GM, Ford Sales Tumble in September
10-03-2005, 04:03 PM
#1
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GM, Ford Sales Tumble in September
GM, Ford Sales Tumble in September
GM, Ford September Sales Tumble As SUV Market Runs Out of Gas; Asian Brands See Smaller Drop
DETROIT (AP) -- Sales of sport utility vehicles took a dive in September, dragging down U.S. automakers who were already expecting a consumer payback after a summer of employee-pricing discounts. Asian brands, which didn't offer employee discounts, felt less pain.
Several automakers reported strong car sales Monday, but SUVs took a hit industrywide in the U.S. market as gas prices skyrocketed following Hurricane Katrina. Sales of the GMC Envoy and Chevrolet Tahoe fell more than 50 percent compared to last September. The Cadillac Escalade, Mazda Tribute, Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoia and Nissan Armada all saw their sales fall by 18 percent or more. Dodge Durango sales were down 11 percent.
General Motors Corp. sales were down 24 percent overall. Its SUV and truck sales fell 30 percent while its car sales dropped 14 percent. GM's overall sales were flat for the first nine months of the year.
http://ca.us.biz.yahoo.com/ap/051003...les.html?.v=10
GM, Ford September Sales Tumble As SUV Market Runs Out of Gas; Asian Brands See Smaller Drop
DETROIT (AP) -- Sales of sport utility vehicles took a dive in September, dragging down U.S. automakers who were already expecting a consumer payback after a summer of employee-pricing discounts. Asian brands, which didn't offer employee discounts, felt less pain.
Several automakers reported strong car sales Monday, but SUVs took a hit industrywide in the U.S. market as gas prices skyrocketed following Hurricane Katrina. Sales of the GMC Envoy and Chevrolet Tahoe fell more than 50 percent compared to last September. The Cadillac Escalade, Mazda Tribute, Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoia and Nissan Armada all saw their sales fall by 18 percent or more. Dodge Durango sales were down 11 percent.
General Motors Corp. sales were down 24 percent overall. Its SUV and truck sales fell 30 percent while its car sales dropped 14 percent. GM's overall sales were flat for the first nine months of the year.
http://ca.us.biz.yahoo.com/ap/051003...les.html?.v=10
10-04-2005, 11:21 AM
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Ford, GM sales take big dip in September; Japanese post gains but see truck sales take hit - - By DALE JEWETT | Automotive News - - Source: Autoweek
DETROIT -- The payback from the summer of employee prices for all showed up in September, as General Motors and Ford Motor Co. reported big sales drops.
Analysts had expected the drops as the popular employee-pricing incentive programs had drained dealers lots of most 2005 models. Also, the record-high gasoline prices in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed the brakes on sales of big pickups and SUVs.
At the same time, Japanese rivals Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., American Honda Motor Co. and Nissan North America all said September set various monthly sales records. Those records were notched despite a sales slowdown for many of those automakers’ larger pickups and SUVs.
DaimlerChrysler posted a 3.7-percent sales gain in September to 193,116 units, propelled by the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans. But the automaker saw declines in sales of minivans, the Chrysler Pacifica sport wagon and mid-sized Dodge Dakota pickup.
With almost all automakers reporting, industry sales for September stood at 1.30 million units, down 7.8 percent from September 2004. Through the first nine months of this year, sales stand at 12.97 million units, up 3.1 percent from the year-ago period.
Volkswagen of America Inc. and Audi of America Inc. will report September sales on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
Double-digit drops
GM sales fell 24.2 percent in September to 344,805 units, while Ford’s sales dropped 19.5 percent to 226,948 units.
After nine months of 2005, GM’s sales are down 1.3 percent to 3.53 million units. Ford’s sales are down 1.4 percent to 2.48 million units.
On the flip side of the coin:
>> Nissan North America said combined Nissan and Infiniti sales set a record for the month, up 16.4 percent to 93,539 units.
>> Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.’s tally of 178,417 units in September, up 10.3 percent, was a record for the month.
>> The 121,163 sales for American Honda in September, up 11.7 percent from September 2004, broke the record for the month set in September 2003.
>>BMW, including the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, posted a 1.6-percent gain to 25,114 units for the month.
Trucks take the hit
Ford blamed its big drop on high gasoline prices, which have hurt SUV sales, and the success of its employee price incentive program, which motivated many consumers to buy in July and August.
