September 2016 auto sales slid nearly 1 percent, not as rough an outcome as projected by many industry analysts but more proof that the auto industry may have peaked in calendar year 2015.
Despite bright spots from Ram, Buick, and Infiniti, most of the year-over-year improvements reported by automakers in September were modest in size. Porsche, Lincoln, Toyota, Honda, Audi, and Volvo all combined for sub-2-percent increases. Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Cadillac, Hyundai, and Lexus couldn’t quite manage 4-percent upticks.
Yet in a market that slowed for a second consecutive month, many of the gains produced by pickup truck sales still weren’t strong enough to bring more buyers into showrooms than in September 2015.
Acura, Smart, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, and Fiat — along with discontinued Scion — all reported double-digit losses. General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles all recorded fewer sales this September than last. Acura’s sharp decline was strong enough to cancel out Honda’s gains. The Volkswagen Group, despite improvements at Audi and Porsche, fell 3 percent as a result of Volkswagen’s 8-percent drop.
Of course, pickup truck sales improved, albeit largely on the backs and in the beds of midsize trucks. But if ever there was a symbol of the market’s slowdown, Jeep, after 35 months of growth, reported a 3-percent drop. Yes, the one volume brand featuring a lineup filled only by SUVs and crossovers tumbled.
The Toyota Corolla was America’s best-selling car in September. Ford’s F-Series led all pickup trucks and all vehicles overall. Honda’s CR-V was tops among SUVs/crossovers. While FCA’s minivan market share improved, the Toyota Sienna was the top-selling individual minivan nameplate.
| Auto Brand | September 2016 |
September 2015 |
% Change |
2016 YTD |
2015 YTD |
% Change |
|
Acura
|
12,813 | 14,704 | -12.9% | 119,727 | 132,019 | -9.3% |
|
Alfa Romeo
|
41 | 56 | -26.8% | 418 | 511 | -18.2% |
|
Audi
|
17,617 | 17,340 | 1.6% | 152,179 | 147,403 | 3.2% |
|
BMW
|
25,389 | 26,608 | -4.6% | 230,133 | 249,956 | -7.9% |
|
Buick
|
20,922 | 18,341 | 14.1% | 169,767 | 167,727 | 1.2% |
|
Cadillac
|
15,368 | 14,908 | 3.1% | 119,286 | 125,699 | -5.1% |
|
Chevrolet
|
170,237 | 170,675 | -0.3% | 1,531,912 | 1,596,182 | -4.0% |
|
Chrysler
|
18,797 | 25,799 | -27.1% | 186,497 | 240,431 | -22.4% |
|
Dodge
|
42,935 | 45,507 | -5.7% | 394,940 | 388,446 | 1.7% |
|
Fiat
|
2,913 | 4,169 | -30.1% | 25,099 | 31,013 | -19.1% |
| Ford | 194,647 | 212,589 | -8.4% | 1,896,858 | 1,891,518 | 0.3% |
|
Genesis
|
1,211 | — | — | 2,708 | — | — |
|
GMC
|
43,268 | 47,386 | -8.7% | 391,432 | 410,239 | -4.6% |
|
Honda
|
120,842 | 119,046 | 1.5% | 1,108,653 | 1,056,547 | 4.9% |
|
Hyundai
|
65,399 | 64,015 | 2.2% | 584,980 | 578,190 | 1.2% |
|
Infiniti
|
11,413 | 10,220 | 11.7% | 96,775 | 95,568 | 1.3% |
|
Jaguar
|
2,662 | 995 | 168% | 20,349 | 11,216 | 81.4% |
|
Jeep
|
76,331 | 78,440 | -2.7% | 707,106 | 633,646 | 11.6% |
|
Kia
|
49,220 | 49,820 | -1.2% | 491,764 | 475,980 | 3.3% |
|
Land Rover
|
5,637 | 5,855 | -3.7% | 54,391 | 48,403 | 12.4% |
|
Lexus
|
25,801 | 25,294 | 2.0% | 236,193 | 247,445 | -4.5% |
|
Lincoln
|
8,797 | 8,680 | 1.3% | 80,435 | 73,964 | 8.7% |
|
Maserati
|
1,185 | 871 | 36.1% | 8,156 | 8,377 | -2.6% |
|
Mazda
|
24,889 | 25,616 | -2.8% | 224,267 | 241,706 | -7.2% |
|
Mercedes-Benz °
|
29,500 | 29,020 | 1.7% | 249,204 | 249,890 | -0.3% |
|
Mercedes-Benz Vans °
|
