International Brand Sales Soar in November: Toyota Outsells Ford for Second Time This Year
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By AIADA Staff
November sales reports spelled more bad news for
Ford as it was surpassed in sales by GM, DaimlerChrysler, and for the
second time this year,
Total vehicles sales in the
But growth continues to be the story from the
international auto industry as new models -- including, Infiniti’s
G35, Audi’s MDX crossover and Mitsubishi’s Outlander -- proved
viable contenders in their individual segments and helped several international automakers
reached record sales last month. In addition to Toyota, sales records were trampled by
Lexus, Honda, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz. Meanwhile, Mazda’s sales rose
16.7 percent in November, Kia hit a 2 million sales milestone, and Suzuki
is on track to reach 100,000 units in sales for the year.
Total group market share for international brands rose to 48.14 percent in November, as sales for international brand vehicles increased 5.86 percent to 577,304 total units. Year-to-date sales for the group are up 4.8 percent to 6,973,937 units.
Below is a breakdown of November sales highlights for international nameplate automakers:
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc., today reported
best-ever November sales of 196,695 vehicles, an increase of 15.9 percent
over November 2005. Year-to-date sales for the automaker total an
incredible 2,314,202 units, up 12.5 percent over the same period last year.
TMS calendar-year-to-date hybrid sales totaled 173,859 units. In November,
hybrid sales posted 14,278 units.
The
The Prius gas-electric hybrid mid-size sedan
posted best-ever November sales of 8,008, an increase of 1.5 percent. The
Camry Hybrid, which went on sale in late April, reported sales of 3,100
units in November.
Toyota Division truck sales reached a record
November, up 22.8 percent to a best-ever November total of 77,006 units.
The Sienna led the division with monthly sales of 13,535, up 15 percent
over last year. The RAV4 compact SUV reported best-ever November sales of
11,425, up 156.9 percent over the same period last year. The Tundra
full-size pickup truck reported November sales of 10,469. The all-new FJ
Cruiser, which went on sale in March, reported sales of 5,459 units.
The Highlander Hybrid gas-electric mid-size SUV
reported sales of 1,667 units for the month. Highlander and Highlander
Hybrid posted combined November sales of 11,100, up 14.7 percent over the
same period last year.
Lexus Has Record
November
The Lexus Division reported best-ever November
sales with 26,719 units sold, an increase of 4.2
percent.
Lexus passenger cars posted best-ever November
sales of 16,156 units, an increase of 15.4 percent over November 2005.
Lexus’ passenger car sales were led by the ES 350 luxury sedan, up 44
percent to reach best-ever November sales of 6,678 units. The IS 250 and IS
350 luxury sport sedans recorded combined November sales of 3,599 units.
The LS 430 and the all-new LS 460 reported combined sales of 3,613, an
increase of 116.3 percent.
Lexus Division light truck sales for the month
totaled 10,563 units. The 2006 RX 400h luxury hybrid SUV reported sales of
1,327 units for the month. The RX 350 and RX 400h enjoyed combined November
sales of 8,052 units.
Scion Led by
tC
Scion’s November sales reached 10,769
units. The tC sports coupe led the way with sales of 5,084 units. And Scion
xA sales were up 11.5 percent, posting best-ever November sales of 2,204
units.
Honda Group Sales
Up
Total American Honda Motor Co. sales in November
rose 0.6 percent over last year to 106,446, breaking the previous November
record of 105,860 set in 2005. American Honda’s light truck sales are
up 8.1 percent for the month, thanks to strong sales of the Honda CR-V and
the Acura MDX. Year-to-date total vehicle sales continue on a
record-setting pace of 1,377,580 cars and light trucks, increasing 3.6
percent over last year and putting the company in line for a 13th straight
year of sales increases.
The Honda Division reported November sales of
89,246, down 3.0 percent from last year’s all-time record November.
Year-to-date, Honda Division sales are up 5.0 percent to 1,195,413 as
Odyssey, Pilot, Civic, Ridgeline and CR-V have all achieved year-to-date
increases.
For November, record Honda CR-V sales totaled
16,242, a rise of 51.1 percent over the same month last year. Sales of the
popular Civic Hybrid model posted a record of 2,208 units, up 6.0 percent.
Acura Gets Big Boost from
Record-Breaking MDX Sales
November sales for Acura reached a record 17,200
units, up 23.9 percent from last November and fueled by record sales of the
all-new 2007 MDX luxury SUV in just its first full sales month.
