Autoblog

2012 - Don't Call It A Comeback Edition

John Neff — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:58:00 EST

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.

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Car dealerships selling more cars per store than ever before

Jeff Sabatini — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:33:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying

A consulting firm has boosted its auto sales estimate for 2012 to 14.3 million vehicles, but the big news is that, in aggregate, dealers are again making money selling cars.

Bloomberg reports that annual sales per dealer will jump to 805 vehicles according to Urban Science. That would be a new record, as despite this year's total sales number being some four million units shy of 2007 levels, there are far fewer car dealers in operation today.

The previous record was set in 2005, when the figure was 784 vehicles sold per dealer, according to the report. Both Chrysler and General Motors shed hundreds of franchises during their bankruptcies, but dealership ranks shrunk independent of that fact. Urban Science says the number of car dealers usually shrinks by about 2 percent each year, according to the report.

Car dealerships selling more cars per store than ever before originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Forecasters throttle back U.S. car sales projections for 2012, 2013

Jeff Sabatini — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:41:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying

The last we heard, the auto industry was booming. Sales are healthy and recovery from the multi-year slump brought on by the global economic meltdown of 2008 is well on its way, with domestic sales projected to reach as high as 14.5 million vehicles. We even heard a rumor that Ford would soon be installing cash machines in its executive lavatories that dispensed well-worn twenties.

Okay, so that last part isn't true. But the first is also suspect, according to new forecasts from analysts. As reported by Reuters, LMC Automotive, formerly a branch of JD Power, has revised its 2012 prediction down to 14.3 million vehicles, matching that of rival consultant Polk. LMC also cut its forecast for 2013, from 15.2 million to 15 million, though it does expect the U.S. auto industry to be back at 2007's 17-million-unit level by 2017.

Other projections are even more conservative, according to the report. Sean McAlinden, chief economist for the Center for Automotive Research, is hedging his bets, pointing out that housing usually recovers first after a recession, while this year upwards of 40 percent of economic growth has been auto-related. CAR's forecast calls for 2012 sales to stop at 14.2 million and next year's totals to hit just 14.6 million units.

Forecasters throttle back U.S. car sales projections for 2012, 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 U.S. auto sales on pace to be best in five years

Zach Bowman — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Bloomberg reports that if U.S. auto sales continue at their current pace, 2012 will mark the best year for the industry since 2007. The news comes after word that both Ford and Chrysler have slimmed or entirely eliminated the traditional summer shutdown at their manufacturing facilities to keep pace with demand.

All told, sales may reach 14.3 million cars and light trucks, according to analysts, thanks to factors like a gradually improving economy and easier credit. If the pace continues, 2012 will mark the third year of 10-percent gains, which marks only the fourth time that's happened since the Great Depression.

Car sales stalled in 2008, and 2009 saw manufacturers move just 10.4 million units. As Bloomberg points out, that's the lowest number since 1982, but buyers took home 11.6 million vehicles in 2010 and 12.8 million in 2011. The industry saw a 10.3-percent increase through the first four months of this year. As a result, General Motors, Ford and Toyota have adjusted their yearly sales forecasts accordingly.

2012 U.S. auto sales on pace to be best in five years originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 May 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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