2,970 | 2,317 | 28.2% | 25,156 | 20,274 | 24.1% |
|
Total Mercedes-Benz °
|
32,470 | 31,337 | 3.6% | 274,360 | 270,164 | 1.6% |
|
Mini
|
4,024 | 4,414 | -8.8% | 38,911 | 44,974 | -13.5% |
|
Mitsubishi
|
7,191 | 7,556 | -0.5% | 74,351 | 73,257 | 1.5% |
|
Nissan
|
116,384 | 111,562 | 4.3% | 1,086,249 | 1,026,920 | 5.8% |
|
Porsche
|
4,479 | 4,424 | 1.2% | 40,246 | 39,300 | 2.4% |
|
Ram
|
51,866 | 40,695 | 27.5% | 400,300 | 360,277 | 11.1% |
|
Smart
|
605 | 750 | -19.3% | 4,044 | 5,432 | -25.6% |
|
Subaru
|
54,918 | 53,070 | 3.5% | 446,887 | 428,702 | 4.2% |
|
Scion °
|
3,688 | 6,499 | -43.3% | 53,458 | 39,201 | 36.4% |
|
Toyota °
|
167,771 | 162,595 | 3.2% | 1,532,768 | 1,580,759 | -3.0% |
|
Toyota/Scion
|
171,459 | 169,094 | 1.4% | 1,586,226 | 1,619,960 | -2.1% |
|
Volkswagen
|
24,112 | 26,141 | -7.8% | 231,268 | 264,215 | -12.5% |
|
Volvo
|
5,615 | 5,527 | 1.6% | 58,532 | 46,381 | 26.2% |
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
BMW-Mini
|
29,413 | 31,022 | -5.2% | 269,044 | 294,930 | -8.8% |
|
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
|
192,883 | 194,666 | -0.9% | 1,714,360 | 1,654,324 | 3.6% |
|
Daimler AG
|
33,075 | 32,087 | 3.1% | 278,404 | 275,596 | 1.0% |
|
Ford Motor Co.
|
203,444 | 221,269 | -8.1% | 1,977,293 | 1,965,482 | 0.6% |
|
General Motors
|
249,795 | 251,310 | -0.6% | 2,212,397 | 2,299,847 | -3.8% |
|
Honda Motor Co.
|
133,655 | 133,750 | -0.1% | 1,228,380 | 1,188,566 | 3.3% |
|
Hyundai-Kia
|
115,830 | 113,835 | 1.8% | 1,079,452 | 1,054,170 | 2.4% |
|
Jaguar-Land Rover
|
8,299 | 6,850 | 21.2% | 74,740 | 59,619 | 25.4% |
|
Nissan Motor Co.
|
127,797 | 121,782 | 4.9% | 1,183,024 | 1,122,488 | 5.4% |
|
Toyota Motor Corp.
|
197,260 | 194,388 | 1.5% | 1,822,419 | 1,867,405 | -2.4% |
|
Volkswagen Group *
|
46,491 | 48,016 | -3.2% | 425,168 | 452,714 | -6.1% |
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Industry Total †
|
1,434,483
|
1,444,195
|
-0.7%
|
13,101,286
|
13,056,784
|
0.3% |
Source: Manufacturers
[Image Source: General Motors]
* Volkswagen Group includes sales figures for Audi, Bentley, Porsche, and Volkswagen brands
° Mercedes-Benz USA releases sales figures for the Mercedes-Benz brand in the conventional sense, vans excluded, as well as totals for the Metris and Sprinter vans. The complete picture is included here.
° Scion’s sales figures are now folded in to Toyota’s, but the Scion brand here includes sales of outgoing Scions as well as Scions that are becoming Scions. We have included the complete picture for clarity’s sake.
** Industry total takes into account Automotive News figures/estimates for brands such as Tesla (2,250 September units) and other low-volume, high-priced manufacturers.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.
To think what Acura might have been.
http://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/gallery/ACURALegendCoupe-1254_3.jpg
Where did it all go wrong?
When things like “Legend” and “Integra” ceased to be…
I think when they realized foolish North Americans will pay 30% margin for 10% more USDM Honda as opposed unique designs.
Huh? What means this, 28? Does it result in more or fewer glutens?
I still blame Rover. Honda was still black and blue from that venture, and was not willing to stick their neck out again so soon in unsure waters. They had such a lead over Lexus and Infiniti.
How did any of that damage American Honda?
Civic, Accord, CR-V.
Only luxo-enthusiasts are left out and most of those on internet forums can’t buy new anyway.
