U.S. Auto Sales Down Again in September 2006
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Automakers sold
1,354,365 vehicles in September, down from a sub par August, which recorded
1,487,393 units sold. Of total September sales, International nameplates
accounted for 631,488 units – bringing the group market share to a
total of 46.6 percent for the month and 45.9 percent year-to-date.
GM held onto its No.
1 sales ranking in the
Here’s a
summary of international brands and how they fared in September:
The Prius hybrid
sedan posted best-ever September sales of 10,492, an increase of 23.1
percent. The Camry Hybrid, which went on sale in late April, reported sales
of 4,044 units in September.
Trucks sales
dominated for the brand, up 35.7 percent to a best-ever September total of
84,114 units. The Sienna led the pack with monthly sales of 14,348, up 9.7
percent over the same period last year. The Tundra full-size pickup truck
reported best-ever September sales of 12,609, up 67.2 percent over the same
period last year. The all-new FJ Cruiser, which went on sale in March,
reported sales of 5,546 units. The Highlander and Highlander Hybrid posted
combined September sales of 11,697. The RAV4 compact sport utility vehicle
(SUV) reported best-ever September sales of 11,551, up 93.4 percent over
the same period last year.
Scion
Best-Ever September
Scion reported
best-ever September sales with 16,195 units sold.
The tC sports coupe
led the way with best-ever September sales of 7,759 units, up 19.6 percent.
Scion xB sales were up 19.4 percent, posting monthly sales of 5,535
units.
Lexus
Best-Ever September
Lexus also reached
best-ever September sales, up 12.1 percent to 25,700
units.
Lexus passenger cars
posted best-ever September sales of 14,231 units, an increase of 27 percent
over September 2005, led by the ES 350 luxury sedan with best-ever
September sales of 5,851 units, up 11.2 percent. The IS 250 and IS 350
luxury sport sedans recorded combined best-ever September sales of 4,319
units, an increase of 787.4 percent.
Lexus light trucks
also reached a record in September with sales totaling 11,469 units. The RX
350 and RX 400h enjoyed combined September sales of 8,688 units, an
increase of 1.7 percent.
The 2006 RX 400h
luxury hybrid SUV reported sales of 1,687 units for the
month.
Honda
Continues to Set Record Pace
Honda continued its
record-setting sales pace for the year, reaching a total of 1,011,420 units
sold through September, a 5.8 percent increase over last year. In
September, Honda sold 99,903 cars and light trucks.
For the month,
Honda’s Civic Hybrid model posted a record increase of 25.9 percent
over September 2005 with sales reaching 2,508 units.
Honda’s light
truck sales rose 5 percent for the month. Several of the brand’s
light truck models posted September records, including CR-V, up 18.5
percent; Odyssey, up 7.4 percent; and the Ridgeline pickup, up 0.5 percent
for the month and a notable 49.1 percent for the year.
Acura
Trucks Roar in September
Acura just narrowly
missed a new all-time September sales record with monthly totals reaching
16,323 units, down 5.6 percent based on the daily selling rate, with
year-to-date sales tallying 149,090 units.
Truck sales for the
automaker soared to a record 5,706 units, up 28.5 percent, thanks to the
success of the first full month of sales of the all-new turbocharged RDX
crossover SUV, with sales totaling 1,704 in September; and steady sales of
the MDX luxury performance SUV at 4,002 units sold for the
month.
Be on the look out
for Acura’s all-new 2007 MDX and the new high performance TL Type-S
– both are sure to be hot sellers.
Nissan
Off in September
Nissan sales were off
5.5 percent from September 2005, and year-to-date sales stayed off the
automaker’s 2005 pace by 6.1 percent.
Lower gas prices were
of benefit to Nissan’s truck segment during the month, as total light
truck sales for the automaker rose 2.7 percent over last year. Sales were
particularly strong for the Pathfinder (up 19.7 percent year-over-year) and
Murano (up 14.8 percent year-over-year).
Infiniti Trucks Score
Well
Although
Nissan’s Infiniti division posted another decrease, the luxury
brand’s light truck segment followed suit with Nissan in posting a
3.6 percent sales gain from September 2005.
Sales were
highlighted by 2,364 units of the FX 35/45 model. The best selling car for
the brand for the month was the G35 Sedan, with 3,220 units sold.
