Against less lofty expectations, the U.S. auto industry generated more than 1.58 million new vehicle sales in August 2014, a 5.4% improvement compared with the same period last year. The biggest gains came from Nissan and FCA/Chrysler Group, which jointly raised their August sales total from 286,050 to 332,767 units. Jeep and Ram were the only two brands to top 30% in terms of year-over-year growth.
Honda set a sales record with the Accord by topping 51,000 units, but the Honda brand was up just 1.5% as the Civic and CR-V slid back from their very high August 2013 performances. The Toyota RAV4 – not the Honda CR-V; not the Ford Escape – was America’s top-selling utility vehicle. Pickup truck sales jumped 6% as the full-size GM twins combined to outsell the declining Ford F-Series.
| Automaker | August 2014 | August 2013 | % Change | 2014 YTD | 2013 YTD | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Acura
|
15,487 | 17,051 | -9.2% | 105,918 | 109,182 | -3.0% |
|
Audi
|
17,101 | 14,005 | 22.1% | 116,066 | 101,346 | 14.5% |
|
BMW
|
27,214 | 24,523 | 11.0% | 211,005 | 188,997 | 11.6% |
|
Buick
|
22,143 | 24,650 | -10.2% | 153,298 | 141,880 | 8.0% |
|
Cadillac
|
16,650 | 20,255 | -17.8% | 114,008 | 119,586 | -4.7% |
|
Chevrolet
|
185,930 | 187,740 | -1.0% | 1,388,993 | 1,365,544 | 1.7% |
|
Chrysler
|
29,762 | 28,678 | 3.8% | 194,285 | 212,495 | -8.6% |
|
Dodge
|
49,895 | 52,858 | -5.6% | 399,937 | 413,258 | -3.2% |
|
Fiat
|
3,362 | 4,190 | -19.8% | 32,141 | 29,585 | 8.6% |
| Ford | 213,227 | 212,212 | 0.5% | 1,637,666 | 1,649,821 | -0.7% |
|
GMC
|
47,700 | 43,202 | 10.4% | 328,152 | 303,254 | 8.2% |
|
Honda
|
151,551 | 149,381 | 1.5% | 936,464 | 944,267 | -0.8% |
|
Hyundai
|
70,003 | 66,101 | 5.9% | 501,448 | 493,116 | 1.7% |
|
Infiniti
|
9,164 | 11,884 | -22.9% | 77,043 | 71,879 | 7.2% |
|
Jaguar
|
1,184 | 1,723 | -31.3% | 10,688 | 11,134 | -4.0% |
|
Jeep
|
68,766 | 46,239 | 48.7% | 461,156 | 317,921 | 45.1% |
|
Kia
|
54,667 | 52,025 | 5.1% | 403,389 | 378,380 | 6.6% |
|
Land Rover
|
4,489 | 4,938 | -9.1% | 35,318 | 31,972 | 10.5% |
|
Lexus
|
32,809 | 29,792 | 10.1% | 198,831 | 171,238 | 16.1% |
|
Lincoln
|
8,146 | 8,192 | -0.6% | 60,531 | 53,399 | 13.4% |
|
Maserati
|
1,233 | 326 | 278.2% | 7,807 | 1,862 | 319.3% |
|
Mazda
|
31,305 | 28,106 | 11.4% | 216,973 | 198,027 | 9.6% |
|
Mercedes-Benz
|
27,078 | 24,761 | 9.4% | 205,894 | 190,359 | 8.2% |
|
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
|
1,880 | 1,390 | 35.3% | 15,577 | 12,788 | 21.8% |
|
Total Mercedes-Benz
|
28,958 | 26,151 | 10.7% | 221,471 | 203,147 | 9.0% |
|
Mini
|
5,006 | 6,023 | -16.9% | 34,969 | 44,329 | -21.1% |
|
Mitsubishi
|
6,786 | 5,281 | 28.5% | 52,807 | 40,847 | 29.3% |
|
Nissan
|
125,224 | 108,614 | 15.3% | 883,274 | 782,369 | 12.9% |
|
Porsche
|
4,540 | 3,327 | 36.5% | 31,759 | 28,456 | 11.6% |
|
Ram
|
46,594 | 33,587 | 38.7% | 298,650 | 240,727 | 24.1% |
|
Scion
|
6,186 | 7,698 | -19.6% | 41,949 | 48,959 | -14.3% |
|
Smart
|
1,334 | 993 | 34.3% | 7,332 | 6,312 | 16.2% |
|
Subaru
|
50,246 | 41,061 | 22.4% | 333,968 | 281,652 | 18.6% |
|
