AIADA July 2006 US Sales: International Brands Help Down Month: Toyota, Honda Take No. 2 and 3 Spots
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Secial to The Auto Channel
By AIADA
Staff
Even as total U.S. auto sales dropped 17 percent for
the month, international nameplate autos continued their charge in July,
rising as a group 1.7 percent over the same period last year.
An
historic feat, Toyota, up 11.7 percent for the month, emerged in July as
the No. 2 best-selling automaker in the U.S., surpassing Ford Motor Company
(-35.3 percent in July) for the first time ever. Honda, with a rise in
sales of 6 percent for July, slid into the No. 3 spot, skipping over
Chrysler who suffered a 37.4 percent loss for the month.
As gas
prices across the nation remained at their high levels, consumers defected
from SUVs and full-size pickups. Through July, full-sized pickup sales
followed the trend of SUVs and dropped 15.3 percent, hurting GM and
Ford’s cash cows as well as sales of the Toyota Tundra, which was
down 7.7 for the month.
Luxury SUVs continued to see declines.
BMW’s Sports Activity Vehicles fell 31.5 percent in July while
Porsche AG suffered a 23 percent drop in demand for its Cayenne SUV
model.
On the flip side, new compact and sub-compact models
including the Nissan Versa, Honda Fit, Hyundai Azera and Toyota Yaris
continued to prove popular alternatives. The Yaris led the way for the
group with sales totaling 10,137 units for the month; the Fit followed with
3,135 units; next, the Versa with 2,856 units; and the Azera with 2,468
units.
A summary of international nameplate sales for July 2006
follows:
Toyota Passenger Cars Achieve
Banner Month
Toyota reported its all-time best-ever monthly
sales of 241,826 vehicles, an increase of 16.2 percent over July 2005.
Year-to-date sales reached 1,465,368 units, up 10.8 percent over the same
period last year. Toyota Division passenger cars posted all-time best
monthly sales of 130,109 units, up 24.9 percent over the same period last
year. Passenger car sales were once again led by the Corolla, which posted
a 42.3 percent increase over July 2005. Toyota light trucks were up 8.1
percent, as sales of the RAV4 more than doubled over the same period last
year.
Scion enjoyed best-ever monthly sales with 18,408 units sold,
led by the tC sport coupe with monthly sales up 15.2 percent from July
2005.
July sales for Lexus
were highlighted by its passenger cars posting an increase of 22.1 percent
over July 2005. Leading the group of passenger cars was the all-new ES 350
luxury sedan with best-ever July sales of 7,803 units, up 19.2 percent from
July ’05.
Year-to-date
hybrid sales for Toyota broke the 100,000-unit sales milestone, registering
105,808 hybrid units. In July, total hybrid sales reached 20,298
units.
Honda Up
12.7 Percent
The Accord and Civic led American Honda to record
sales results in July. The automaker announced July sales for the Honda
division increased by 12.7 percent over year-ago results. Sales of the
Civic, Accord, Pilot, and Odyssey all increased over July 2005.
The Acura Division posted
July sales of 18,203, with record July sales of 3,799 units for the TSX.
The TL luxury performance sedan was Acura’s best-selling model with
July sales of 6,304 units and year-to-date sales of 42,601 units.
Hyundai Posts
Second Consecutive Record Sales Month
Hyundai announced sales
of 47,205 vehicles for the month of July, an increase of 6.2 percent over
July 2005 and an improvement on its one month all-time sales record set in
June. Hyundai reached its second-consecutive all-time sales record with a
6.2 percent increase over last July, raising 2006 year-to-date sales 4.6
percent over 2005. The ’06 Sonata continues to lead the way for
Hyundai, with gains of 43.7 percent over July
2005.
Mitsubishi Up 1.2 Percent
Mitsubishi reported
July sales increased 1.2 percent over the same period last year. Sales of
the Eclipse highlighted the month for the automaker, with sales up 14
percent from July 2005 volume. Sales of the Spyder convertible more than
doubled from July 2005 and are up 44 percent
year-to-date.
CX-7, Miata Highlights Mazda’s
July
Mazda reported sales of 25,963 vehicles for July,
accounting for a five percent increase over the same period last year.
Sales of the all-new CX-7 crossover SUV reached 2,129 units, while the MX-5
Miata posted its best July since 2000 with sales of 1,565
units.
Volvo
Down 10 Percent
Volvo reported July sales of 10,338 units, down
10 percent compared to the same period last year. The automaker’s XC
90 SUV was the highest seller for the month, totalling 3,089 units sold.
Sales of the Volvo C-70 coupe/convertible increased from 63 units in July
2005 to 565 units in July 2006.