Volkswagen Drops in September; Year-to-Date Still On
Track
Volkswagen’s
September sales dropped 7.2 percent over last year to 20,082 units. The
automaker’s year-to-date sales are up 11.8 percent compared to the
same period last year.
The official
introduction of the Eos during the month of September resulted in the sale
of 894 units, bringing the model’s year-to-date total to 1,348.
Audi Up
1.9 Percent
Audi’s sales
rose 1.9 percent in September as sales reached 8,004 units. Year-to-date
sales for the German luxury brand are up 4.9 percent, thanks to one of the
strongest third quarters in Audi’s history in the
The A4 lineup had its
best month this year, recording 4,497 units sold. Sales of the all-new Audi
Q7 SUV reached 1,333 last month, the highest monthly total since the launch
of the vehicle.
BMW Up 3
Percent for the Year
BMW brand sales
dropped 8 percent last month, but sales for the year are up 3 percent over
the same period last year as sales reached 200,063 vehicles compared to
193,631 through September.
BMW brand cars fared
well for the first three quarters of 2006, up 11 percent to 155,525 units
compared to 140,015 units during the same period of 2005. For the month,
car sales were down 2 percent.
BMW brand SUVs
dropped 21 percent in September, but BMW is preparing to introduce its
all-new X5 later this year, which is expected to make a sales splash. The
just released X3 is also expected to help pull these figures up.
MINI Off
2 Percent
MINI’s
September was rather steady, down just 2 percent from last year on sales of
2,964 units. Year-to-date, the brand’s sales are off 7 percent. The
MINI Cooper S continues to be the hottest seller for the brand at 11,773
units so far this year.
Just last week, the
company showcased its all-new elongated body at the 2006 Paris Motor Show.
Mercedes-Benz Soars 13 Percent
Mercedes-Benz
reported its highest September sales on record with 19,873 new vehicles
sold, an increase of 13 percent over September 2005.
Sales
of the S class were up 126 percent to 2,357 units, while in the light truck
segment the R class was up 230 percent at 1,276 units.
Hyundai
Has Down Month; New
September sales for
Hyundai totaled 33,384, down 13 percent compared with September 2005. The
company attributed the decline in sales to limited availability of the all
new three-door Accent and Elantra vehicles as a result of plant slowdowns
this summer in
Hyundai’s new
The all-new Elantra
is just now being delivered to dealers and will likely spark an increase in
sales.
Kia Sets
September Record
Kia hit a new
September sales record thanks to the sale of 23,877 units, a 2 percent
increase over September 2005. Year-to-date sales for the Korean automaker
are also on the incline, up 2.6 percent over the same period last year to
221,998 units.
Hot spots for the
automaker included the Kia Sorento, with sales of 5,582 units sold and the
Kia Sportage, reaching 3,178 units.
Porsche
Up 3.1 Percent
Porsche’s
September auto sales rose 3.1 percent mostly due to strong performances by
its 911 and Boxster lines. Adjusted to include an extra selling day in
September of this year compared to last, the automaker’s year-to-date
sales rose 10.9 percent.
Porsche also reported
further decline in sport-utility vehicle sales. Its
Saab
Soars 54.8 Percent in September
Saab sold 3,069 units in September, a whopping 54.8
increase over September 2005.
Saab’s flagship 9-3
Subaru
Year-to-Date Sales Up 3 Percent
The Subaru Impreza
had a terrific month, up 36.4 percent with 3,794 total units sold in
September. Sales of the Subaru Baja were up 13.1
percent.
Suzuki Up
11.3 Percent
Suzuki said its
redesigned crossover drew customers and helped boost its September U.S.
vehicle sales by 11.3 percent. Adjusted to include the extra selling day in
September of this year, Suzuki’s year-to-date sales rose 27.6 percent
over the same period last year.
Sales of the
redesigned Grand Vitara accounted for 2,177 units, compared to 933 units
last year. Sales of the fuel-sipping Aerio rose to 1,153 vehicles from 743
vehicles a year ago.
Jaguar
Down
Jaguar sales tumbled
45.8 percent to 1,158. All of Jaguar’s models were down in September
with the exception of the XK series, which rose 125.4 percent for the
month. The S Type was the leading seller for the brand with 402
units.
Land
Rover Up 1.3 Percent
Land Rover sales
edged up 1.3 percent to 3,469 in September. The Land Rover Range Rover
Sport was up 24.9 percent for the month, thanks to the sale of 1,381 units.
