Volkswagen was up 1.5 percent, despite huge drops in total Rabbit (-74.5 percent) and Passat (-55.8 percent) sales. Passat CC more than made up the difference for its pedestrian sibling, selling nearly three and a half times the Passat at 2,290. Tiguan (-17.7 percent) and Touareg (-49.4 percent) tanked, but surprising Routan sales (+140 percent, 901 units) helped make up for it. Jetta wagon was down 9.1 percent but Sedan sales rose 10.4 percent on much higher volume, making for an 8.5 percent increase. New Beetle dropped 12.1 percent while Eos fell 21.8 percent. Audi was down 4.9 percent with only A3 (+26.1 percent), A5 (+37.3 percent) and R8 (+5.5 to 77 units) up on the month. Q7 (-46.7) and A8 (-28.4 percent) were the biggest losers.
Mercedes was down 9.6 percent with only the refreshed E-Class (+28.4 percent) making significant volume gains. The new GLK sold 1,558 units, but that wasn’t enough to beat ML volume which slid 14.4 percent to 2,552. Mercedes’ best seller was the C-Class, which fell 26.1 percent to 5,002. That model outsold E-Class and S-Class put together.
BMW sales increased 3.6 percent in September, including a 9.7 percent bump in MINI sales. BMW-brand cars were up 17 percent while SUVs fell 37 percent. The 3-Series was the best-selling Bimmer with 6,523 units sold.
Porsche was up eight percent, with Cayman and Boxster models gaining faster than most 911 and Cayenne models. Carrera 4S and 4S Cabriolet were exceptions to unexceptional 911 sales, recording 89 and 105 sales respectively.
I remember that kind of vending machine from high school. You could buy burritos and apples and stuff. I had no idea they had one big enough to dispense cars.
The Routan is certain proof that P. T. Barnum was right.
–chuck
Rabbit sales are down as the dealers are not getting any more stock, pending the arrival of the 2010 Golfs.
They are heaping on the incentives on the Routan… maybe somebody is considering them if they were already cross shopping Chryco Minivans. A better Dodge Caravan than the Caravan…. with incentives at Caravan Price…. Why not?
@Cicero,
‘Tis the parking structure of future. There’d be more of them in the US (IIRC, there is one) but there are some psychological barriers – as well as operational ones.
@Chuck,
I always thought it was the 911 that was the proof…
Greg
Audi was down 4.9 percent with only A3 (+26.1 percent),
Eliminated 3.2L V6, introduced clean diesel.
A5 (+37.3 percent)
Introduced 2.0T A5, cheaper than previous A5, better fuel economy
R8 (+5.5 to 77 units)
The V10 is new.
Q7 (-46.7)
Big SUVs CUVs have bad sales right now. They’re getting great sales out of the 5 passenger Q5, though.
A8 (-28.4 percent) were the biggest losers
Another case of “there’s a refresh/redesign coming next year, wait for that.”
And actually, the A6 (-42.8%) was a much bigger loser than the A8, from a much larger base. And not a great sign, since it was refreshed somewhat just for this year.
A4 and TT had decreases too– A4 coming down from the new model high, TT perhaps from TTS introduction last year.
” … but surprising Routan sales (+140 percent, 901 units) helped make up for it …. ”
Selling the things for over $8000 off MSRP did the trick! Routans are probably the best bargain minivans out there right now as long as you are ready to hold onto the thing forever.
As one of those 2,200 CC buyers, I can tell you there’s no magic to what VW is doing, just good solid execution. It is handsome; well-built; rides well; handles crisply; and at under 30K out the door for a V6 with every feature I ever wanted, is a great value.
I’m no GM hater, and I seriously considered both a leftover G8 and a new LaCrosse at the BPG dealer next door to my VW dealer. Both drive well. The G8 would have been slightly less money, the LaCrosse a little more.
