January 2012 Sales Point to Bright Outlook for International Nameplate Dealers

Special to The Auto Channel
AIADA's Market Watch

Washington DC February 2, 2012; The New Year began on a positive note for international nameplate dealers. Overall sales, including domestic brands, rose 11.4 percent from January 2011. For international brands, sales were up an impressive 14.9 percent from January 2011.

Hyundai set a January sales record with 42,694 units sold, up 14.7 percent from a year ago. Honda and Toyota both saw sales rise 9 percent. Led by Jetta and Passat sales, Volkswagen marked its best January since 1974. The German automaker gained 47.9 percent over January 2011.

“International nameplate dealers started 2012 off on the right foot,” said AIADA President Cody Lusk. “New models, new technology, and signs of a recovering economy drove customers to dealerships in January. We expect this year to be the most profitable our industry has seen in some time.”

Market Share Climbs for International Brands

International brands led sales in the U.S. during January, occupying 55.8 percent of the market and selling 509,793 units, down from 664,473 units in December. In contrast, in January of 2011, international brands held 54.2 percent of the market and sold 443,900 vehicles.

Asian brands sold 418,092 units and accounted for 45.8 percent of the January auto market, up from 43.6 percent in December. European nameplates captured a 10 percent share, up from 9.8 percent in December, and sold 91,701 vehicles. Domestic brands finished the month with sales of 403,494 units and a 44.2 percent share of the market.

Top-Selling Vehicles

Five of the top ten selling vehicles in January were international nameplates. The Toyota Camry continued its reign as the top selling car in America, overtaking the Chevrolet Silverado Pickup for the number two spot behind the perennial leader, the Ford F-Series Pickup. The Nissan Altima continued its move up the charts, sliding into the fourth position, up from number five last month; sales for the sedan improved by 35.9 percent over January 2011. Also making a strong showing were the Honda Civic at number five and the Honda CR-V at number six. Sales of the Civic were up 49.5 percent over last January, while the newly-redesigned CR-V demonstrated a 16 percent improvement. At number seven, the Toyota Corolla/Matrix moved up two slots from its ninth place showing in December.

Vehicle Segments

Americans continued their preference for SUVs and crossovers in January; the segment sold 273,577 units, down from 399,465 in December. The midsize car segment followed in second place with sales of 228,217 down from 277,145 in December. However, the segment was the most successful with sales up 25.9 percent from last January. The small car segment rounded out the top three, selling 172,777 units, a 21.4 percent improvement over January 2011. The large car segment continued to slide, selling just 1,156 units, an 83.5 percent decrease from last January and down from the 1,604 units it sold in December.

Outlook

The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for light vehicle sales in January was estimated by AutoData Corp. at 14.18 million units, compared to 12.69 million units in January 2011. The predicted number would represent a significant recovery from the dismal 10.4 million units sold in 2009.