International Auto Brands March 2007 Sales Springboard to April and Beyond

Special to The Auto Channel
By AIADA Staff

March turned out to be an above average month for auto sales in the U.S., as the number of units sold climbed a slight 0.8 percent for a total of 1,542,229 units. It was a particularly good month for International brands, who collectively saw sales of autos rise a whopping 8.8 percent over March 2006, en route to grabbing 48.4 percent of the U.S. market for autos.

Toyota Motor Sales USA once again led the way for International brand automakers, grabbing 15.7 percent of the market – just shy of No. 2 Ford Motor Company at 16 percent of the market. Toyota brands, up 11.7 percent as a group in March, were followed by No. 4 DaimlerChrysler Corp., with 13.4 percent of the market; No. 5 American Honda Motor Co., up 11.3 percent as a group for 9.3 percent of the market; and No. 6 Nissan North America, whose sales rose 7.8 percent for the month for 7.2 percent of the market.

Detroit automakers GM, Ford and Chrysler continued to realize losses in March – together Detroit’s total U.S. market share declined to 51.6 percent. General Motors Corp., who dropped from 23.3 percent market share last March to 22 percent in March 2007, saw sales decline 3.9 percent for the month for a total of 342,581 units – just less than 100,000 units ahead of juggernaut Toyota. Meanwhile, Ford’s stiff 9.1 percent loss in March for 16 percent of the U.S. market is a sign of things to come as CEO Alan Mullaly prepares for a further downsized Ford Motor Company, which he projects will garner an average market share of between 12- and 15 percent.

Following is a breakdown of March 2007 monthly sales by International nameplate:

Toyota Division Up 12.7 Percent

Toyota Division sales rose 12.7 percent last month for a total of 213,820 units. Toyota passenger cars recorded best-ever March sales of 121,881, up 17.8 percent over the same period last year. Camry, which posted March sales of 37,110 units, down 4.8 percent over last March, led the way for the car segment. Sales of Camry hybrids reached 5,144 units for the month. Corolla reported best-ever March sales of 34,355 units, 6.3 percent over March 2006. The Prius hybrid gas-electric mid-size sedan was the automaker’s third best-selling passenger car with an all-time best-ever monthly sales for the second consecutive month of 19,156 units sold, an increase of 141.8 percent. Yaris subcompact sales totaled 7,614 units for the month.

Toyota Division light truck sales rose 6.7 percent in March, an all-time best-ever month of 91,939 units sold. Tacoma pickup sales led the way in the truck segment with 18,243 units, up 16.5 percent from March 2006. RAV4 compact SUV reached an all-time best-ever sales of 17,837 units, up 32.2 percent over last March. The all-new Tundra full-size pickup reported sales of 13,196 units, up 11.8 percent over last March. The Highlander and Highlander Hybrid posted combined March sales of 11,693. The Highlander Hybrid gas-electric mid-size SUV reported sales of 2,501 units for the month. FJ Cruiser reported March sales of 6,057 units.

Lexus Up 4.6 Percent

Lexus sales for the month of March rose 4.6 percent for a total of 28,855 units. Year-to-date sales for the luxury brand are up 7.5 percent, or 73,491 units sold.

Lexus passenger cars reported best-ever March sales of 18,128 units, up 26.7 percent over March 2006. The ES 350 luxury sedan led the way with 7,444 units sold, up 75.9 percent. IS 250/300/350 sales reached 5,077 units. The all-new LS 460 hit 3,134 units sold, an increase of 133.7 percent. Lexus RX 350 sales in March totaled 7,132 units. The RX 400h hybrid luxury utility vehicle reported sales of 1,471 units for the month.

Scion Down

Scion posted March sales of 10,978 units. The tC sports coupe was the volume leader for the niche brand, with March sales of 6,314 units. Scion xB sales reached 2,799 units for the month. xA sales were down 33.9 percent for a total of 1,865 units.

