02 402 437
Jaguar -7.98 12,276 13,340 -8.28 40 44
Smart -12.30 5,198 5,927 -12.59 17 19
Lexus -13.42 198,552 229,329 -13.70 647 749
Fiat NA 19,769 NA NA 64 NA
COMPANIES
Chrysler Group 26.16 1,369,114 1,085,211 25.75 4,460 3,546
Nissan NA 14.74 1,042,534 908,570 14.37 3,396 2,969
BMW Group 14.70 305,421 266,269 14.33 995 870
General Motors 13.66 2,503,820 2,202,927 13.29 8,156 7,199
Jag Land Rover 11.44 50,375 45,204 11.08 164 148
Ford Mo Co 11.02 2,148,806 1,935,462 10.66 6,999 6,325
Toyota Mo Co -6.74 1,644,661 1,763,595 -7.05 5,357 5,763
American Honda -6.76 1,147,285 1,230,480 -7.06 3,737 4,021
*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 307 selling days in 2011 and 306 selling days in 2010, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company.

2011: Onward and Upward Edition [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> 2011auto salesby the numbersfeaturedsales Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:27:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20140557/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20140557/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/01/04/2011-onward-and-upward-edition/20140557/article-detail.xml 20140557 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/01/uphill-car-1325715318_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/01/uphill-car-1325715318.jpg <![CDATA[December 2011: Same As It Ever Was Edition [UPDATE]]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/04/december-2011-same-as-it-ever-was-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/04/december-2011-same-as-it-ever-was-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/04/december-2011-same-as-it-ever-was-edition/#comments Filed under:

The December sales numbers are in, most of them anyway, and what we're seeing is an end to the year that largely mirrors the months that came before.

Our usual players are at the top of the list in green, including Chrysler, which lead all brands last month with an 82.56-percent increase in monthly sales to end the year. Credit goes to the redesigned 200 sedan, which sold over 760% more units in December than the Sebring did the year before, and the redesigned 300, which itself enjoyed a 242% increase in sales.

Not far behind are other brands that have been performing well all year long, like Kia with a 42.52-percent gain in sales (the Soul eclipsed the 100,000 annual sales mark in December by selling 9,624 units), and Volkswagen with a 36.18-percent jump.

Last month we also witnessed the last few gasps of breath for Saab, which packed it in by selling just 270 units in December. Other brands that have been operating in the red band of our spectrum all year long finished much the same way. Toyota barely eeked out more sales than the year before with a slight 1.9-percent gain, while its luxury division Lexus, as well as Honda and Acura, were all behind their 2010 numbers.

UPDATE: All brands and companies are now included.

Brand/Company Vol% Dec. 2011 Dec. 2010 DSR*% Dec. 2011 Dec. 2010
Chrysler 82.56 23,974 13,132 82.56 888 486
Kia 42.52 43,390 30,444 42.52 1,607 1,128
Jeep 40.98 43,577 30,910 40.98 1,614 1,145
Volkswagen 36.18 32,502 23,867 36.18 1,204 884
Land Rover 28.36 4,743 3,695 28.36 176 137
Dodge 28.27 41,548 32,390 28.27 1,539 1,200
Mini 27.31 5,500 4,320 27.31 204 160
Subaru 26.25 33,701 26,694 26.25 1,248 989
Mercedes-Benz 26.23 27,100 21,469 26.23 1,004 795
Smart 22.81 700 570 22.81 26 21
Audi 20.00 12,655 10,546 20.00 469 391
Ford 15.59 201,737 174,523 15.59 7,472 6,464
BMW 14.69 26,700 23,280 14.69 989 862
Hyundai 13.31 50,765 44,802 13.31 1,880 1,659
Volvo 12.32 5,342 4,756 12.32 198 176
Nissan 10.72 89,937 81,228 10.72 3,331 3,008
Ram 9.58 26,595 24,270 9.58 985 899
Chevrolet 8.92 161,158 147,960 8.92 5,969 5,480
Lincoln 4.26 8,403 8,060 4.26 311 299
Mazda 4.07 22,353 21,479 4.07 828 796
Mitsubishi 3.24 5,032 4,874 3.24 186 181
Toyota 1.90 152,776 149,928 1.90 5,658 5,553
GMC -0.47 41,960 42,159 -0.47 1,554 1,561
Cadillac -2.75 16,259 16,718 -2.75 602 619
Suzuki -3.06 2,566 2,647 -3.06 95 98
Jaguar -3.64 1,137 1,180 -3.64 42 44
Lexus -8.00 25,355 27,560 -8.00 939 1,021
Infiniti -12.09 10,990 12,502 -12.09 407 463
Buick -12.41 14,974 17,095 -12.41 555 633
Acura -15.24 13,129 15,489 -15.24 486 574
Honda -19.30 92,101 114,127 -19.30 3,411 4,227
Porsche -28.55 1,834 2,567 -28.55 68 95
Saab -74.86 270 1,074 -74.86 10 40
Fiat NA 2,325 0 NA 86 0
COMPANIES
Chrysler Group 37.06 138,019 100,702 37.06 5,112 3,730
BMW Group 16.59 32,230 27,643 16.59 1,194 1,024
Jag Land Rover 20.62 5,880 4,875 20.62 218 181
Ford Mo Co 10.03 210,140 190,976 10.03 7,783 7,073
Nissan NA 7.68 100,927 93,730 7.68 3,738 3,471
General Motors 4.65 234,351 223,932 4.65 8,680 8,294
Toyota Mo Co 0.36 178,131 177,488 0.36 6,597 6,574
American Honda -18.81 105,230 129,616 -18.81 3,897 4,801
*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 27 selling days in December 2011 and 27 selling days in December 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.