Suzuki
|
— | — | — | — | 5,946 | -100% |
|
Toyota
|
207,105 | 194,047 | 6.7% | 1,386,729 | 1,313,525 | 5.6% |
|
Volkswagen
|
35,181 | 40,342 | -12.8% | 244,878 | 282,913 | -13.4% |
|
Volvo
|
4,960 | 5,518 | -10.1% | 39,184 | 44,005 | -11.0% |
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
BMW-Mini
|
32,220 | 30,546 | 5.5% | 245,974 | 233,326 | 5.4% |
|
Chrysler Group/FCA
|
198,379 | 165,552 | 19.8% | 1,386,169 | 1,213,986 | 14.2% |
|
Daimler
|
30,292 | 27,144 | 11.6% | 228,803 | 209,459 | 9.2% |
|
Ford Motor Company
|
221,373 | 220,404 | 0.4% | 1,698,197 | 1,703,220 | -0.3% |
|
General Motors
|
272,423 | 275,847 | -1.2% | 1,984,451 | 1,930,264 | 2.8% |
|
Honda Motor Company
|
167,038 | 166,432 | 0.4% | 1,042,382 | 1,053,449 | -1.1% |
|
Hyundai-Kia
|
124,670 | 118,126 | 5.5% | 904,837 | 871,496 | 3.8% |
|
Jaguar-Land Rover
|
5,673 | 6,661 | -14.8% | 46,006 | 43,106 | 6.7% |
|
Nissan Motor Company
|
134,388 | 120,498 | 11.5% | 960,317 | 854,248 | 12.4% |
|
Toyota Motor Corporation
|
246,100 | 231,537 | 6.3% | 1,627,509 | 1,533,722 | 6.1% |
|
Volkswagen Group *
|
56,822 | 57,674 | -1.5% | 392,703 | 412,715 | -4.8% |
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Industry Total **
|
1,586,374
|
1,503,665
|
5.5%
|
11,191,068
|
10,651,957
|
5.1% |
* Volkswagen Group includes sales figures for Audi, Bentley, Porsche, and Volkswagen brands
** Industry total includes Automotive News sales estimates for ultra-low-volume automakers and their 1800-unit (August) Tesla sales estimate.
Wow. Even Mitsubishi is outselling Volvo.
Then again, who isn’t?
How did you miss the all-new XC90 release? It’s not out yet, but production of the 12 year-old outgoing model has stopped months ago. It’s one of their core models.
This doesn’t break down core models but S60 is chugging along and V60 has exceeded admittedly low expectations. Volvo is recovering from Ford, give it another five years.
I saw the XC90 launch article.
But, still, Mitsubishi has been on Death Watch for the last few years. They aren’t exactly a sales powerhouse.
Volvo needs the new XC90 to work, or we might as well start on the obituary (At least for the US Market).
Volvo total annual sales must be not more than 50-60k; how can US operations possibly be profitable with these numbers? Likewise JLR.
Shoutout to the Mirage and the new Outlander.
The Outlander I sat in at my auto show was a rather nice vehicle, especially for the price. I wouldn’t spend more than 30 grand on one, but considering how much they’re discounted, a GT probably goes for 26 or 27. IIHS top safety pick plus, several safety features, roomy and comfy backseat. It’s good to go.
The Cadillac collapse continues. Outsold by Audi YTD for the first time ever.
The much-ballyhooed ATS and CTS are down by 17 percent and 34 percent, respectively.
The new Escalade basically carried the division, as its sales are up sharply for the month.
This cannot be good news, given how much GM has spent on the new ATS and CTS platform.
How much money is on the hood now? The ATS and CTS were remarkably expensive when they debuted.