The big problem with Acura is that the only thing you get for the added money vs. the Hondas they’re based on is more questionable styling. Performance, size, quality of materials, and so on — there’s just no reason to buy the Acura instead of the cheaper Honda. The other mass-market makers with luxury divisions (VW/Audi, Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infinity, GM/Cadillac) mostly manage to provide at least some compelling features or unique product in the up-market brand to make customers consider them.
Acura currently strikes me as Honda’s version of Lincoln – from a product standpoint, there’s little or no reason not to save a bunch of money and buy the down-market version that shares the same platform and most of the mechanicals. The dealer experience may well be better with the up-market brand, but I wager mist of us don’t buy a new car planning to spend a lot of time at the dealer. Product rules, and Acura doesn’t have it.
That shows how your out-of-date assumptions about Lincoln are wrong. Based as it was on the Taurus, the outgoing MKS had better materials including nicer leather and a unique style in and out. They were not the exact same stuff you found in the Taurus, despite the many other similarities those cars had. People often said “why not just get a Taurus SHO over an MKS EcoBoost” never sat in the two back to back. Its not that the Taurus is terribly cheap, my parents 2012 has held up very well and the design, feel and quality of everything is light years ahead of their previous Grand Marquis.
There were times when Infiniti (no “y” as per Nissan) products were dead ringers for the generic Nissan products on which they were based (I30, first QX SUV). The Lexus ES is based on the same platform that has been used for years for the Avalon, Highlander, Camry, Venza, RX, etc. It just has unique style and nicer materials with higher standards of quality. Much like the Lincoln MKZ. Hell, even the MKZ offers and has offered powertrain options not shared with its mundane Fusion brother. The ES has the same V-6 as 60% of the Toyotas at Walmart right now.
Either your bias is showing or you’re just echoing what others have said. Is Lincoln without sin? No (sorry Adam, all due respect) they are not.
With strong new product and sales on the rise, Lincoln is no longer a suitable punching bag. I know its still a US-based luxury car maker, so no good could possibly come from it, but oh well.
Acura (and Honda as a whole) are working on their problems. The new Civic is proof that Honda can still produce class-leading product, and I’d take an Accord over a Camry or Altima any day. The new NSX is phenomenal as well, give them time. like Ford with Lincoln, it takes time and progress will come.
“There were times when Infiniti (no “y” as per Nissan) products were dead ringers for the generic Nissan products on which they were based (I30, first QX SUV).”
Please review what dead ringer means.
Big expenditure.
The MKS was still not differentiated enough from the Taurus as was the rest of Lincoln’s line-up during that time.
The current MKZ did a better job of differentiating from its platform-mate, but still didn’t go far enough.
The Continental is the 1st shared-platform Lincoln model to do a really good job of differentiating itself.
Acura currently is at the stage of where Lincoln was with the MKZ – which doesn’t help sedan sales, esp. at the higher end of the luxury market.
Mercedes has quietly opened up a nice lead on BMW and Lexus.
Thank (on the one hand) the swoopy and cheap CLA and (on the other hand) the excellence of the interiors in recent real Mercedes.
“the excellence of the interiors in recent real Mercedes.”
Does the GL450 count as a real Mercedes? Because the interior quality of one I drove recently was really awful. Chintzy single-color plastic air vents that flopped and wiggled, rough fabric head liner, cheap-looking design generally. It made my Sonata look like… well… a Mercedes.
The turn signal stalk operated very nicely, I’ll say that. But that was pretty much the high point. For a $70k SUV it was incredibly disappointing.
The GL and even the updated GLS still have a last generation MB interior which isn’t really up to par with the competition. So far only the C, E, S, and GLC really have the interiors that I assume he was referring to.
And that’s without yet spending $$ on a new, lightweight platform.
One of these days, Alfa Romeo is going to sell into the four digits of cars annually. And then, it’ll be only a matter of months before they’re at 150,000 per year! It is destiny!
It’s weird, but I have yet to see an auto exec predict reduced sales in the coming year.
That’s why they’re putting so much effort into the Stelvio. Though they might be better off just throwing a Hellcat into the most convenient body available and calling it the 8C.
Jaguar’s numbers (is that really true? Up +81%?) prove once again that we live in an SUV/CUV world, and you ignore it at your peril.
I guess the good news is that I’ll be able to get that XJ that I have had my eye on a little bit quicker as the cement block of depreciation surely begins to take hold.
So it looks like VW will be lucky to hit 300000 sales. Meanwhile, Subaru will likely get very close to 600000.