Year-to-date sales through November for the luxury automaker are at 182,167
units.
Acura sold an all-time best 8,037 trucks in
November, surpassing the previous record of 6,238 trucks set in December
2004. The automaker was led by sales of the newly-redesigned MDX, which
reached 6,086 units, an increase of 66.8 percent over 2005; and, was
further boosted by a record 1,951 RDX entry premium
SUVs.
The TSX sports sedan continued its brisk pace in
2006 with a November record of 2,463 units sold – nearly double last
November’s total – and bumping year-to-date TSX sales to 34,509
– up 8.4 percent over last year.
Nissan Flat in
November
Combined November sales for Nissan and Infiniti
totaled 76,015 units, a 1.6 percent decrease when compared with last
year’s sales of 77,212 units. Overall car sales rose 11.5 percent but
truck sales fell 14.1 percent.
November sales for Nissan-brand vehicles of
65,633 units decreased by 1.8 percent on a daily sales rate basis compared
with last year’s 66,849 units sold.
The all-new Versa, Altima, and Sentra
contributed to the car segment increase, up 13.2 percent year-over-year.
The Altima had its best November ever with sales of
18,203 units, up 20.1 percent over last November. The new Versa subcompact continued to build momentum with
sales of 3,324 units.
Infiniti’s G35 Gets Off
to Stellar Start
Infiniti sales in November fell a slight 0.2
percent, with 10,382 units sold.
The all-new G35 sedan got off to a great start,
marking its best November ever and its second best sales month ever, with
sales of 4,229 units, up 29.8 percent over last year. The M also set a
November record with sales of 2,015 units.
Volkswagen
Total Volkswagen AG sales for November remained
relatively flat in November at -0.2 percent for a total of 26,491 units
sold. Volkswagen’s combined yearly sales through November are up 7.6
percent to 296,549 units.
The Volkswagen division continued to suffer
loses, down 5.3 percent for the month to 17,082 units. Year-to-date sales
for the division remain ahead of last year at 215,198 units, an increase of
8.6 percent.
The new VW Rabbit or GTI continued to perform
well for the automaker, up 184.3 percent for the month for a total of 2,618
units sold. The Jetta remained the volume leader with 7,188 units sold for
the month, followed by the Passat with 4,176 units
sold.
Audi Earns Best November in
History
November sales for Audi hit 9,209 units, up 16.4
percent over last November and making it the best November in company
history. Year-to-date Audi sales through November total 78,219, up 5.4
percent over the same period last year, helping the luxury automaker set
the pace for a record sales year.
The Audi A4 and Audi Q7 models performed well
for the month. A4 sales totaled 5,124, an increase of 13.0 percent from
November 2005; while Audi Q7 SUV sales totaled 2,019 units.
BMW Up for the
Year
Combined year-to-date sales for BMW and Mini
reached 280,186 vehicles through November, a subtle 0.7 percent jump over
the same period last year. November sales declined 3.6 percent for the two
automakers, with the BMW Group reporting 25,889 units sold versus 26,844
units reported in 2005.
BMW brand sales rose 1.6 percent to 243,487
units year-to-date through November. For the month, BMW brand sales dropped
4.5 percent to a total of 22,602 units.
Year-to-date sales of BMW brand cars rose 8.2
percent through November to 191,808 units. Sales of BMW brand cars in
November alone rose 2.2 percent over November 2005.
BMW SUVs dropped 28 percent in November to 3,785
vehicles. Year-to-date sales through November 2006 of BMW SUVs were down
17.2 percent, to 51,679 vehicles. The automaker is hoping to ramp up sales
next month with its recently released all-new 2007 BMW X5
SUV.
Mini Sales Rise in
November
MINI reported a 3.7 percent increase in November
sales, to 3,287 cars compared to 3,171 cars sold in the same period a year
ago. Year-to-date sales for the niche brand total 36,699 units, down 4.4
percent from the same period in 2005.
Mercedes-Benz on Track for
13th Straight Year of Growth
In November, Mercedes-Benz achieved its
third-highest sales month in its 42 years of doing business in the
Year-to-date sales for MBUSA through November
reached 219,678 units, a 13.9 percent increase over the same period last
year, and keeping Mercedes-Benz on track to reach its 13th consecutive year
of sales growth.