They’re still weak in the engine dept, that’s all! the German brands kick their ass in that point.
Keep in mind that the CTS is down compared to the old entry-level priced 2G CTS.
The CTS is the 3rd best selling sedan in the midsize luxury segment and that’s with Cadillac also having the XTS in the price-segment.
Cadillac botched the ATS by making it have the smallest rear passenger space in the segment.
What’s really hurting Cadillac is the lack of CUVs in its lineup.
Audi also outsold Acura from being 3000 units behind in August 2013 to 1500 ahead in 2014 – quite a turnaround.
Audi is presently beating Cadillac by 2,058 sales, and is doing it by fielding a dizzying THIRTY-TWO model offerings (including R and RS) to do it.
Caddy makes do with a comparatively paltry twelve (including the ESV and V), and is only JUST losing to Audi despite having just ONE aging crossover (Audi has five, plus the allroad), no convertibles or roadsters (Audi has seven) and no true flagship (yet) or halo coupe to burnish its prestige.
I’d say Cadillac isn’t faring that bad considering how little it has to work with.
I never see cars sold per dealer any more. I used to see this in Automotive News (print) many years ago. I have to assume there are still a lot more Cadillac dealers than Audi dealers, and that sales per dealer is an important yard stick. Or am I wrong?
“I’d say Cadillac isn’t faring that bad considering how little it has to work with.”
How little Cadillac has to work with isn’t an excuse. It’s a symptom.
Even Lincoln, the Lincoln of a handful of old, rebadged Fords with names that nobody can keep straight, is up this year. Failing harder than that takes real work.
That’s what trying to go head to head with the German big three does. The Escalade is the only Cadillac that isn’t a BMW Wannabe. The CTS-V is DEAD. Only the “V-Sport” exists.
Helps to have added a CUV, the MKC.
I wonder how many retail outlets they each have. It can be difficult for retail networks to manage sustained significant growth. It’s possible that the Audi sales are constrained due to product availability and retailer throughput challenges.
They’re being outsold by dead brand Chrysler too! Then again, they may be ahead if you subtract the minivan totals – how many models does Chrysler have?
They have 3 (200, 300 and TC). 200 is doing surprisingly well, at the same level as the previous, cheaper 200.
@Lorenzo – Chrysler isn’t a dead brand.
The new 200 is very impressive. I was at a Chrysler dealer looking at a used car, and was quite distracted by the new 200 on display.
The 200 is an arractive car with a really beautiful interior.
Cadillac needs to revamp the SRX, and introduce a sub SRX sized model, plus a Cadillac version of the Enclave/Acadia/Traverse. C/SUV’s are the growth area of the market. Cadillac’s strategy of trying to become the American BMW and pricing them on par, is failing fast. The new Escalade is successful because it adhers to Cadillac’s traditional brand positioning. It’s not a BMW wannabe.
How far downmarket do the Germans have to run before we stop comparing their sales numbers to Cadillac, Lexus, and Acura and start comparing them to GM, TMC, and Honda? Not yet I guess, but it’s coming, right?
And VW continues to be the only mainstream automaker getting the *bleep!* kicked out of it.
Jimminy Cricket on a Stick! How long can it possibly take to ship a competitive CUV? The current Jetta and Passat are pretty decent cars, but they aren’t enough to carry the brand’s volume.
Exactly. The Jetta and Passat are indeed “decent”, but in the face of competitors like the Fusion, Accord, Mazda 6, etc. they are horribly outclassed. Ten years ago these would be perfectly competitive – but not in 2014.
One of those 2014 Honda sales was my grandson’s Accord V6 last month, in San Diego, CA.
He and his wife had looked at the Passat when shopping around for a new sedan and took one for a test drive with the salesman aboard. Not impressed; and the salesman had bad breath.
Their unanimous decision: the 2014 Accord V6 4-dr sedan with the automatic tranny, in EX-L trim. Really nice car!
I saw it this past weekend as they drove in from California for a long-weekend road trip. I liked it.
It was quiet, smooth, and had oodles and oodles of power, even with five people aboard.