Honda "Best-Ever" March

Honda Division posted its best-ever March with sales of 126,406 units, up 9.5 percent over March 2006. Accord sales rose 18.8 percent to 36,506 units. CR-V sales of 19,658 rose 49.2 percent, helping the division post record March sales of 55,550 trucks, up 2.8 percent over March 2006. The Pilot also posted record March sales of 14,339, up 6.6 percent. Honda sold a total of 3,199 hybrid vehicles, including 2,813 Civic Hybrids and 385 Accord hybrids, a combined increase of 6.7 percent over the same month last year.

Acura Strong

The Acura Division posted strong March sales of 16,986, with record light truck sales of 7,209 units thanks to sales of the MDX and RDX SUVs. The redesigned 2007 Acura MDX luxury SUV was the top-selling Acura light truck in March with 4,785 units sold, surpassing the 4,682 tally of a year ago. Meanwhile, the turbocharged RDX entry-premium SUV posted total sales of 2,424 units, making March its second-best month since it was introduced in June, 2006. The TL luxury performance sedan was Acura’s best-selling model with March sales of 5,769, while the TSX posted near-record sales of 3,232.

Nissan Up 6.6 Percent

Nissan Division sales rose 6.6 percent over last March for a total of 97,242 units. Year-to-date sales at the Nissan division reached 246,436, an increase of 5.3 percent. The Altima sedan continued to be a best-seller for the brand, up 13.7 percent on the sale of 27,521 units. Murano SUV sales were second in terms of volume, up 34.5 percent for the month for a total of 11,822 units sold. Sales of the new Versa subcompact reached 6,573 units. Other noteworthy gains were made by the Armada SUV (up 15.9 percent) and the Quest minivan (up 21.1 percent).

Infiniti Up 16.8

Infiniti Division sales rose 16.8 percent in March on the sale of 13,877 units. Car sales for the unit rose 26 percent to reach 10,762 units sold for the month. The G35 sedan and coupe reached combined sales of 7,992 units for the month. Sales of the M35/M45 reached 2,768 units, up 5.3 percent for the month. FX 35/45 SUV sales rose a subtle 1.0 percent for a total of 2,179 units sold.

Mazda Up 47.9 Percent

Mazda’s U.S. sales rose a remarkable 47.9 percent last month, marking the company’s best March since 1994 with sales of 37,742 units. Overall calendar-year-to-date sales for the U.S. are up 17.5 percent versus last year, with 79,074 vehicles sold.

Mazda’s U.S. sales were led in volume by its popular MAZDA3, which reported best-ever sales of 15,606, while the sporty MAZDA6 also celebrated its best-ever month with sales of 9,624 units. The all-new CX-9 seven passenger crossover SUV reported its best month since launch with 2,443 units. The MX-5 Miata posted its best month since March 1997 with sales of 2,281 units.

Subaru Car Sales Up 1.7 Percent

Subaru’s March sales dropped 5.4 percent last month for a total of 18,027 units. Car sales were up 1.7 percent for a total of 10,976 units. Sales of the Impreza model increased 21 percent over March 2006 for a total of 3,817 units sold. Subaru Legacy sales hit 7,159 units.

On the light truck side, Subaru Forester recorded 5,306 units in March. Outback sales reached 4,955 units. Subaru B9 Tribeca, whose new nose was unveiled during media days of the recent New York Auto Show, reached 1,517 units sold for the month.

Suzuki Up 1.3 Percent

Suzuki sales reached 11,030 units in March, up 1.3 percent. Light truck sales for the brand rose 28.6 percent thanks to healthy sales of the XL7 and SX4, which reached 2,213 units and 1,450 units, respectively. Reno/Forenza sales remain relatively flat at 5,048 units sold.

Mitsubishi Up 22 Percent… Again!

One thing you can say about Mitsubishi’s U.S. sales is that they are consistent. For the second consecutive month, sales at the struggling automaker climbed 22.3 percent year-over-year for a total of 12,536 units sold. Year-to-date, Mitsubishi sales are up 23.2 percent, compared to the January-March period in 2006.