Ford said sales of its mainstay Explorer SUV fell 57.7 percent in September to 12,879 units. Sales of the similar Mercury Mountaineer were down 54.0 percent to 1,771 units.
Sales of the full-sized Ford Expedition were down 60.6 percent for the month to 5,906 units.
GM said sales of its light trucks fell by 30.1 percent in September to 197,973 units. Sales of the Chevrolet Silverado were off 37.6 percent for the month, while GMC Sierra sales fell 31.2 percent.
Among the GM light trucks that have been on sale for at least a year, only the Hummer H1 and Saturn Vue posted increases in September.
Import trucks not immune
Japanese automakers saw their trucks take a hit, too.
Nissan Titan pickup sales fell 11.2 percent to 7,015 units, and Armada SUV sales fell 20.8 percent to 2,489 units in September. But sales of both vehicles are up by 16 percent for the year to date.
At Toyota, sales were down 19.2 percent for the Tundra pickup and 24.3 percent for the 4Runner SUV. Sales also fell in September for the Highlander, Land Cruiser and Sequoia SUVs.
At Honda, sales of the Pilot SUV dropped 25.8 percent in September. Sales were also down for the Acura MDX, and Honda CR-V and Element SUVs
Shift to cars
But the sales declines in trucks at import automakers were more than offset by gains in car sales.
Toyota Camry sales rose 6.4 percent in September to 36,842 units, and Toyota sold 8,707 copies of the Avalon sedan.
Honda reported double-digit sales increases for the Accord and Civic. The redesigned 2006 Civic went on sale in mid-September.
Toyota and Honda said September was a record-setting month for sales of their hybrid vehicles.
At Nissan, the Altima and Sentra sedans were key drivers in September. Altima sales of 26,442 units were up 24.2 percent, while Sentra sales of 11,172 were up 65.8 percent.
Among other automakers:
>> Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia said sales rose 6.2 percent in September to 61,618 units. After nine months, combined sales for the automakers totaled 522,346 units, up 8.3 percent from last year.
>> Mazda posted a 5.4-percent gain in September to 19,920 units. But sales are down 1.1 percent to 201,862 units for the first nine months of this year.
>> Mitsubishi sales totaled 9,054 units in September, down 2.5 percent from a year ago. For the year to date, Mitsubishi’s sales are down 27.7 percent to 96,128 units.
>> Porsche said its September sales fell 9.0 percent to 2,144 units.
>> Subaru posted a 1.6-percent gain in September to 16,100 units
>> Suzuki notched a 41.4 percent increase to 7,131 units. Through nine months, sales are up 10.7 percent to 63,486 units.
>> Isuzu sales dropped 71.1 percent to 656 units. For the year to date, Isuzu sales are down 55.2 percent to 9,822 units.
Sept. 2005 Sept. 2004 Pct. chng. 9 mos. 2005 9 mos. 2004 Pct. chng.
BMW* 25,114 24,719 1.6% 225,956 217,225 4.0%
Daimler-
Chrysler** 193,116 186,207 3.7% 1,947,012 1,829,962 6.4%
Ford Motor
Co.*** 226,948 281,832 -19.5% 2,488,482 2,523,492 -1.4%
General
Motors**** 344,805 454,831 -24.2% 3,539,442 3,584,731 -1.3%
American
Honda† 121,163 108,470 11.7% 1,112,917 1,050,991 5.9%
Hyundai
Group†† 61,618 58,027 6.2% 565,557 522,346 8.3%
Isuzu 656 2,267 -71.1% 9,822 21,918 -55.2%
Mazda 19,920 18,894 5.4% 201,862 204,133 -1.1%
Mitsubishi 9,054 9,282 -2.5% 96,128 132,997 -27.7%
Nissan††† 93,539 80,350 16.4% 835,925 726,745 15.0%
Porsche 2,144 2,355 -9.0% 23,809 23,332 2.0%
Subaru 16,100 15,843 1.6% 144,788 137,731 5.1%
Suzuki 7,131 5,042 41.4% 63,486 57,329 10.7%
Toyota‡ 178,417 161,793 10.3% 1,714,266 1,547,030 10.8%
VW‡‡ - - -% - - -%
Other
(estimate) 354 284 24.6% 3,025 2,057 47.1%
TOTAL 1,300,079 1,410,196 -7.8% 12,972,477 12,582,019 3.1%
Numbers in this table are calculated by Automotive News based on actual monthly sales reported by the manufacturers and may differ from numbers reported elsewhere.
