We weren’t going to see rapid growth month after month after month. Indeed, monthly year-over-year improvements for the industry as a whole averaged 7.6% over the last four months. The U.S. auto industry was up 6% in October 2014 as a handful of automakers reported big gains, and a handful struggled to match last year’s pace.
The Chrysler Group was up 22%, for example, but inside that total was Dodge’s 8% decline and Jeep’s 52% improvement. GM sales were level despite Buick’s 6.5% increase and Cadillac’s 8% decrease.
| Automaker | October 2014 | October 2013 | % Change | 2014 YTD | 2013 YTD | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Acura
|
15,427 | 14,296 | 7.9% | 135,177 | 135,126 | 0.04% |
|
Audi
|
15,150 | 13,001 | 16.5% | 146,133 | 127,412 | 14.7% |
|
BMW
|
30,602 | 27,574 | 11.0% | 267,193 | 238,469 | 12.0% |
|
Buick
|
18,699 | 17,555 | 6.5% | 189,463 | 175,058 | 8.2% |
|
Cadillac
|
13,615 | 14,792 | -8.0% | 141,452 | 148,206 | -4.6% |
|
Chevrolet
|
155,965 | 155,214 | 0.5% | 1,698,831 | 1,648,543 | 3.1% |
|
Chrysler
|
27,546 | 23,452 | 17.5% | 250,612 | 261,198 | -4.1% |
|
Dodge
|
41,512 | 45,314 | -8.4% | 485,469 | 507,148 | -4.3% |
|
Fiat
|
3,725 | 3,674 | 1.4% | 39,226 | 36,416 | 7.7% |
| Ford | 179,014 | 184,136 | -2.8% | 1,988,941 | 2,011,956 | -1.1% |
|
GMC
|
38,540 | 38,841 | -0.8% | 404,961 | 372,054 | 8.8% |
|
Honda
|
105,745 | 100,242 | 5.5% | 1,146,600 | 1,138,424 | 0.7% |
|
Hyundai
|
50,081 | 53,555 | -6.5% | 607,539 | 601,773 | 1.0% |
|
Infiniti
|
9,045 | 9,152 | -1.2% | 93,925 | 90,071 | 4.3% |
|
Jaguar
|
1,007 | 1,515 | -33.5% | 12,837 | 13,962 | -8.1% |
|
Jeep
|
55,198 | 36,369 | 51.8% | 571,585 | 391,764 | 45.9% |
|
Kia
|
44,694 | 39,754 | 12.4% | 489,711 | 456,137 | 7.4% |
|
Land Rover
|
3,643 | 4,286 | -15.0% | 42,067 | 39,645 | 6.1% |
|
Lexus
|
23,355 | 22,719 | 2.8% | 244,038 | 213,479 | 14.3% |
|
Lincoln
|
8,883 | 7,131 | 24.6% | 76,671 | 66,983 | 14.5% |
|
Maserati
|
1,203 | 587 | 105% | 10,328 | 2,828 | 265% |
|
Mazda
|
18,798 | 19,737 | -4.8% | 259,751 | 240,228 | 8.1% |
|
Mercedes-Benz
|
28,593 | 30,069 | -4.9% | 261,804 | 245,125 | 6.8% |
|
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
|
2,140 | 2,038 | 5.0% | 19,925 | 16,978 | 17.4% |
|
Total Mercedes-Benz
|
30,733 | 32,107 | -4.3% | 281,729 | 262,103 | 7.5% |
|
Mini
|
5,300 | 5,700 | -7.0% | 44,488 | 55,335 | -19.6% |
|
Mitsubishi
|
6,199 | 4,972 | 24.7% | 64,564 | 49,953 | 29.2% |
|
Nissan
|
94,072 | 81,866 | 14.9% | 1,072,464 | 942,063 | 13.8% |
|
Porsche
|
3,667 | 3,562 | 2.9% | 39,033 | 35,111 | 11.2% |
|
Ram
|
42,499 | 31,264 | 35.9% | 379,647 | 300,560 | 26.3% |
|
Scion
|
4,182 | 4,940 | -15.3% | 50,285 | 59,030 | -14.8% |
|
Smart
|
585 | 513 | 14.0% | 8,665 | 7,450 | 16.3% |
|
Subaru
|
43,012 | 34,483 | 24.7% | 418,497 | 347,890 | 20.3% |
|
Suzuki
|
— | — | — | — | 5,946 | -100% |
|
Toyota
|
153,043 | 141,317 | 8.3% | 1,681,045 | 1,594,646 | 5.4% |
|
Volkswagen
|
30,313 | 28,129 | 7.8% | 301,187 | 342,962 | -12.2% |
|
Volvo
|
3,972 | 3,919 | 1.4% | 47,823 | 52,112 | -8.2% |
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
BMW-Mini
|
35,902 | 33,274 | 7.9% | 311,681 | 293,804 | 6.1% |
|
Chrysler Group/FCA
|
170,480 | 140,083 | 21.7% | 1,726,539 | 1,497,086 | 15.3% |
|
Daimler
|
31,318 | 32,620 | -4.0% | 290,394 | 269,553 | 7.7% |
|
Ford Motor Company
|
187,897 | 191,267 | -1.8% | 2,065,612 | 2,078,939 | -0.6% |
|
General Motors
|
226,819 | 226,402 | 0.2% | 2,434,707 | 2,343,861 | 3.9% |
|
Honda Motor Company
|
121,172 | 114,538 | 5.8% | 1,281,777 | 1,273,550 | 0.6% |