Rabbit Models Speed Up VW Sales in
July
Volkswagen reported July sales of 22,627, a 5 percent
increase over July 2005 sales. The automaker’s continued improvement
in 2006 was led this month by strong sales of the Passat and the highest
monthly sales of Rabbit/Golf models since 2002. Year-to-date sales for the
Volkswagen brand are up 17.3 percent.
Audi’s U.S. sales fell 2.6 percent, from 7,190
units in July 2005 to 7,005 units in July 2006. Sales of the A6 sedan were
up 7.1 percent from last July, reaching 1,518 units.
Nissan Sales Down From Previous
July’s Record Month
Nissan reported sales of 86,408 units
in July, down 16.2 percent from the automaker’s record breaking sales
month in July 2005. The new Versa subcompact experienced a strong first
full month, with sales of 2,856 units.
The Infiniti Division posted a sales decline of 18.1
percent over the prior year, with the G35 Sedan its highest seller at 3,129
units.
Jaguar,
Land Rover Post Declines
Sales of Ford’s Jaguar brand
dropped 15.1 percent from the same month last year, with the S type and X
type sedans the highest sellers. Last week, Ford announced they would
undergo an assessment/strategic review of Jaguar and other operations that
may lead to the sale of assets or broader alliances with other
companies.
Land Rover
sales were off 30 percent from July 2005, but year-to-date sales remain up
15 percent for the brand in 2006. The LR3 and Range Rover Sport models were
the top sellers for the month.
Porsche Up Thanks to Demand on 911
Models
Porsche Cars North America saw July U.S. auto sales rise
18.8 percent, thanks to strong demand for its 911 vehicles. Sales of
Porsche’s 911 autos rose 43 percent to 1,080 total units. Its
Boxster/Cayman series also posted strong marks, growing 38.2 percent to
1,182 units in July 2006. However, Porsche experienced a dip in demand for
its luxury sport utility vehicle Cayenne; sales dropped 20.3 percent to 924
vehicles. Overall, Porsche sold 3,202 vehicles in July, an increase of 14.2
percent from the 2,804 units sold in July 2005.
Mercedes-Benz Maintains
Momentum
M-B USA recorded its highest July on record with sales
of 21,606 new vehicles, a rise of 3.8 percent over July 2005. Year-to-date
sales for the automaker, in turn, have risen 14.3 percent over the same
period last year to a company best of 136,526 units
sold.
Mercedes-Benz’
flagship S-Class led the charge in July with sales rising 52 percent over
last year to 2,233 units. The SLK-Class roadster was another strong
performer for the automaker, rising 6.7 percent for the month to 1,148
total units.
Sales of M-B’s
luxury light trucks – M-Class, R-Class, GL-Class and G-Class –
gained significantly in June, registering a 62.3 percent increase over last
July and a 91 percent increase over the same period last year with 35,413
total units sold.
Subby Soars to Best July in Company
History
Sales of the Impreza and Legacy 2.5i models helped
catapult Subaru of America to its best July sales month in company history.
Total sales for the automaker reached 18,923 units in July, up five percent
for the month and three percent year-to-date.
In a press released issued last week, Subaru’s
VP of Sales in the U.S. Tim Colbeck thanked the company’s dealers for
contributing to the stellar sales month: "I would like to thank our
outstanding Subaru retailers for their efforts in achieving yet another
all-time sales month for Subaru," said Colbeck. "July results showed
continued strength in our fuel-efficient 2.5i Subaru Impreza and Legacy
models, while the Subaru Outback, Forester and B9 Tribeca crossover
vehicles are succeeding as alternatives to traditional
SUVs."
Both the Subaru Impreza
and Legacy posted double-digit gains, with the Impreza garnering total
sales of 4,014 units, up 21 percent over July 2005; and the Legacy posting
a rise of 11 percent to 8,301 units in July.
BMW Group Sales Up 5.3 Percent
Year-to-Date
Year-to-date sales of BMW Group (BMW and MINI
brands) cars rose 5.3 percent through July 2006 to 180,857 total units,
even as monthly sales declined 12 percent.
Sales of BMW brand vehicles dropped 13.4 percent in
July for a total of 20,083 units compared to 23,178 in July 2005. Car sales
declined 6.1 percent in July, while, SUV, or Sports Activity Vehicle sales
dropped a whopping 31.5 percent for the month. Despite these monthly
declines, year-to-date sales of BMW brand vehicles were up 7.7 percent
through July and BMW brand car sales were up 15 percent year-to-date.
BMW’s 3 Series and Z4 products continue to perform
well.