December 2011: Same As It Ever Was Edition [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> auto salesby the numbersdecember 2011december salesfeatured Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:59:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20140568/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20140568/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/01/04/december-2011-same-as-it-ever-was-edition/20140568/article-detail.xml 20140568 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/01/uphill-car_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/01/uphill-car.jpg <![CDATA[November 2011: Black Friday Edition]]> http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/01/by-the-numbers-november-2011-black-friday-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/01/by-the-numbers-november-2011-black-friday-edition/ http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/01/by-the-numbers-november-2011-black-friday-edition/#comments Filed under:

U.S. auto sales during the month November were up on the backs of companies like Chrysler, Volkswagen and Kia, all three of which reported major gains for their respective brands. The Chrysler Group in particular posted positive numbers for all four of its brands, including a spectacular 92.23-percent rise in sales for the Chrysler brand itself. Volkswagen and Kia didn't perform quite as well, but each managed gains of around 40 percent.

This time, Honda stands alone as the only major automaker to post a sales decline in November. The Japanese automaker's brands (Honda and Acura) together posted a drop of 6.35 percent. Toyota, which had been keeping Honda company they each struggled with restoring production after this year's series of natural disasters, had a relatively decent November with identical gains of 6.68 percent for both Toyota and Lexus.

Being the second-last month of the year, you may be interested to know how some close model-to-model sales races are shaping up. Here are some year-to-date sales races that will be decided in December, as well as always-interesting Camaro versus Mustang numbers.

Brand/Company Volume % November 2011 November 2010 DSR %* November 2011 November 2010
Smart 96.21 414 211 88.36 17 9
Chrysler 92.23 18,577 9,664 84.54 743 403
Mini 70.50 4,750 2,786 63.68 190 116
Jeep 49.76 36,246 24,202 43.77 1,450 1,008
Mercedes-Benz 47.17 26,796 18,208 41.28 1,072 759
Dodge 42.70 30,317 21,246 36.99 1,213 885
Volkswagen 40.73 28,412 20,189 35.10 1,136 841
Kia 39.12 37,007 26,601 33.55 1,480 1,108
Land Rover 30.73 3,820 2,922 25.50 153 122
Hyundai 21.82 49,610 40,723 16.95 1,984 1,697
Nissan 21.48 76,754 63,184 16.62 3,070 2,633
Mazda 20.44 18,432 15,304 15.62 737 638
Ford 20.23 160,560 133,544 15.42 6,422 5,564
Volvo 18.78 4,844 4,078 14.03 194 170
Chevrolet 9.63 128,907 117,588 5.24 5,156 4,900
Ram 7.22 20,414 19,040 2.93 817 793
BMW 7.09 21,521 20,097 2.80 861 837
GMC 6.81 29,470 27,590 2.54 1,179 1,150
Toyota 6.68 118,502 111,077 2.42 4,740 4,628
Lexus 6.68 19,458 18,240 2.41 778 760
Audi 3.58 9,700 9,365 -0.57 388 390
Infiniti 3.01 8,428 8,182 -1.11 337 341
Cadillac -5.56 11,145 11,801 -9.34 446 492
Honda -6.19 74,016 78,899 -9.94 2,961 3,287
Porsche -6.66 2,255 2,416 -10.40 90 101
Buick -7.21 10,880 11,725 -10.92 435 489
Acura -7.55 9,909 10,718 -11.25 396 447
Saab -10.33 356 397 -13.91 14 17
Mitsubishi -13.26 3,735 4,306 -16.73 149 179
Subaru -15.08 17,657 20,792 -18.47 706 866
Lincoln -17.56 6,305 7,648 -20.86 252 319
Jaguar -18.08 915 1,117 -21.36 37 47
Suzuki -21.87 1,822 2,332 -24.99 73 97
Fiat NA 1,618 NA NA 65 NA
COMPANIES
Chrysler Group 44.53 107,172 74,152 38.75 4,287 3,090
Nissan NA 19.36 85,182 71,366 14.58 3,407 2,974
Jag/Land Rover 17.23 4,735 4,039 12.54 189.4 168
BMW Group 14.81 26,271 22,883 10.21 1,051 953
Ford Mo Co 13.25 166,865 147,338 8.72 6,675 6,139
General Motors 6.91 180,402 168,739 2.64 7,216 7,031
Toyota Mo Co 6.68 137,960 129,317 2.42 5,518 5,388
American Honda -6.35 83,925 89,617 -10.10 3,357 3,734

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in November 2011 and 24 selling days in November 2010, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company.

November 2011: Black Friday Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> auto salesby the numbersnovembernovember 2011november 2011 salessalesu.s. auto salesu.s. sales Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20118905/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20118905/article-comments.html http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/12/01/by-the-numbers-november-2011-black-friday-edition/20118905/article-detail.xml 20118905 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/12/uphill-car_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/12/uphill-car.jpg -1 2