|
Hyundai-Kia
|
94,775 | 93,309 | 1.6% | 1,097,250 | 1,057,910 |
3.7% |
|
Jaguar-Land Rover
|
4,650 | 5,801 | -19.8% | 54,904 | 53,607 | 2.4% |
|
Nissan Motor Company
|
103,117 | 91,018 | 13.3% | 1,166,389 | 1,032,134 | 13.0% |
|
Toyota Motor Corporation
|
180,580 | 168,976 | 6.9% | 1,975,368 | 1,867,155 | 5.8% |
|
Volkswagen Group *
|
49,189 | 45,032 | 9.2% | 488,621 | 507,784 | -3.8% |
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Industry Total
|
1,281,132
|
1,207,516
|
6.1%
|
13,717,987
|
12,997,862
|
5.5% |
* 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 1400-unit (October) Tesla sales estimate.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.
Amazing. The Jeep brand alone outsold: Dodge, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, BMW-Mini, Daimler Corp, and the VW Group.
Jeeps are on fire
Chrysler Group is kickin’ass. Closing in on Ford and Toyota…….who’da thought just a few years ago.
Biggest growth area has been CUVs, SUVs and trucks which is where Hyundai, Kia and VW don’t have enough presence (and Dodge with the Ram lineup still separated).
Also reason why Land Rover outsells Jag nearly 4:1.
Toyota is going to add to their CUV/SUV lineup and they already have one of the largest.
Hyundai has real problems ahead, now that it no longer not only has no price advantage compared to Japanese competition in any segment of its lineup, but in many instances, with Toyota, Honda & Nissan pricing their products ever more aggressively, it actually has a price DISadvantage.
Surprised to see Lincoln in the winner’s circle. What’s driving that?
Mini down for October despite the new hardtop coming online, that can’t be good. We have a friend who’s owned several, she bought a 2015 and didn’t care for it, quickly traded it in on a ’14.
“Surprised to see Lincoln in the winner’s circle. What’s driving that?”
MKC. Added 2200 sales in October in a segment they didn’t have a vehicle previously.
One thing Lincoln execs have done a better job than Cadillac’s is recognizing the importance of CUVs for sales volume.
Lincoln has the MKC and the new MKX will arrive before Cadillac’s SRX replacement which will still be the only CUV in the Cadillac lineup for the near future.
What about that ad with what’s-his-face? There are parodies of it all over the place, so Lincoln is getting a ton of free publicity.
Love that Willys picture…
Me too. That is one sweet Jeep. “just like a Willys in four wheel drive”
Gotta love the Wrangler.
Its pure Americana. Like Levi’s Jeans. A cold Budweiser. Like an AR-15.
I’m pretty sure its America’s car.
Now I wait patiently for verbal abuse from a Corvette owner.
Do any Corvette owners read TTAC?
There aren’t enough posts here about Hawaiian shirts or Jimmy Buffett for the Corvette crowd.
Yes. And I hate Jimmy Buffett
“Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet”…..ok, ok.
Wrangler Jeans, Sam Adams and Mossberg 500T.
Italian beer? Blah!
“Levi’s Jeans. A cold Budweiser. Like an AR-15.”
What? Overpriced, disgusting and deadly?
Levi stopped manufacturing in the US 10 years ago, Bud was bought by an international conglomerate. Welcome to the 21st century.
Pfft.
All you bums are beyond predictable, lol
America’s number one sellers are Fseries for truck and CamCords for who-ips!
I’m a full blooded (multiple) jeep owner and america lover. And budweiser drinker. And Levi wearer, and…. well just tag me for every stereotype I guess
The popularity of “beer” like Budweiser is one of the only disappointing things about America.