The LR3 registered sales of 1,175 units.
Volvo
Sales Up
Sales for the Volvo
brand rose 1.6 percent in September to 9,691.
Volvo’s S40 led
the pack with 2,836 units, an increase of 1.4 for the month. The S60 rose
6.6 percent in September and is up 1.6 percent for the year at 20,407 total
units sold through September.
Mazda Up
1.7 Percent
Mazda sales rose 1.7
percent in September helping set a year-to-date rise in sales of 3.7
percent.
The Mazda 5-Miata had
a good month, up 13.2 percent to 1,300 units in September. The Mazda3 and
CX-7 continued to perform well, selling 6,725 units and 3,800 units,
respectively in September.
Mitsubishi Tops 10,000 Units for Seventh Consecutive
Month
Mitsubishi’s
September sales rose 13.6 percent for the month with 10,287 units.
September marked the seventh consecutive month that Mitsubishi’s
The Eclipse model
continues to be the volume leader for Mitsubishi at 2,485 units, up 42.0
percent year-to-date.
See the chart below
for the September 2006 sales data from International nameplate
automakers:
| Brand | Sept. 2006 | Sept. 2005 | %Chng | 2006 YTD | 2005 YTD | %Chng |
| Acura | 16,323 | 16,634 | -1.9% | 149,090 | 160,709 | -7.2% |
| Audi | 8,004 | 7,854 | 1.9% | 62,579 | 59,656 | 4.9% |
| Bentley | 250 | 174 | 43.7% | 2,696 | 2,197 | 22.7% |
| BMW | 20,339 | 22,052 | -7.8% | 200,063 | 193,631 | 3.3% |
| Ferrari | 89 | 104 | -14.4% | 1,051 | 1,115 | -5.7% |
| Honda | 99,903 | 104,529 | -4.4% | 1,011,420 | 952,208 | 6.2% |
| Hyundai | 33,384 | 38,214 | -12.6% | 359,259 | 349,195 | 2.9% |
| Infiniti | 10,378 | 11,062 | -6.2% | 88,246 | 103,220 | -22.2% |
| Isuzu | 726 | 656 | 10.7% | 6,774 | 9,822 | -31.0% |
| Jaguar | 1,158 | 2,135 | -45.8% | 16,508 | 24,284 | -32.0% |
| Kia | 23,877 | 23,404 | 2.0% | 221,997 | 216,362 | 2.6% |
| Land Rover | 3,469 | 3,425 | 1.3% | 33,527 | 30,930 | 8.4% |
| Lexus | 25,700 | 22,036 | 16.6% | 234,474 | 218,729 | 7.2% |
| Maserati | 110 | 179 | -38.5% | 1,546 | 1,523 | 1.5% |
| Maybach | 15 | 20 | -25.0% | 135 | 180 | -25.0% |
| Mazda | 20,261 | 19,918 | 1.7% | 209,239 | 201,861 | 3.7% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 19,888 | 17,567 | 13.2% | 177,136 | 156,379 | 13.3% |
| Mini | 2,964 | 3,027 | -2.1% | 29,770 | 32,010 | -7.0% |
| Mitsubishi | 10,287 | 9,054 | 13.6% | 90,104 | 96,128 | -6.3% |
| Nissan | 77,962 | 82,748 | -5.5% | 688,118 | 732,706 | -6.1% |
| Porsche | 2,211 | 2,144 | 3.1% | 26,411 | 23,809 | 10.9% |
| Rolls Royce (est.) | 30 | 20 | 50.0% | 270 | 180 | 50.0% |
| Saab | 3,069 | 1,983 | 54.8% | 27,586 | 32,146 | -14.2% |
| Subaru | 16,128 | 16,100 | 0.2% | 148,882 | 144,788 | 2.8% |
| Suzuki | 7,940 | 7,131 | 11.3% | 81,328 | 63,486 | 28.1% |
| Toyota | 197,250 | 156,381 | 26.1% | 1,694,022 | 1,495,537 | 13.3% |
| Volkswagen | 20,082 | 21,646 | -7.2% | 182,174 | 162,986 | 11.8% |
| Volvo | 9,691 | 9,542 | 1.6% | 89,876 | 97,946 | -8.2% |
| TOTAL | 631,488 | 599,739 | 5.3% | 5,834,281 | 5,563,723 | 4.9% |