Really had to watch the speedometer because you were going faster than your senses led you to believe.
Agreed on this. Picked mine up (identical trim) on the 29th, and have been impressed with it since then. Had the last one for 13 years, and am hoping that this one will last just as long.
Speaking of collapses: Volkswagen. Good lord.
The only compelling new product they have is the new GTI and marginally, Golf.
I don’t see things turning around for VW in North America until 2016 – 2017 with a new SUV, CUV and MQB Passat / Jetta.
Until such time, they’re screwed.
Typical story of VW’s feast-or-famine sales model in the US since, I dunno, 1965 or so.
But Volkswagen is smarter than you, so their US recovery could take longer than that.
VW and Honda could compete for the Most Arrogant Car Manufacturer Award.
I read elsewhere that Ford decreased their fleet sales year over year by 6%. Taking that into context, making up that difference with actual retail sales for an effectively “flat” overall sales result is a strong performance.
It depends what percentage their fleet was before. They “gave up” 6% of x% (fleet %) of sales and replaced them with new retail sales. If they were 50:50 split, retail sales would have been up 6.8%. 75:25 split, retail sales were up 2.5%.
More importantly, Ford decreased their rental fleet sales (corp. and govt. fleet is OK).
Yeah, I caught Phil LeBeau’s piece on this earlier today over breakfast.
What great news!
There really is no time like the present to buy that new car and help prop up America’s economy, especially with all those coal industry employees now being shown the door — 7000 in just one state I heard.
So anyone who’s in the market for a new car should buy now. Money is cheap. Repayment terms are loooooooooong. And loan approvals are a given. Subprime? No problem!
Regardless of what happens with the elections in November, things won’t be any better than they are right now.
These features would be more fun if the table were sortable.
Perhaps this: http://tablesorter.com/docs/
or this: https://wordpress.org/plugins/tablepress/
Do FCA and GM really have the exact same YTD sales?
No, that’s been fixed. Apologies.
But can we talk about how awesome FCA is doing? I wouldn’t be surprised if they become the #3 selling automaker in the US soon.
We can talk about Jeep and Ram doing extremely well.
We can also talk about Dodge, Chrysler and Fiat declining.
People were all gloomy over Mazda sales not long ago since Mazda3 sales had not picked up. Not sure if the uptick in total sales is due to the Mazda3 or CX-5, but I am seeing the Mazda3 all over the place as of recently.
This month’s increase was due to strong CX-5 and Mazda6 sales. Mazda3 was actually down slightly.
They had a poor January and February, but sales have increased ahead of the industry average in every month since March, so they are increasing market share.
The Mazda2 is also doing fairly well. The car is posed to beat its 2013 total next (this) month.
They’re clearing out the current model in anticipation of the redesigned Mazda2 coming soon, so there’s a lot of cash on the hood. Mazda2 doubled in sales the previous two months, and had decent increase in August, but that’s not saying much considering how terrible Mazda2 sales were last year. Ford still sold 5 times as many Fiestas in August.
Any idea why the Accord went to a record high? A massive jump from the typical 30-35K units a month it typically gets.
My wild @ss guess: maybe people are catching on it is a far superior product than the sedans out there, and a hell of a lot more fun to drive than a staid and reliable new Camry.
There is nothing to see here (other than Honda Fanboys)
Please Disperse!
I don’t own one. Not in the market for one either. Don’t buy sedans.
But the grandson just bought a 2014 V6 EX-L.
Loves it!
He could have bought any sedan in that price range but chose the Accord because it is the better product after comparing it to the others.
I agree it is class leading, and deserves to be the best selling. Just surprised by August 2014 being the month it jumps ahead for no apparent reason. It has been out for 2 years. We will see if this continues, especially since the “new” Camry is due out in the next month.
highdesertcat, I test drove most of the Accord competitors out there and the Camry SE, Altima, Sonata, Optima, and Passat were all acceptable at the right price. I seriously considered the Mazda6. In the end I preferred the Accord EX-L at $24.4k, but I could see that someone else might like one of the other sedans better. Competition has definitely improved the category.
24.4? You got a helluva deal.
