---

4. 7-Series - 23

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

The good

Audi managed to sell 107 R8s - a 75.4 percent improvement over the 61 sports cars that made their way out of showrooms during the same period last year.

Dodge managed to sell 74 percent more Vipers in January - 127 left showrooms, compared to 73 in the same period last year.

Ford estimates that it managed to gain market share for the fourth consecutive month - but, as you’ll see if you keep reading - the picture wasn’t entirely pretty. The automaker estimates that it attained 12.7 percent of the new car market in the U.S. - up 0.3 percent.

Infiniti’s redesigned FX saw an increase of 74.9 percent over the previous year, though we question dealer supply of the 2008 at this time last year.

Jeep managed a 4 percent increase in Wrangler sales, but that was offset by tumbling sales across the board for other models - as high as a 71 percent drop in Commander sales.

Smart’s sales were up 177.6 percent over last year’s figures - but before you assume that the automaker must be stuffing gold bullions in ForTwo gloveboxes, know that Smarts first arrived in the U.S. in the middle of January last year.

Volkswagen’s sales weren’t down as far as expected - in fact, the automaker’s new CC sedan posted its best-ever month.

Less-profitable sales to rental car fleets are down across the board and will especially be affecting numbers from Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, Hyundai, Toyota, Nissan and Mazda, among others. Unfortunately, automakers don’t tend to report fleet sales - and when they do, they don’t tend to break apart corporate fleets and rental fleets.

The bad

Chrysler’s sales tumbled - badly. Chrysler division saw an unprecedented 69 percent drop in sales with only three models selling above 1,000 units (Sebring, 1,943; 300, 2,250; Town & Country, 4,292). Dodge dropped 50 percent and Jeep fell 49 percent.

What’s really amazing is the hit some of Chrysler’s volume models took. Dodge sold 87 percent fewer Durangos, 78 percent fewer Calibers, 75 percent fewer Nitros and 70 percent fewer Avengers than they did in the same month last year.

Despite gaining share, Ford still saw a hefty drop in overall sales - but that only illustrates just how weak the market is on the whole.

Overall General Motors sales - including all of the automaker’s brands - were down 48.8 percent to 129,227. GM saw a 57.9 percent drop in demand for passenger cars to just 43,943 among all its brands.

Interestingly, GM’s biggest drop came from its Pontiac brand - sales were down more than 60 percent compared to the same period in 2008. Two of the three brands GM is likely to sell or eliminate in the coming months, Hummer and Saturn, also saw nearly 60 percent drops. Ironically, the third brand GM is looking to divest itself of, Saab, posted among the lower declines in sales last month - though the brand failed to sell even 1,000 vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz has reported a nearly 43 precent drop in January sales, barely cresting the 10,000 unit mark.

Volvo had, quite frankly, a terrible month. Sales were down 63.8 percent to just 2,910 units - a figure that won’t help Ford sell its Swedish unit.

The ugly

The following manufacturers have reported January 2009 sales figures:

Acura, down 32.4 percent to 7,856
Audi, down 26.4 percent to 4,722
Buick, down 45.3 percent to 6,969
Cadillac, down 42.5 percent to 8,499
Chevrolet, down 48.4 percent to 77,186
Chrysler, down 69 percent to 10,685
Dodge, down 50 percent to 34,638
Ford, down 39.5 percent to 79,322
GMC, down 40.7 percent to 19,120
Honda, down 30.5 percent to 63,175
Hummer, down 59.9 percent to 1,222
Infiniti, down 20.9 percent to 7,115
Jeep, down 49 percent to 16,834
Lincoln, down 23.7 percent to 6,091
Lexus, down 30.3 percent to 14,722
Mercedes-Benz, down 42.9 percent to 10,433
Mercury, down 44.2 percent to 5,183
Nissan, down 31.2 percent to 46,769
Pontiac, down 60.5 percent to 9,104
Saab, down 46.1 percent to 955
Saturn, down 59.8 percent to 6,172
Smart, up 177.1 percent to 1,776
Toyota, down 34.9 percent to 102,565
Volkswagen, down 11.6 percent to 12,744
Volvo, down 63.8 percent to 2,910

---

---

---

---

Acura, down 32.4 percent to 7,856
Honda, down 30.5 percent to 63,175

Audi, down 26.4 percent to 4,722
Volkswagen, down 11.6 percent to 12,744

Buick, down 45.3 percent to 6,969
Cadillac, down 42.5 percent to 8,499
Chevrolet, down 48.4 percent to 77,186
GMC, down 40.7 percent to 19,120
Hummer, down 59.9 percent to 1,222

Chrysler, down 69 percent to 10,685
Dodge, down 50 percent to 34,638
Jeep, down 49 percent to 16,834

Ford, down 39.5 percent to 79,322
Mercury, down 44.2 percent to 5,183
Pontiac, down 60.5 percent to 9,104
Saab, down 46.1 percent to 955
Saturn, down 59.8 percent to 6,172
Lincoln, down 23.7 percent to 6,091

Infiniti, down 20.9 percent to 7,115
Nissan, down 31.2 percent to 46,769

Lexus, down 30.3 percent to 14,722
Toyota, down 34.9 percent to 102,565


Mercedes-Benz, down 42.9 percent to 10,433
Smart, up 177.1 percent to 1,776

Volvo, down 63.8 percent to 2,910

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

I can't believe that Acura has sold that many TLs.

---

---

Within the Acura showroom, it's ugliness is really only surpassed by that of the RL.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---