Source: Automotive News Data Center
Note: Other includes estimates for Ferrari, Lamborghini and Lotus
*Includes Mini and Rolls-Royce
**Includes Mercedes-Benz
***Includes Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo
****Includes Saab
†Includes Honda Division and Acura
††Includes Hyundai and Kia
†††Includes Nissan Division and Infiniti
‡Includes Toyota Division, Scion and Lexus
‡‡Includes VW, Audi and Bentley
Analysts had expected the drops as the popular employee-pricing incentive programs had drained dealers lots of most 2005 models. Also, the record-high gasoline prices in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed the brakes on sales of big pickups and SUVs.
At the same time, Japanese rivals Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., American Honda Motor Co. and Nissan North America all said September set various monthly sales records. Those records were notched despite a sales slowdown for many of those automakers’ larger pickups and SUVs.
DaimlerChrysler posted a 3.7-percent sales gain in September to 193,116 units, propelled by the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans. But the automaker saw declines in sales of minivans, the Chrysler Pacifica sport wagon and mid-sized Dodge Dakota pickup.
With almost all automakers reporting, industry sales for September stood at 1.30 million units, down 7.8 percent from September 2004. Through the first nine months of this year, sales stand at 12.97 million units, up 3.1 percent from the year-ago period.
Volkswagen of America Inc. and Audi of America Inc. will report September sales on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
Double-digit drops
GM sales fell 24.2 percent in September to 344,805 units, while Ford’s sales dropped 19.5 percent to 226,948 units.
After nine months of 2005, GM’s sales are down 1.3 percent to 3.53 million units. Ford’s sales are down 1.4 percent to 2.48 million units.
On the flip side of the coin:
>> Nissan North America said combined Nissan and Infiniti sales set a record for the month, up 16.4 percent to 93,539 units.
>> Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.’s tally of 178,417 units in September, up 10.3 percent, was a record for the month.
>> The 121,163 sales for American Honda in September, up 11.7 percent from September 2004, broke the record for the month set in September 2003.
>>BMW, including the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, posted a 1.6-percent gain to 25,114 units for the month.
Trucks take the hit
Ford blamed its big drop on high gasoline prices, which have hurt SUV sales, and the success of its employee price incentive program, which motivated many consumers to buy in July and August.
Ford said sales of its mainstay Explorer SUV fell 57.7 percent in September to 12,879 units. Sales of the similar Mercury Mountaineer were down 54.0 percent to 1,771 units.
Sales of the full-sized Ford Expedition were down 60.6 percent for the month to 5,906 units.
GM said sales of its light trucks fell by 30.1 percent in September to 197,973 units. Sales of the Chevrolet Silverado were off 37.6 percent for the month, while GMC Sierra sales fell 31.2 percent.
Among the GM light trucks that have been on sale for at least a year, only the Hummer H1 and Saturn Vue posted increases in September.
Import trucks not immune
Japanese automakers saw their trucks take a hit, too.
Nissan Titan pickup sales fell 11.2 percent to 7,015 units, and Armada SUV sales fell 20.8 percent to 2,489 units in September. But sales of both vehicles are up by 16 percent for the year to date.
At Toyota, sales were down 19.2 percent for the Tundra pickup and 24.3 percent for the 4Runner SUV. Sales also fell in September for the Highlander, Land Cruiser and Sequoia SUVs.
At Honda, sales of the Pilot SUV dropped 25.8 percent in September. Sales were also down for the Acura MDX, and Honda CR-V and Element SUVs
Shift to cars
But the sales declines in trucks at import automakers were more than offset by gains in car sales.
Toyota Camry sales rose 6.4 percent in September to 36,842 units, and Toyota sold 8,707 copies of the Avalon sedan.
Honda reported double-digit sales increases for the Accord and Civic. The redesigned 2006 Civic went on sale in mid-September.
Toyota and Honda said September was a record-setting month for sales of their hybrid vehicles.
At Nissan, the Altima and Sentra sedans were key drivers in September. Altima sales of 26,442 units were up 24.2 percent, while Sentra sales of 11,172 were up 65.8 percent.
Among other automakers:
>> Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia said sales rose 6.2 percent in September to 61,618 units. After nine months, combined sales for the automakers totaled 522,346 units, up 8.3 percent from last year.
>> Mazda posted a 5.4-percent gain in September to 19,920 units. But sales are down 1.1 percent to 201,862 units for the first nine months of this year.
>> Mitsubishi sales totaled 9,054 units in September, down 2.5 percent from a year ago. For the year to date, Mitsubishi’s sales are down 27.7 percent to 96,128 units.
>> Porsche said its September sales fell 9.0 percent to 2,144 units.
>> Subaru posted a 1.6-percent gain in September to 16,100 units
>> Suzuki notched a 41.4 percent increase to 7,131 units. Through nine months, sales are up 10.7 percent to 63,486 units.
>> Isuzu sales dropped 71.1 percent to 656 units. For the year to date, Isuzu sales are down 55.2 percent to 9,822 units.
Sept. 2005 Sept. 2004 Pct. chng. 9 mos. 2005 9 mos. 2004 Pct. chng.
BMW* 25,114 24,719 1.6% 225,956 217,225 4.0%
Daimler-
Chrysler** 193,116 186,207 3.7% 1,947,012 1,829,962 6.4%
Ford Motor
Co.*** 226,948 281,832 -19.5% 2,488,482 2,523,492 -1.4%
General
Motors**** 344,805 454,831 -24.2% 3,539,442 3,584,731 -1.3%
American
Honda† 121,163 108,470 11.7% 1,112,917 1,050,991 5.9%
Hyundai
Group†† 61,618 58,027 6.2% 565,557 522,346 8.3%
Isuzu 656 2,267 -71.1% 9,822 21,918 -55.2%
Mazda 19,920 18,894 5.4% 201,862 204,133 -1.1%
Mitsubishi 9,054 9,282 -2.5% 96,128 132,997 -27.7%
Nissan††† 93,539 80,350 16.4% 835,925 726,745 15.0%
Porsche 2,144 2,355 -9.0% 23,809 23,332 2.0%
Subaru 16,100 15,843 1.6% 144,788 137,731 5.1%
Suzuki 7,131 5,042 41.4% 63,486 57,329 10.7%
Toyota‡ 178,417 161,793 10.3% 1,714,266 1,547,030 10.8%
VW‡‡ - - -% - - -%
Other
(estimate) 354 284 24.6% 3,025 2,057 47.1%
TOTAL 1,300,079 1,410,196 -7.8% 12,972,477 12,582,019 3.1%
Numbers in this table are calculated by Automotive News based on actual monthly sales reported by the manufacturers and may differ from numbers reported elsewhere.
Source: Automotive News Data Center
Note: Other includes estimates for Ferrari, Lamborghini and Lotus
*Includes Mini and Rolls-Royce
**Includes Mercedes-Benz
***Includes Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo
****Includes Saab
†Includes Honda Division and Acura
††Includes Hyundai and Kia
†††Includes Nissan Division and Infiniti
‡Includes Toyota Division, Scion and Lexus
‡‡Includes VW, Audi and Bentley
10-04-2005, 11:23 AM
#6
The sizzle in the Steak
We all knew this was coming.
10-04-2005, 11:25 AM
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Ford said sales of its mainstay Explorer SUV fell 57.7 percent in September to 12,879 units. Sales of the similar Mercury Mountaineer were down 54.0 percent to 1,771 units.
Sales of the full-sized Ford Expedition were down 60.6 percent for the month to 5,906 units.
At Toyota, sales were down 19.2 percent for the Tundra pickup and 24.3 percent for the 4Runner SUV.
At Honda, sales of the Pilot SUV dropped 25.8 percent in September.
Sales of the full-sized Ford Expedition were down 60.6 percent for the month to 5,906 units.
At Toyota, sales were down 19.2 percent for the Tundra pickup and 24.3 percent for the 4Runner SUV.
At Honda, sales of the Pilot SUV dropped 25.8 percent in September.
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10-04-2005, 11:50 AM
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Originally Posted by dom
As soon as the shock of high gas prices wears off SUV sales will jump back up. Maybe not to their previous levels but much higher than Sept sales.
10-04-2005, 11:52 AM
#11
The sizzle in the Steak
BMW, including the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, posted a 1.6-percent gain to 25,114 units for the month.