Eclipse continued to be the brand’s volume leader at 2,613 units sold, up 5.1 percent from last March. Marking the best month for outlander in over three years, sales came in at 2,364 units up 20.9 percent from last month’s volume and up 146.3 percent from volume in 2006. Lancer sales for the month were rose 40.2 percent to 1,895 units.

Eclipse Spyder sales were 1,302, an increase of 283 percent compared to last March. Endeavor sales rose 7.3 percent to 1,384 units sold.

Isuzu Down

Isuzu’s U.S. sales dropped 21.5 percent for the month for a total of 743 units. The Isuzu I Series Pickup led the way with sales of 389 units, an increase of 29.7 percent over March 2006. Ascender/Trooper sales dropped 42.7 percent for a total of 351 units.

March “Best-Ever” for Hyundai

Hyundai reported its best March ever with sales of 41,984 units, up 0.5 percent over last March. Of note, Hyundai’s light truck sales rose an incredible 64.9 percent last month for a total of 13,988 units. The Hyundai Santa Fe led all models in this category with 8,470 units, an increase of 108.7 percent over last March. For the year, Santa Fe sales are up 103.2 percent. Accent sales also rose a generous 57.1 percent over March 2006 for a total of 3,427 units. Elantra sales, reaching 10,343 units, were up 7 percent.

Kia Record Q1

Kia reached a record for the first quarter of 2007 in the U.S., on the sale of 73,603 units, up 13.5 percent from Q1 2006. March sales were the best-ever for Kia, up 6 percent over March 2006 for a total of 27,567 units.

The Spectra compact sedan and five-door led in volume in March with 5,675 units, up 23.3 percent over March 2006. Optima sales rose from 3,958 units last March to 4,318 units in March 2007. Sales of the Sportage also rose from 3,412 units in March 2006 to 4,304 units last month. The launch of the all-new Rondo also proved quite successful with sales of 1,514 units.

Volkswagen Down 16.3 Percent

Volkswagen’s March 2007 sales declined 16.3 percent for a total of 17,355 units. Year-to-date sales of VW’s in America reached 50,332 units at the end of March, down 5.6 percent. Volkswagen Passat was the volume leader for the brand with sales reaching 3,069 units. Rabbit/Golf sales up 20.4 percent, came in as second in terms of volume with 3,066 units sold.

Audi Continues Its Roll

Audi’s U.S. sales reached another record last month, up 14.7 percent over March 2006 sales for a total of 8,020 units sold. Year-to-date sales for Audi are at 21,028 vehicles, an increase of 17.6 percent over the same period last year.

Audi’s A4/S4 models were the volume leader, with sales last month totaling 3,783 units. A4 sedan sales hit 2,304 units. Sales of the popular Audi Q7 SUV reached 2,075 units.

BMW Up 3.4 Percent

March sales for BMW brand autos rose 3.4 percent for a total of 25,325 units in March. Year-to-date sales of BMW brand vehicles were up 6.7 percent, on the sale of 67,360 units.

Car sales for the brand were down 1.2 percent for the month to 18,746 units, but up 3.5 percent for the quarter. The BMW 3 Series sedan led the pack with sales totaling 7,195 units in March. The 5 Series sedan came in second with 4,207 units sold. March sales of BMW SUVs were up 18.9 percent for the month to 6,579 units, and up 19.1 percent for the first three months of 2006. The BMW Z4 was the volume leader, up 11.6 percent on the sale of 11,259 units.

MINI Down

MINI USA reported March sales of 3,655 units, down 5.1 percent from the 3,851 cars sold in March 2006. Year-to-date, MINI’s sales have declined 14.9 percent for a total of 8,073 units.