The E-Class also demonstrated impressive gains
with a 26.6 percent increase over last November, coming out on top as the
volume leader for the month with 4,918 units sold in November. Sales of
Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, as a whole, grew 9.6 percent for the month
(15,301 vs. 13,967). Sales of the newest generation S-Class were nearly
double this month over last November (2,780 vs. 1,400), boosting sales for
the high-end vehicles as a group by 57.7 percent for the month (3,627 vs.
2,300) and 51.8 percent for the year-to-date (36,787 vs.
24,230).
Mercedes-Benz luxury light truck segment
continue to beat the odds, demonstrating impressive gains over last
November. The ML-Class, R-Class, GL-Class and G-Class had a combined 57
percent increase over last November (6,778 vs. 4,317) and an 81 percent
increase over year-to-date 2005 (60,373 vs. 33,360). The ML-Class rose 6.8
percent; the R- Class gained 5.1 percent; and the popularity of the
GL-Class, the newest member of the Mercedes-Benz family of SUVs,
contributed to the growth as well.
Kia Reaches 2 Millionth
Milestone
Kia celebrated the sale of its two millionth
vehicle in November en route to reaching its second-best November in
history with a monthly total of 22,203 units, up 10.5 percent over the same
month last year. Year-to-date sales continue to improve upon 2005’s
record figures with 264,298 units sold, a 2.8 percent increase over
2005.
Sales of the Spectra and Sorento were up in
November and totaled 4,149 units and 4,007
units, respectively. The Kia Rio posted its second best sales month
of the year with 3,363 units.
Hyundai Suffers from Lack of
Elantras
Hyundai Motor America sold 28,417 units during
the month of November, down 14.9 percent compared to November
2005.
According to Hyundai VP of National Sales Mark
Barnes, the drop in units sold in November was likely due to the lack of
access to new Elantras and the company’s strategy to reduce fleet
sales in 2006.
Sales of the Sonata continued to lead the
automaker in November with 8,371 total units.
Sales of the new
Porsche’s 911 Line Still
on Fire
Porsche’s November U.S. auto sales dropped
2.4 percent to 2,611 units in part due to waning demand for its SUVs.
Year-to-date Porsche sales are up 7.9 percent to 31,377 vehicles from
29,072 vehicles a year ago.
Cayenne SUV sales dropped 40.2 percent to 762
units from 1,275 units last year in November. The 911 lineup continued to
perform well; however, rising 11.6 percent to 1,061 vehicles. Sales of the
Boxster/Cayman models nearly doubled to 786 vehicles from 419 vehicles in
November 2005.
Volvo’s YTD Sales Rise
on Back of XC90 SUV
Volvo’s
Leading the way for the Swedish automaker were sales of the XC90 SUV which hit 2,781 units, and the S60 (up 43.2 percent) and new S40 sedan (up 48.8 percent).
Jaguar Down
Jaguar continued its drop in sales last month, down 35.2 percent from November 2005. The XJ and XK Series cars were the sales leaders but every model in Jaguar’s line-up declined from last year.
Land Rover
Land Rover’s year-to-date sales are up 6.4 percent despite a 7.6 percent drop in November sales. Sales for the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport remained relatively flat last month, while sales of the Land Rover LR3 dropped 20.4 percent.
Subaru Jumps Nine in
November
Subaru’s November sales jumped nine
percent over November 2005, totaling 15,800 units for the month.
Year-to-date sales for the Japanese automaker are up two percent from the
same period last year.
The Subaru Legacy, Forester and Impreza led the
way for Subby in November, all posting double-digit gains. The Subaru
Legacy was up 19 percent to 6,550 units; the Forester posted 4,215 units, up 13 percent
from November 2005; and, the Impreza recorded sales of 3,420 units, up 27
percent over the same month last year.
Mazda Sales
Sizzle
Mazda was once again led by the Mazda3, with
sales of 6,673 units. The all-new CX-7 crossover SUV continued to post
strong sales with 3,654 units sold, and the Mazda5 doubled its sales total
from November 2005, with 1,513 units.
Suzuki had a banner month with sales totaling
6,395 units, up 12 percent from the same month last year. Year-to-date
sales for the motorcycle-inspired manufacturer are up a whopping 24 percent
to 93,673 units and are on track to hit the 100,000 sales mark for the
year.
The Forenza/Reno was the top seller for the
month with 3,009 units sold. Sales of the trendy Grand Vitara are up 28
percent for the month and a gigantic 266 percent for the year. The Aerio
subcompact continues to perform well, up 46 percent for the month and 53
percent for the year.