The G8 is fun to drive but the CC’s fit, finish, and material quality put it to shame. The LaCrosse might be GM’s best car, but it still has little areas where you can see they said, “that’ll be good enough” (example: fake molded stitching on the IP). The CC on the other hand has full of little details where you say, “Wow, I can’t believe they did that” (example: contrasting stitching on the leather seats). Combined with the fact that my VW dealer is in a new building filled with well groomed people, and the BPG dealer is in a 45-year-old shithole with typical salespeople dressed in plaid, the decision became easy.
Memo to Bob Lutz: my “perception gap” was based strictly on comparing the cars. As a customer I don’t care what GM’s problems are — they still could have done a dramatically better job. VW is a labor-dominated company building the CC in one of the highest cost countries in the world. The state provides health care to its workforce, but finances it with confiscatory taxation. VW figured out how to make a buck. GM could have done the same with halfway decent management.
Routan really sold well… all 900 of them with $ 8,000 cash on the hood. So Chrysler really builds popular vehicles :-)
My question is, does the Routan need as expensive shop-hours and materials to fix as any “real” VW? Assuming it has the same quality as the Chrysler (which builds and designed it), then you spend those $ 8,000 cash-on-the-hood on repairs alone in the first year beyond warranty.
Porsche likely bought all of those sales with deep discounts and 1.9% “Moment” financing.
# Chuck Goolsbee :
October 1st, 2009 at 9:11 pm
The Routan is certain proof that P. T. Barnum was right.
–chuck
barnum was indeed right, but not because of the stupid Routan.
I bet buyers KNEW the POS is a Chrysler minivan rebadged clone, and when their Didge or Chryslers were not on the lot, they drove over to the VW dealer and got the stupid Routan instead.
Why do I call it a stupid routan? Because VW has aired the STUPIDEST Ads for it. If I was in the market for a van, I would decide AGAINST the POS BECAUSE, not despite, the stupid ads.
Does any of this really matter when we’re talking about miniscule numbers like 900 Routans and 2,300 CC’s? I can totally get the rip on the Big 2.8 when we see sales are down 5, 10, 25% in a month. But when a car company is selling in “boutique” volume, is it fair to say “Look, VW is up 1.5%! They must be doing it right!”
Toyota sold 225,088 units last month; I take that and the other big players numbers more seriously than I do anything coming from VW America. Same goes for the other minor league teams you listed in that story…
Sammy, to which discussion board should those of us who follow the minor league teams go then?
None of these models sell in consequential quantities.
It’s pathetic to try to find any real trends out of this data.
# AlexD :
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:27 am
Sammy, to which discussion board should those of us who follow the minor league teams go then?
———————–
Nothing wrong with “following the minor league teams.” You can do it here. From the news above, we know VW/MB/Porsche are all still in business. That’s about it.
It’s the type of statement “As one of those 2,200 CC buyers, I can tell you there’s no magic to what VW is doing, just good solid execution.” some of us cannot agree. FYI, Toyota typically sell 30,000 ~ 40,000 Camries per month. Can we say a Camry is 10 times better than a CC? If you try to make a statement, be prepared to defend it. No, 2200 units sold isn’t impressive for mid-size car. If anything, it’s only proof that it’s poorly done.
There are a millon factors as to why the CC sells so little compared to the Camry… dealership numbers… and different base prices could be a few. Not every car needs to be benchmarked against the appliances.
Do you compare why the 5 Series and E Class sell so little against the Camry as well?
In Canada, I know at least some Routans are going to businesses as fleet vehicles because of a low lease rate that Chrysler can’t touch. And the interiors are certainly nicer.
I walked into my VW dealer and, due to 0% financing, drove out with a Passat. The cc was nice, but somehow too flashy: other than style they appear very similar. BTW…saw my first Routan, today. I was not happy, and wished I hadn’t. Finally, no one serious about a Japanese car would likely ever think VW. It’s a different mindset, in my experience.