Imports Steal Car Sales From Detroit-Based Builders, Reports JATO Automotive Market Share Study
TROY, Mich., Aug. 6, 2003 -- Foreign automakers are giving the struggling Big Three a run for the money in securing US market share. American automotive manufacturers gave up 1.62 percent of their US market share for light vehicles to the combined efforts of Toyota and Honda since the same time last year. This data is part of the JATO US Market Share Index (UMSI) study released today by JATO Dynamics, the world's leading supplier of automotive industry and marketplace information.
Overall sales year to date are 9,727,631, a number that is down 2.24 percent from the same time period last year and a total decline of 7.9 percent since 2000.
"Hopes for rising sales may be realized sooner than anticipated," said Evaristo Garcia, US General Manager of JATO. Despite the decline, Garcia points out that it is losing momentum and slowing down. "There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel."
Leading the UMSI's list of most improved makes is Honda with an increase of 1.10 percent in market share, which translates to an additional 93,814 vehicles over the same seven months last year. The carmaker remains the second largest volume import nameplate in the US with a 7.20 percent share in the market. The biggest import, Toyota, shows a solid increase with a 9.55 percent market share, up 0.52 percent over last year.
Other winners and losers include HUMMER, Hyundai, Infiniti and Volvo showing positive gains, with Buick, Mercury, Mitsubishi, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Chrysler and Volkswagen coming up short.
Despite the impressive performance by the Japanese makes, Ford and Chevrolet remain the biggest players in the game with a combined market share of more than 33.25 percent.
The JATO study also examined sales performance of individual models. The following vehicles incurred some of the most noteworthy changes in the UMSI:
* The Dodge Ram Pickup and the Chevy Silverado both recorded significant gains in market share by 0.4 and 0.2 percent respectively.
* The Toyota Corolla showed the largest increase from all US vehicle models at a gain of 1.0 percent, resulting in a 2.1% total. This was largely due in part to Toyota's inclusion of the Matrix sales under the Corolla nameplate, a change from their previous reporting method.
* Chevrolet Blazer, Buick Century and Mercury Sable all faced sobering declines in sales, as the Blazer fell from 41,434 to 29,328, the Century fell from 58,377 to 25,303 and the Sable fell to 27,083 from 36,203.
2Q03 UMSI WINNERS (Based on YTD Share Change)
July 2003 July 2003 YTD Share
YTD Share Share Change
Makes Honda 7.20% 7.48% +1.10%
Toyota 9.55% 9.67% +0.52%
Infiniti 0.68% 0.72% +0.19%
Models Chevy Silverado 4.0% 4.8% +0.2%
Dodge Ram Pickup 2.6% 2.7% +0.4%
Toyota Corolla 2.1% 2.1% +1.0%
2Q03 UMSI LOSERS (Based on YTD Share Change)
July 2003 July 2003 YTD Share
YTD Share Share Change
Makes Pontiac 2.72% 2.46% -0.49%
Mitsubishi 1.66% 1.52% -0.42%
Buick 2.03% 1.47% -0.35%
Models Chevrolet Blazer 0.4% 0.3% -0.5%
Buick Century 0.7% 0.7% -0.3%
Mercury Sable 0.4% 0.4% -0.3%
For more information about the JATO US Market Share Index please call JATO Dynamics at 248-362-2728 or email us.inquires@jato.com .
About JATO Dynamics
Founded in 1984, JATO provides the world's most comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date information on vehicle specification and pricing, sales and registrations, news, and incentives. The company has representation in over 40 world markets, providing unique local market expertise. JATO's client base includes all of the world's volume vehicle manufacturers, giving them the ability to react to short-term market movements, plans for long-term developments, and ultimately to meet the needs of the consumer. The data gathered and analyzed by JATO has also been adapted for consumer use in motoring web portals such as MSN, where customers can compare advantages and disadvantages of a specific vehicle model against any others.
For more information, please visit www.jato.com .