I get that not everyone wants intensely hoppy IPAs with alcohol content closer to wine than Bud. But couldn’t we at least get light pilsner that tastes OK, like you can get super cheap in Germany or Holland? Instead we get donkey p!ss.
North American brewers had different local ingredients to work with than European brewers. Different barley and hops. In addition, barley rationing during World War II forced American brewers to use large percentages of other grains like rice and corn in their beer. Large numbers of American consumers liked the resulting low-taste beer. I don’t get it, but that style of beer sells.
Today most areas of the United States have local breweries that make a variety of beer styles. Here in Texas both craft beer and regional brands are readily available at grocery stores along with liquor stores. Lots of options besides IPAs.
There are worse choices out there. At least Bud seems consistent.
There are certainly better choices out there, but some people just don’t seem to care enough to find them.
What I really don’t get is that some people choose to drink Bud *Light*. Thereby removing what flavor Bud does have.
It could be worse. Have you ever had to drink Korean beer? The Budweiser-flavored “Max” is as good as it gets.
Mercedes down, BMW, Acura and Audi up.
Is the FWD baby-Benz losing it’s sales mojo now that reality is settling in?
More likely availability issues with the new C-class. YTD sales are well up vs. last year.
Always amazes me how few cars Mazda actually sells.
C Class is actually a bit up, but CLA sales are way down.
Sales of the aging E Class are down significantly as well, but sales of the S Class are ridiculous.
But is CLA decline a supply issue?
I’ve read that the new C class is just a tiny bit smaller than the previous E class – could be why E class sales are down.
The C is fitting the bill of the “baby Benz” and getting rave reviews. The status symbol S is up and the E is getting squeezed in the middle.
I also wonder if CLA buyers adding up options are looking at a “stipper” C class and going, “well shoot, for a few thousand more…”
The delta in car payment at say $37K versus $42K isn’t that wide of a gulf. And if we’re talking lease payments…
Mazda sales tell you how few people in the country are really enthusiasts. They have the best-driving entry in pretty much every segment they compete in, they get rave reviews and fantastic publicity, and yet people just value other things more. Mazdas tend to be priced at the high end of their segments (Miata excepted) with middling feature content and relatively poor packaging. And ordinary people really value big & cheap with toys.
Mercedes CLA is a grossly overpriced, grossly unrefined, complete & utter sh!tbox, and even Consumer Reports not only slammed it on its Road Test Score, but hammered it on its first ever Reliability Index Rating.
The CLA is all that, but the drop in CLA sales may very well have to do with supply and/or the recently introduced GLA taking some CLA sales.
The CLA has been a winner for Daimler and despite its shortcomings, it has a very high ATP.
The redesigned Yaris is leaving off where the old one started – in the sales dumper. 696 units moved, a 10% decline – and the Yaris is the top five fleet queen sold in the United States (percentage basis).
Scion was just plain ugly – even the tC which has consistently been the best seller was down.
I know, I know I write it every month.
Put Scion out of its misery.
Call the FRS a Toyota Celica call the tC a Corolla Coupe. Pocket millions of dollars saved annually on Scion specific marketing, Scion specific training, and Scion specific operations. In the end very likely increase sales of both surviving models because they say “Toyota” on them.
Profit.
Buick is trying to buy a demographic. Offering $4500 -6500 extra discount to Acura owners:
http://www.tristatebuick.com/offers/buick
Does this stack with the other GM/Buick incentive cash?
If so, Buick Regals might be finally fairly priced at around the 25k mark (with the 2.0T) that they should have always been marketed at.
Wow! You think I could just tell Buick I was thinking about an Acura?
As someone who looks at GM and sees a company that is in business to make a profit – this kind of cash on the hood makes me cringe.
As a marketing professional who follows the auto industry, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Acura has done a lot wrong in the last decade. Heck, it is really hard to point out what Acura has done right.
We also know from the TTAC analysis done that the Verano owns the near luxury compact segment – absolutely owns it. When your competitor is down you do what you can to keep them down. Conquest activity like this to move the demographic needle makes sense.
But Jesus tap dancing Christ…that is a lot of cash on the hood.
As Deadweight points out, the MSRPs are fantasy, so it’s not so much cash on the hood as realistic pricing. I drove my 2005 LeSabre to check out a Verano, because the LeSabre’s kind of big, but the Verano was a step back to my old compact ’95 Altima, but with a much nicer interior (and more power). I left without entering the showroom, after not one, but two mechanics asked me about selling them the LeSabre.
Acura has done two things right: every MDX and the latest RDX.
Here you go.
Turn $1500 if you don’t negotiate, probably $1100 if you do, into $6500.