The Sport was $20.8K before tax, title and tag. Edmunds is showing >$3K off without any negotiation. They say the midsize sedan market is the most competitive for a reason.
George B, thanks for reading and for your reply. My grandson is 25, his wife is 26. The Accord fits in well with that age group demographic.
I did a down&dirty off-the-cuff comparo on paper of the 2014 Accord vs Camry vs Altima vs Sonata which included resale and retained value, hard sales numbers of sales to individual private buyers. I used mostly Edmunds and KBB, but also used ttac articles in passing, and the NADA guide for dealerships (available on line) using an account from a friend of mine in the Bay Area.
The result was that the Altima actually came out on top in lowest acquisition price and that the Camry came in dead last when it came to driving satisfaction and highest acquisition price.
What the Altima had going against it IMO was the CVT and four banger, as did the Sonata 4-banger not ring any bells in the plus column.
Both the Accord and Camry could be had with a smooth and potent normally aspirated V6 but between the two, the Accord was the larger vehicle and the Camry the least exciting for a young couple.
So, because my grandson asked my opinion, I recommended he shop for a 4-door Accord with a V6 and hydraulic step automatic, in any trim. His goal was to keep it below $30K with his 2010 Wrangler as a trade-in and ~$11K in cash money, with the remainder a financial gift from his dad, father-in-law and me (for the new baby boy he and his wife made).
His dad (my eldest son) and his father-in-law concurred with my recommendation and offered to pitch in the difference.
The V6 Accord was damn near impossible to find within a reasonable distance of Fallbrook, CA, and when a dealer had one, the dealership was damn proud of them, to the point of selling them at a premium over MSRP.
But, shopping on line, my grandson found a dealership in San Diego, CA, (near Kearney Mesa I believe, in the vicinity of Miramar MCB) that met all his conditions and was eager to get his Wrangler in trade.
The rest is history.
He and his wife took a long-distance road trip from Fallbrook, CA to Cloudcroft, NM, this past weekend, so I got to see it and ride in it.
Fuel economy wasn’t all that hot at 24mpg, he told me, but that is probably because they cruised at 85+ through Arizona and New Mexico, slowing down to ~ 78 on I-10/I-215 in California.
But they’re happy, and that’s all that matters. No buyer’s remorse.
“far superior product than the sedans out there”
You have a good sense of humor.
I’m wondering if Honda was able to build extra Accords due the the delayed launch of the TLX.
Mike, I’m one of the Accord customers in August. For people who were already leaning toward buying an Accord it was the right time to buy. It seemed that Honda gave dealers serious incentives to sell 2014 models because prices were noticeably lower than they were earlier in the summer. In addition, I believe that the end of the 2nd year of the Accord is optimum for reliability because they’ve worked the bugs out of the 9th generation design and haven’t added new problems with refresh/cost reduction.
Honda’s model year changeover and associated discounting always comes in in August, August ’12 and ’13 sales were both up 22% over their respective Julys.
Those months didn’t come anywhere close to 51,000 sales though. Something else is going on in addition.
Cash on the hood to make the out-the-door price comparable to the competition. This is America! Price is everything.
Exactly. Honda don`t put money on the hood officially as in cash back. But dealers are selling for well below invoice, so they are being subsidized. In the end the result is the same low price, just a different way to get there.
It is not because of the Accord’s vast exterior color options.
8 different shades of grey! what more could you ask for?
Only 8 shades of grey? I want 50 of them!
Hah! Be careful what you wish for. You might get all 50 shades on the same car after a couple years in the sun. I remember a neighbor who bought a maroon Chevy in the mid-1960s. It was all-maroon for only a short time.
Not only are the exterior color selections boring, but Honda usually limits you to one interior color choice per color. If I want the Crimson Pearl exterior, I am stuck with the beige interior. Can’t get black or grey unless I go with a different exterior color. I think this is too restrictive, but it apparently isn’t hurting sales at all.
It’s probably helping. Most people buy cars right off the lot and if they have red with beige as the only option, then someone will buy it without a second thought (OMG it’s red and it has wheels!).