Mitsubishi’s Hopes Rise
with Outlander
Helped by the first full-month of sales for the
all-new Outlander crossover SUV, Mitsubishi’s sales rose 4 percent
last month for a total of 9,256 units. Sales of the Outlander hit 1,694
units in November, a rise of 41.7 percent from November 2005
volume.
The Galant remained the volume leader for Mitsi,
with 2,442 units for an increase of 15.7 percent. The Eclipse Spyder closed
at 424 units, up 450 percent from November 2005. The Eclipse coupe
continued strong sales at 1,753 units.
Isuzu Sales Continue to
Slug
Isuzu continued to struggle in November, selling just 7,977 vehicles. This is down from the 11,338 units the truck maker sold in November 2005. The Ascender remained Isuzu’s best-selling truck at 7,082 total units for the month.
The following chart details the November sales data from International nameplate automakers:
| Brand | Nov 2006 | Nov 2005 |
%Chng |
2006 CYTD |
2005 CYTD |
%Chng | ||||
| Acura | 17,200 | 13,882 |
23.9% |
182,167 | 190,989 |
-4.6% | ||||
| Audi | 9,209 | 7,909 |
16.4% |
78,219 | 74,224 |
5.4% | ||||
| Bentley [est] | 200 | 576 |
-65.3% |
3,132 | 3,075 |
1.9% | ||||
| BMW | 22,602 | 23,673 |
-4.5% |
243,487 | 239,736 |
1.6% | ||||
| Ferrari | 164 | 135 |
21.5% |
1,342 | 1,387 |
-3.2% | ||||
| Honda | 89,246 | 91,978 |
-3.0% |
1,195,413 | 1,138,683 |
5.0% | ||||
| Hyundai | 28,417 | 33,383 |
-14.9% |
418,155 | 411,991 |
1.5% | ||||
| Infiniti | 10,382 | 10,363 |
0.2% |
108,034 | 123,545 |
-12.6% | ||||
| Isuzu | 565 | 738 |
-23.4% |
7,977 | 11,338 |
-29.6% | ||||
| Jaguar | 1,256 | 1,937 |
-35.2% |
19,130 | 27,979 |
-31.6% | ||||
| Kia | 22,203 | 20,091 |
10.5% |
264,297 | 257,084 |
2.8% | ||||
| Land Rover | 4,229 | 4,579 |
-7.6% |
41,760 | 39,262 |
6.4% | ||||
| Lexus | 26,719 | 25,649 |
4.2% |
285,199 | 267,709 |
6.5% | ||||
| Maserati | 186 | 202 |
-7.9% |
1,946 | 1,887 |
3.1% | ||||
| Maybach [est] | 15 | 20 |
-25.0% |
165 | 220 |
-25.0% | ||||
| Mazda | 20,792 | 17,817 |
16.7% |
248,874 | 239,183 |
4.1% | ||||
| Mercedes-Benz [est] | 22,094 | 18,299 |
20.7% |
219,843 | 193,042 |
13.9% | ||||
| Mini | 3,287 | 3,171 |
3.7% |
36,699 | 38,384 |
-4.4% | ||||
| Mitsubishi | 9,256 | 8,902 |
4.0% |
108,648 | 114,322 |
-5.0% | ||||
| Nissan | 65,633 | 66,849 |
-1.8% |
819,440 | 861,872 |
-4.9% | ||||
| Porsche | 2,611 | 2,675 |
-2.4% |
31,377 | 29,072 |
7.9% | ||||
| Rolls Royce [est] | 30 | 20 |
50.0% |
330 | 220 |
50.0% | ||||
| Saab | 2,497 | 2,091 |
19.4% |
32,814 | 35,577 |
-7.8% | ||||
| Subaru | 15,800 | 14,521 |
8.8% |
180,086 | 176,083 |
2.3% | ||||
| Suzuki | 6,395 | 5,707 |
12.1% |
93,673 | 75,439 |
24.2% | ||||
| Toyota | 169,976 | 144,016 |
18.0% |
2,029,003 | 1,789,307 |
13.4% | ||||
| Volkswagen | 17,082 | 18,046 |
-5.3% |
215,198 | 198,239 |
8.6% | ||||
| Volvo | 9,258 | 8,111 |
14.1% |
107,529 | 114,763 |
-6.3% | ||||
|
Total Sales |
|
|
5.86% |
|
|
4.8% |
Source: AutoData
Chart:
AIADA