MINI USA continued to experience strong demand. The division reported year-to-date sales of 32,010 cars, up 25 percent compared to 25,670 sold in first three quarters of 2004. September sales were up 4 percent, to 3,027 cars versus the 2,917 sold in that month in 2004.
09/2005 YTD 2005 09/2004 YTD 2004
Total US MINIs 3,027 32,010 2,917 25,670
Not bad for a model that is almost four years old that's near the end of the 2005 model year, with the next gen right around the corner.
I think BMW will find MINI to be even more profitable division when they release the next gen MINI next year and the wagon in a couple of years.
10-04-2005, 10:57 PM
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I think everyone even remotely interested in a GM vehicle bought it in June, July and August.
The sale continued in September, but most of the 2005 inventory was gone.
It’s gonna be a looooong cold winter for GM, especially if gas prices stay around 3-bucks a gallon.
The sale continued in September, but most of the 2005 inventory was gone.
It’s gonna be a looooong cold winter for GM, especially if gas prices stay around 3-bucks a gallon.
10-05-2005, 09:20 AM
#13
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by gavriil
I, very seriously, doubt that. Unless if they find a way to make SUVs consume as much, or close to, what cars consume.
U.S. hybrid sales drop from August levels
Dearborn, Michigan - Sales of hybrid vehicles in the U.S. dropped from 23,307 units in August 2005 to 19,180 in September 2005. Toyota was the overall leader with 68 per cent of all hybrid sales, but all three Toyota hybrids, the Prius, Highlander Hybrid and RX 400h, were down.
Sales of the Honda Civic Hybrid dropped from 4,146 in August to 1,916 in September, probably because a new 2006 Civic Hybrid is coming in October, while the Insight maintained steady sales at 83 units.
Two hybrid vehicles recorded their best months to date: the Ford Escape Hybrid sold 1,808 units, while the Honda Accord Hybrid sold 2,352, an increase of 16 units from August.
Dearborn, Michigan - Sales of hybrid vehicles in the U.S. dropped from 23,307 units in August 2005 to 19,180 in September 2005. Toyota was the overall leader with 68 per cent of all hybrid sales, but all three Toyota hybrids, the Prius, Highlander Hybrid and RX 400h, were down.
Sales of the Honda Civic Hybrid dropped from 4,146 in August to 1,916 in September, probably because a new 2006 Civic Hybrid is coming in October, while the Insight maintained steady sales at 83 units.
Two hybrid vehicles recorded their best months to date: the Ford Escape Hybrid sold 1,808 units, while the Honda Accord Hybrid sold 2,352, an increase of 16 units from August.
10-05-2005, 09:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Moog-Type-S
Not bad for a model that is almost four years old that's near the end of the 2005 model year, with the next gen right around the corner.
10-05-2005, 01:12 PM
#16
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Originally Posted by dom
As soon as the shock of high gas prices wears off SUV sales will jump back up. Maybe not to their previous levels but much higher than Sept sales.
SUVs were just a fad that will be relegated to their niche market - it just took the gas shock for folks to come to that realization.
10-05-2005, 01:22 PM
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I dunno, kinda agree that consumers will forget the few months of high gas prices and continue to buy Suvs in the future unless we continue to have higher and higher gas price spikes every summer...
10-05-2005, 01:27 PM
#18
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Originally Posted by gavriil
I dont see the corelation with what I wrote above...
Yes, no direct corelation but there has to be something to be said for a significant fall in Hybrid sales. Maybe consumers aren't moving directly back to SUV's but they did immediately cool from buying Hybrids after the shock of gas prices was over.
SUV sales will not move back to past levels but they will IMO move higher than Sept numbers.
10-05-2005, 01:29 PM
#19
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Originally Posted by biker
SUVs were just a fad that will be relegated to their niche market - it just took the gas shock for folks to come to that realization.
I can't disagree more. I think they are here to stay. Fortunately it seems the small SUV's are becoming more popular.
10-06-2005, 03:46 AM
#20
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Originally Posted by dom
I can't disagree more. I think they are here to stay. Fortunately it seems the small SUV's are becoming more popular.
I think the Sept sales will be the high mark that GM and Ford will hope to keep. There's even more downside to come for SUVs not just cause they are falling out of favor but because vehicle sales in general are trending down.
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