MINI sales also fell in
July, dropping 3.7 percent from July 2005 sales. Year-to-date, MINI sales
have declined 8.1 percent, compared to the 25,641 cars reported in the
first seven months of 2005.
Kia Breaks Record in July; En Route to Beat 2005
Pace
Kia sales in the U.S. reached a record high in July, up
1.4 percent over the same month last year to hit 26,429 total units.
Year-to-date sales for Kia totaled 173,007 units, a 2.3 percent increase
over the record-setting sales pace in 2005.
The Kia Spectra continued to perform well for the
automaker, posting a strong sales month in July with 7,206 total units
sold. The Kia Rio recorded its best month of the year at 3,858
units.
"Kia is charging ahead
full steam with our best July ever in the company’s 12-year history
of selling cars in North America," said Len Hunt, executive vice president
and COO of KMA. "And it’s only going to get better with our exciting
and enabling vehicle line, and new product on the
horizon."
Suzuki Up 13
Percent
American Suzuki Motor Corp. sold 8,030 vehicles in
July, up 13 percent from last year. Suzuki’s growth was led by strong
sales of its Grand Vitara, with 2,146 units, an impressive 675 percent
increase over last year’s numbers. The popular Forenza had sales of
4,446 units in July. Suzuki’s year-to-date sales total 64,989, up 32
percent from last year.
| Brand | Jul 2006 | Jul 2005 | %Chng | 2006 CYTD | 2005 CYTD | %Chng |
| Acura | 18,203 | 19,909 | -8.6% | 114,504 | 124,854 | -8.3% |
| Audi | 7,005 | 7,190 | -2.6% | 47,460 | 44,891 | 5.7% |
| Bentley | 250 | 114 | 119.3% | 2,240 | 1,824 | 22.8% |
| BMW | 20,083 | 23,178 | -13.4% | 157,303 | 146,042 | 7.7% |
| Ferrari | 139 | 190 | -26.8% | 839 | 843 | -0.5% |
| Honda | 133,601 | 123,308 | 8.3% | 778,527 | 710,727 | 9.5% |
| Hyundai | 47,205 | 44,431 | 6.2% | 281,240 | 268,868 | 4.6% |
| Infiniti | 10,548 | 13,395 | -21.3% | 68,439 | 79,819 | -14.3% |
| Isuzu | 712 | 845 | -15.7% | 5,430 | 8,444 | -35.7% |
| Jaguar | 1,997 | 2,353 | -15.1% | 13,646 | 19,515 | -30.1% |
| Kia | 26,429 | 26,052 | 1.4% | 173,006 | 169,138 | 2.3% |
| Land Rover | 3,524 | 5,080 | -30.6% | 26,387 | 22,951 | 15.0% |
| Lexus | 26,959 | 26,562 | 1.5% | 177,700 | 168,568 | 5.4% |
| Maserati | 155 | 220 | -29.5% | 1,219 | 1,146 | 6.4% |
| Maybach | 15 | 20 | -25.0% | 105 | 140 | -25.0% |
| Mazda | 25,963 | 24,820 | 4.6% | 166,667 | 159,808 | 4.3% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 21,606 | 20,806 | 3.8% | 136,631 | 119,530 | 14.3% |
| Mini | 3,528 | 3,662 | -3.7% | 23,554 | 25,641 | -8.1% |
| Mitsubishi | 10,502 | 10,376 | 1.2% | 68,863 | 76,129 | -9.5% |
| Nissan | 75,860 | 93,905 | -19.2% | 529,737 | 570,202 | -7.1% |
| Porsche | 3,202 | 2,804 | 14.2% | 21,803 | 18,930 | 15.2% |
| Rolls Royce (est.) | 30 | 20 | 50.0% | 210 | 140 | 50.0% |
| Saab | 3,658 | 6,469 | -43.5% | 21,349 | 27,437 | -22.2% |
| Subaru | 18,923 | 17,959 | 5.4% | 114,945 | 111,262 | 3.3% |
| Suzuki | 8,030 | 7,125 | 12.7% | 64,989 | 49,139 | 32.3% |
| Toyota | 214,867 | 189,855 | 13.2% | 1,287,668 | 1,161,919 | 10.8% |
| Volkswagen | 22,627 | 21,553 | 5.0% | 138,672 | 118,257 | 17.3% |
| Volvo | 10,338 | 11,511 | -10.2% | 69,579 | 77,578 | -10.3% |
| TOTAL | 715,959 | 703,712 | 1.7% | 4,492,712 | 4,283,742 | 4.9% |
Chart: AIADA
Aug 8, 06:00 AM 2006