Mercedes Remains Flat
Mercedes-Benz USA sold 21,627 units last month, up 0.9 percent from March 2006. Year-to-date sales at MBUSA reached 56,030 units at the end of March, an increase of 9.2 percent over the same period last year. Trucks led the way for the luxury brand in March, up 32.9 percent as a group for a total of 6,239 units. The Mercedes-Benz C Class was the volume leader, up 14.8 percent for a total of 4,486 units.

Porsche Up 2.9 Percent

Led by 911/Carrera, Porsche sales rose 2.9 percent in March for a total of 3,278 units. 911/Carrera sales reached 1,054 units for the month, down 6.5 percent from last March. Cayman sales rose 6.8 percent for a total of 598 units sold.

Jaguar Down

Jaguar sales dropped 10.7 percent last month for a total of 1,667 units. XK Series sales were up 145.6 percent to be the volume leader at 506 units sold. S Type sales registered at 479 units.

Volvo Down 4.4 Percent

Volvo sales in the U.S. dropped 4.4 percent in March for a total of 10,666 units.

The XC90 SUV was the volume leader for the brand in March with sales totaling 3,197 units. C70 Coupe/Hardtop Convertible sales started to spike last month for a total of 368 units. Volvo S40 sales rose from 2,101 units in February to 2,508 units, but were slightly down year-over-year.

Land Rover Down

Land Rover sales continued their decline in March, down 11.8 percent on the sale of 3,663 units. Range Rover Sport was the volume leader for the brand with 1,356 units sold. Ranger Rover/HSE sales rose 17 percent for a total of 1,159 units.

The chart below details sales for International brands in March 2007 (Numbers presented are based on unadjusted data for March 2007):

Brand	March 2007	March 2006	%Chng	2007 CYTD	2006 CYTD	%Chng
Acura	16,986	17,524	-3.1%	43,661	45,651	-4.4%
Audi	8,020	6,994	14.7%	21,028	17,884	17.6%
Bentley	449	360	24.7%	1,085	842	28.9%
BMW	25,325	24,501	3.4%	67,360	63,103	6.7%
Ferrari	149	116	28.4%	400	341	17.3%
Honda	126,406	111,282	13.6%	310,547	288,193	7.8%
Hyundai	41,984	41,766	0.5%	104,205	105,988	-1.7%
Infiniti	13,877	11,886	16.8%	32,545	29,187	11.5%
Isuzu	743	947	-21.5%	1,802	2,451	-26.5%
Jaguar	1,667	1,866	-10.7%	4,248	5,124	-17.1%
Kia	27,567	26,004	6.0%	73,603	64,833	13.5%
Land Rover	3,663	4,153	-11.8%	10,202	11,299	-9.7%
Lexus	28,855	27,592	4.6%	73,491	68,377	7.5%
Maserati	217	201	8.0%	526	499	5.4%
Maybach [est]	15	15	0.0%	45	45	0.0%
Mazda	37,742	25,514	47.9%	79,074	67,271	17.5%
Mercedes-Benz	21,627	21,432	0.9%	56,030	51,287	9.2%
Mini	3,655	3,851	-5.1%	8,073	9,485	-14.9%
Mitsubishi	12,536	10,250	22.3%	31,645	25,695	23.2%
Nissan	97,242	91,209	6.6%	246,436	234,040	5.3%
Porsche	3,278	3,185	2.9%	8,229	9,117	-9.7%
Rolls Royce [est]	30	30	0.0%	90	90	0.0%
Saab	2,837	3,239	-12.4%	7,420	8,222	-9.8%
Subaru	18,027	19,048	-5.4%	42,976	45,067	-4.6%
Suzuki	11,030	10,887	1.3%	27,794	26,639	4.3%
Toyota	213,820	189,694	12.7%	532,364	476,474	11.7%
Volkswagen	17,355	20,730	-16.3%	50,332	53,296	-5.6%
Volvo	10,666	11,153	-4.4%	26,953	28,451	-5.3%
Total Sales	745,768	685,429	8.8%	1,862,164	1,738,951	7.1%

Source: AutoData Corp.
Chart: AIADA