Edmunds.com Forecasts April Auto Sales: Weak April Expected As Domestics Continue to Decrease Production and Cut Fleet Sales
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SANTA MONICA, Calif.--This month's new vehicle sales (including fleet sales) are expected to be 1.29 million units, a 10.4 percent decrease from April 2006, according to Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information.
This April had 24 selling days, two less than April 2006. When adjusted for this difference, sales decreased 3.0 percent from April 2006. (The chart below sets forth other adjusted and unadjusted comparisons.)
| Change from April 2006 (Adjusted for fewer selling days) | Change from April 2006 (Unadjusted for fewer selling days) | ||
| Chrysler | -2.3% | -9.8% | |
| Ford | -15.1% | -21.7% | |
| GM | -4.1% | -11.4% | |
| Honda | -1.4% | -8.9% | |
| Nissan | 3.2% | -4.7% | |
| Toyota | 4.9% | -3.2% | |
| Industry Total | -3.0% | -10.4% |
"This month, due to two less selling days, a decrease in production and reduced fleet sales by domestic manufacturers, we will have one of the weakest Aprils in recent history for total industry sales," said Jesse Toprak, Executive Director of Industry Analysis for Edmunds.com. "Surprisingly, even with high gas prices, large SUVs were the only category to post a significant gain -- up nearly 18 percent because of high incentive spending. Minivans were hit the hardest, down 25 percent, because Ford and GM no longer selling minivans and the growth in crossover SUV sales."
”The domestics are continuing to see declines in sales with Ford being hit the hardest, struggling to have shoppers even consider its vehicles,” commented Michelle Krebs of Edmunds’ AutoObserver.com.
The combined monthly U.S. market share for Chrysler, Ford and General Motors (GM) domestic nameplates is estimated to be 52.2 percent in April 2007, down from 54.6 percent in April 2006 and down slightly from 52.7 percent from March 2007.
Edmunds.com predicts Chrysler will sell 171,000 units in April 2007, down 9.8 percent compared to April 2006. This would result in a new car market share of 13.3 percent for Chrysler in April 2007, up slightly from 13.2 percent in April 2006 and down from 13.5 percent in March 2007.
Edmunds.com predicts Ford will sell 202,000 units in April 2007, down 21.7 percent compared to April 2006. This would result in a market share of 15.6 percent of new car sales in April 2007 for Ford, down from 17.9 percent in April 2006 and down from 16.7 percent in March 2007.
Edmunds.com predicts GM will sell 302,000 units in April 2007, down 11.4 percent compared to April 2006. GM's market share is expected to be 23.3 percent of new vehicle sales in April 2007, down slightly from 23.6 percent in April 2006 and up from 22.6 percent in March 2007.
Edmunds.com predicts Honda will sell 127,000 units in April 2007, down 8.9 percent from April 2006. Its market share is expected to be 9.8 percent in April 2007, up slightly from 9.6 percent in April 2006 and up from 9.4 percent in March 2007.
Edmunds.com predicts Nissan will sell 83,000 units in April 2007, down about 4.7 percent from April 2006. Nissan's market share is expected to be 6.4 percent in April 2007, up from 6.0 percent in April 2006 and down from 7.2 percent in March 2007.
Edmunds.com predicts Toyota will sell 213,000 units in April 2007, down about 3.2 percent from April 2006. Toyota's market share is expected to be 16.5 percent in April 2007, up from 15.2 percent in April 2006 and up from 15.8 percent from March 2007.
About Edmunds.com, Inc. (http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/)
Edmunds.com, Inc. publishes three Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers and enthusiasts. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive consumer information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its most popular feature, the Edmunds.com True Market Value®, is relied upon by millions of people seeking current transaction prices for new and used vehicles. Edmunds.com was named "Best Car Research Site" by Forbes ASAP, has been selected by consumers as the "Most Useful Web Site" according to every J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com Study(SM), was ranked first in the Survey of Car-Shopping Web Sites by The Wall Street Journal and was rated "#1" in Keynote's study of third-party automotive Web sites. Inside Line launched in January 2005 and is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. CarSpace launched in February 2006 and is an automotive lifestyle social networking Web site for anyone with an interest in automobiles. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit.