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The good news and the bad news about December car sales

Paul Eisenstein — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Earnings/Financials

The holiday season saw Santa leave some nice gifts for the industry.

Pop the champagne, don't spare the caviar. The New Year has begun with a bang. Or, more precisely, the old year ended with one, December car sales delivering a much-needed boost to an auto industry still feeling the cold chill of its worst downturn since the Great Depression.

And the last-minute push past partisan gridlock that avoided an economic meltdown (can we all now abandon last year's tired cliché, "fiscal cliff"?) suggests that 2013 will maintain momentum. By most estimates, we'll see new vehicle sales surge somewhere into the low to mid-15 million range this year, and a new forecast by RL Polk predicts we could be looking at volumes of 16 million by mid-decade.

That's great news. At least it should be if you work for an automotive company or supplier or have some auto shares in your stock portfolio. If you're a car buyer, well, the story might not be so bright. Here's why it all depends on where you are in the consumer food chain.

Let's look at it from the industry perspective for a moment. The holiday season saw Santa leave some nice gifts for the industry. A long line of brands, including Nissan, Audi, Porsche, Subaru, Hyundai and Jeep, set all-time records last year. Bankrupt barely three years earlier, Chrysler Group wrapped up a string of 33 consecutive monthly sales gains.

While Toyota could claim Camry as the best-selling passenger car in the US, Ford could counter with the world's number one seller in the form of the Ford Focus, while the F-Series again topped the overall US sales chart. And Ford's Blue Oval was the only brand to top the 2 million mark in the US last year.

Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.

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J.D. Power data suggests January U.S. new-vehicle retail sales decline from last month

Michael Harley — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:16:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Earnings/Financials

After gathering real-time transaction data from 8,900 automotive franchisees across the U.S., J.D. Power and Associates predicts new-vehicle retail sales will have declined for January 2010 compared to one year ago. January's new-vehicle sales are expected to come in at 500,900 units, which represents a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 7.9 million units. In January of 2009, the SAAR was 8.8 million units. December 2009 was a particularly strong sales month - thanks to heavy marketing and aggressive incentive programs - making it a tough act to follow. To wit:

"January is typically a weak selling month, but this month is particularly impacted by December's strong close and extra selling weekend," said Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting at J.D. Power and Associates. "However, the sales pace has been improving as January continues, which is an encouraging sign for the recovering industry."

Not to be confused with new-vehicle retail sales, fleet sales are expected to increase significantly when compared to the same slow period last year. When fleet- and new-vehicle units are combined, the month's outlook is more promising. According to J.D. Power, total sales for January 2010 are projected at 659,000 units, up nine percent from the same month last year. Carried forward, the global marketing firm is predicting 2010 total vehicles sales at 11.5 million - and these numbers may be even higher as the industry recovers, thereby loosening credit and improving leasing availability. Check out the press release after the jump.

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

Continue reading J.D. Power data suggests January U.S. new-vehicle retail sales decline from last month

J.D. Power data suggests January U.S. new-vehicle retail sales decline from last month originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyundai Genesis launches in Korea on December 29th

Dan Roth — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:31:00 EST

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Sedan, Etc., Hyundai

We saw it unveiled at the New York Auto Show back in March, and now we've got a release date for the Hyundai Genesis, just not for here. December 29th will mark coincident milestones for Hyundai. First, it's designed a new logo celebrating 40 years of growth. Second, and more exciting to us, is the Korean market launch of the Genesis (BH) sedan. The Genesis may not be groundbreaking for the rest of the industry, but it's got us on the edge of our seats nonetheless. With the Tau V8 underhood driving the proper wheels with 300 horsepower, the Genesis might come in second only to the Pontiac G8 in terms of hotly anticipated V8 RWD sedans. The styling, while derivative, is handsome, and we see hints of Infiniti and BMW all over the flanks of the Genesis. With the Korean rollout just a couple months away, we hope it arrives in the US shortly thereafter.

[Source: Hyundai via World Car Fans]

Gallery: Hyundai Concept Genesis

Hyundai Genesis launches in Korea on December 29th originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oldest running Roller set to be auctioned

Dan Roth — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:33:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Etc., Rolls-Royce

Here's a Christmas present idea for the person who's already got a Springfield Phantom in the garage for concours events and a Camargue for a daily driver. The oldest Rolls Royce known to be a runner is going up for auction at Bonhams in London on the 3rd of December. It'll cost you somewhere around $4 million, though having more in reserve would be a good plan. Someone else might want to give the old starter handle a whirl. That handle's attached to 103-year-old running gear that was lovingly restored in the 1950s by racer Oliver Langton. Only three owners have dented the leather seat with their backsides over the life of this car, remarkable when you can conjure F-Bodies that've passed through more hands in their short, tragic lives.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Oldest running Roller set to be auctioned originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2005 ends with a drop in December sales

John Neff — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Trends

It's a fitting way to end a year that saw year-over-year declines for the Big Two automakers nearly every month except during the summer when employee pricing was the sales tactic du jour. Rueters is reporting that analysts predict GM to post a sales decline of eight percent in December, while Ford's sales may drop up to 14.5 percent and DaimlerChrysler's two to six percent.

The article cites analysts' explanation of winter incentives being unable to sway buyers who had gotten used to deeper discounts offered by employee pricing.

The imports, however, will again post a collective gain for 2005 and gobble up another couple points of market share to increase their piece of the pie to 40.5 percent, up from 38.8 percent in 2004. Toyota in particular will likely report another gain for December, probably in the neighborhood of two to seven percent, while other Japanese automakers should remain steady or report slightly lower numbers for the month.

2005 ends with a drop in December sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Dec 2005 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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