Here you go – turn this $1500 heap into $6500 incentive money.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/cto/4711268409.html
I hope Buick doesn’t require a clear title
Completely off topic, but the dude selling the Acura has some sweeet dentside Ford trucks, who doesn’t want a primer black CrewCab Ford truck with a FE or BBF in it? Gas is cheap now, big block v8’s rule!
Why do people keep buying Mitsubishis?
Up 25% month-over-month, and 30% YD. Please tell me it’s not that horrible Mirage!
Sub
Prime
Financing
Its that horrible Mirage (+ the Outlander Sport).
You have to be careful with percentages though. Since Mitsubishi’s sales are so low any gain results in a high percentage. Acura, for example, had a raw increase almost equal to Mitsu’s, but for them it is just an 8% increase.
I don’t get the Jeep sales – they’re all gas-hogs and fairly impractical, but the Wrangler is an icon – I love ’em, but I suppose it’s all about image.
A friend just bought a JGC, not the cat’s eye model, but a mid-level trim model, and it is a sweet ride, but I look at all cars from the point of view of my long commute – sorry, Orville – it ain’t gonna fly!
I’d like a Wrangler again if they could find a way to make the top retract in one piece w/o taking it all apart.
Pretty simple: the Wrangler is the only car left in its class, and the JGC and Cherokee are both very competitive. The JGC in particular is widely seen as a standout in its class that can even compete in more expensive territory.
I really do think the US is like a house of cards.
Look at the value of stocks. They are triple what they were at the onset of the GFC. With the US economy the way it currently is, not even considering the US’s major trading partners are stocks over valued??
Look at the trillions dumped into buying securities etc.
What is around the corner. Would the US government been better off just dishing out cash to it’s citzens rather than protecting the UAW and auto makers?
What of interest rates? What role do they play in current market conditions. When rates eventually rise, what then?
I do think this is temporary. I do see some quite unsettled economic and financial markets soon. With jobs gone again.
We ain’t out of the woods yet.
I wouldn’t borrow too much to buy a car at the moment. I would put my money somewhere safe. Maybe when car sales start drying up they can devise instruments to allow for a 240 month car loans.
Credit can only go so far. Sooner or later it has to be paid back.
What about the future?? Does anyone care??
I believe in a user pays economy to a degree. But a user ‘borrows’ economy?? This must be regulated, even the government.
I really do think the US is like a house of cards. Look at the value of stocks. They are triple what they were at the onset of the GFC. With the US economy the way it currently is, not even considering the US’s major trading partners are stocks over valued??
Look at the trillions dumped into buying securities etc.
What is around the corner. Would the US government been better off just dishing out cash to it’s citizens rather than protecting the auto workers and auto makers?
What of interest rates? What role do they play in current market conditions. When rates eventually rise, what then?
I do think this is temporary. I do see some quite unsettled economic and financial markets soon. With jobs gone again.
We ain’t out of the woods yet.
I wouldn’t borrow too much to buy a car at the moment. I would put my money somewhere safe. Maybe when car sales start drying up they can devise instruments to allow for a 240 month car loans.
Credit can only go so far. Sooner or later it has to be paid back.
What about the future?? Does anyone care??
I believe in a user pays economy to a degree. But a user ‘borrows’ economy?? This must be regulated, even government borrowings.
History is littered with many great societies that just borrowed too much.
Chrysler’s poor showing in the latest consumer reports survey has had little effect on sales. Who really takes anything CR says seriously anyway.
Hey, wait a minute, when I need the best dishwasher or toaster CR is my go to resource. When I need a car that performs like a dishwasher or toaster same go to resource
CR released the numbers on Weds or Thurs of last week… you know, the last 3 days of the sales month. Impressive confirmation bias.
Maserati outsold Jaguar again this month.
I can’t believe that VW finally had a month where they sold more cars that the previous year. Amazing! Looks like it’s due to new Golf sales, which were 2351 for October and the Jetta sedan was up a bit as well with just over 13000 sold. The Passat is a different/sad story though, only 6513 sold. I think VW might want to consider improving the Passat so it’s competitive with its competition aside from being the only diesel offering. But I guess the 3 row SUV is coming in 1-5 years, so that’ll fix everything.
Mainstream VW cannot be happy to have luxury brands BMW and MB breathing down their necks for the title of top selling Euro brand.
A willy’s Jeep Unlimited is about the only interesting vehicle out there right now. Everything else (apart from maybe a model S) is simply boring.
When seemingly every vehicle on the road is a “me-too” CUV or economy sedan, the Jeep Wrangler is a bit different and interesting.
Hopefully Marchionne and company won’t mess up the next one.