People don’t seem to like being hit with too many choices when buying big ticket items. This contrasts with the Dodge Dart and its lack of sales, likely because there are too many option combinations (and other reasons like sad engines). And yes, I know the Dart isn’t directly comparable to an Accord.
With one (unloved) model newly dead and production gaps in between generations for three more, Subaru still manages a double-digit increase. This can’t continue forever as nearly every plant is running flat out, and they are still on the hook to build Camrys at SIA for two more years.
Maybe they could make a deal with GM for Oshawa?
Holy mackerel, Subaru is just crushing Volkswagen. They’re close to the sales of the entire VW group YTD. This is probably the only market other than Japan that’s even remotely close to being true in.
Toyota outsells Ford again. This is a big story. I can see Ford already throwing the excuses out there … the claim is fleet sales are down. But, how can you trust their count of fleet sales when they insisted their hybrids scored a 47/47. And, what is the story with the Fusion? Answer: you can’t fix an inferior product with bling. On wall street, we don’t understand how our government dumps tens of billions into the auto industry and Detroit is still unable to compete with Camry and Accord … makes me wonder if Detroit management as an IQ deficit.
Then, there is the Accord and Camry. The bottom line is those 2 are the best sedans in their class. And, they are both very good. They look the same and drive the same. They are both reliable. And, they both have great resale. Many on this blog claim there is a big difference between them. I suggest your experience has been tainted by marketing campaigns.
Yes, jimmyy, the only reason many on this blog claim there is a big difference between Accord and Camry is because they’ve been tainted by marketing campaigns. As have the professional testers at Car and Driver, Edmunds, etc, etc.
In a related development, Japanese people all look alike.
Give it a rest jimmyy. The Toyota Camry has become a very common option in the rental fleet and the Ford Fusion is an honest effort at retail sales. Wish Ford had used more high-strength steel to reduce weight and make the A-pillars thinner, but I wouldn’t call it an inferior product. Not sure how the GM and Chrysler “bailout of Detroit” is relevant to a Ford product largely assembled in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
Accord to fleet registrations, Toyota sent around 10k more of the Camry to rental fleet than Ford did the Fusion in 2013.
The Camry is hardly one of the best in the segment – there’s a reason why Toyota has had to discount heavily to keep moving the Camry (and why the Camry has just about the lowest ATP in the class) and surprise, surprise – Toyota increased spiffs for the month.
Just bought a new Ford Flex SE today. Plenty of power and great space inside. Handles sharply and blue is a great color for it. Awesome highway cruiser. Quiet at speed and, speed is easy to achieve. Well worth 30k, in my opinion. If the editors, want to do a review, I live in Tempe,AZ
That would be a September sale. :P
Jeep is really the big story here. Sales up over 22,000 units for the month alone, with a whopping near 50% increase. YTD up an amazing 45% and 144,000 units. Almost all due to the new Cherokee, which everyone predicted would be a major flop. It was the best selling Jeep last month. So much for that.
Only people with a complete disconnect from reality thought it would flop. No one should be surprised at Jeep’s sales, either. Last year, they didn’t even compete in the compact CUV segment which is the hottest segment in the US right now. The Cherokee wasn’t DOA (like the previous Compass and Patriot) for what the market wanted and the Jeep name has a lot of equity. People love polarizing style. For the market, the Cherokee was well positioned to do well.
Most of the naysayers were against the vehicle in a philosophical way rather than thinking it had a poor business case. It doesn’t have solid front and rear axles like the beloved XJ. All except for the Trailhawk look to be a Rav4/CRV/Escape with Jeepish styling… they are effectively tall station wagons with AWD rather than offroad capable SUVs. Judging by the Trailhawk youtube videos that Jeep put up where they talk about articulation and then show the Trailhawk with a wheel a solid foot off the ground because the IRS doesn’t allow for much articulation, I’m not sure how much of the Trailhawk is just looks versus legit offroad capability. The Cherokee will find a lot of homes as a CUV for hauling the kids around. That is what most people need these days. It won’t serve as a replacement for the cult icon XJ Cherokee. That was the main point of criticism.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you want to sell a lot of cars, don’t listen to enthusiasts. A modern XJ would probably struggle to move 50k units a year.