It’s staggering to see how well Subaru continues to do with such a limited model range, and how poorly VW is doing with a more diverse model range. Subaru definitely knows their demographic while VW continues to wonder how to sell cars in the U.S.
@brettc
VW selling vast numbers outside the US
So does Suzuki.
ouch
Maybe they should stay outside the US then?
Half of Subaru’s lineup is SUVs. Most of the rest of their lineup could pass for an SUV since they have all-wheel drive. Apparently the CVTs and underpowered 2 liter engines haven’t chased anyone away, much to my surprise and chagrin.
Im actually surprised that VW is only down 12.5% on the year(as a marque) They are lucky that Porsche/Audi seems to be largely immune to this scandal. However with the loss of talent at the top is there going to be enough meat left on the bone for Audi to create a convincing product? I recently sold my Audi just because I was so tired of the dealer not acting like it was a big deal to hand me 4 figure bills for scheduled maintenance/minor fixes. Also think Im done with the general douchebaggery that is the audi dealership experience. Even though I could buy just about any audi on the showroom floor should I feel so inclined, I apparently dont look the part… eff those dudes..
Wait until the 3.0 TDIs get crushed. Then Audi lovers will realize their brand is hitched to the black widow Volkswagen.
Their incentives have increased by over 30%
Don’t know where you live, s_a_p, but in the Greater Cleveland area we have three large Audi shops and I’ve had excellent experiences at all of them. I never encountered said “douchbaggery”, but I did from time to time wince at the bills. While I have an outstanding indy mechanic, the convenience that the dealership experiences I’ve had brought to the table outweighed the costs simply because time is critical in my business.
Tim – the Mazda columns are transposed, FYI.
Thanks for noticing. It’s fixed.
Go Buick!
P.s. I read car blogs almost daily, but didn’t realize Alfa was selling in the US again.
Wait till the Envision’s numbers kick in from Boomers who are still middle class and whose progeny are still independent. I expect to see quite a few by next Fall ’round these parts.
The jury is still out on whether Alfa is actually selling here again, or if it’s just a mirage, a mass hallucination while we wait for the Giulia. My money is on the latter. ;)
I thought that was a Buick in the picture, but it’s actually a Volvo.
My SIL just picked up a leftover 2016 Silverado half ton 4 dr. Don’t have all the details but it sounded like a screaming deal if that’s the size you want.
You get what you pay for.
What struck me most was that Chyrsler-(Fiat sux) at 193k is so very close to Ford at 203k.
When was the last time Chrysler came this close to Ford? The late 40’s or early 1950’s? What is that, @a 5% difference?
Wow.
The gap over 9 months is bigger. FCA is discounting the hail out of Darts and 200s, plus the Patriot and old Compass, and narrowing the gap, but you can’t drop four existing models for one new one and expect bigger sales later.
I’m surprised to see Nissan jump 5%. I’m also shocked to see Ford hurting so badly, but maybe the recent Bronco rumors will help them a bit (sorry, there’s no way Trump tricked them into leaking anything they didn’t want leaked).
FCA only lost 1% of sales in a general market slowdown, given that they’re in the process of trimming and re-aligning their product lines (meaning killing the Dart and 200) it’s to be expected to some degree. Frankly, I expected it to be a little worse.
I don’t know which is worse, Chrysler dropping to within striking distance of Buick, or Acuras collapse.
I just dont understand who keeps buyin these Fugly Nissnas? Who or Whom? Especially the Puke and the Rogue.
With the exception of most GT-R customers, people who buy Nissans don’t know jack about cars and are looking for something they can get in and magically appear in different places from where they were when they closed the door. I own a Hyundai Elantra which is a pretty appliance-y car but Nissans are like the Maytag of cars. These things are so soulless and drab I’m amazed they aren’t sold at Costco in a wooden crate with ‘CAR – QTY. 1’ burned into the side of it. My Sony shelf stereo has more soul than a Nissan product.
I know a girl who is quite smart and bought a 2009 Versa hatchback during Cash for Clunkers. Long story short the thing went through CVTs like candy until Nissan finally bought it back under Lemon Law and what did she do? Buy another f**ing Versa. Sure enough, that one started giving her problems too and crapped its first transmission right around 10,000 miles.
I asked her what she was going to do and she said, “As soon as the lease is up, I’m getting rid of it and never buying another Nissan.” At least she learned.
Nice. Insulting many thousands of honest, innocent Nissan buyers from your lofty perch as an Elantra owner o_O
How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?
You shut up! The Elantra has prestige and is much better than any appliance Nissan, obviously.
He doesn’t know the difference between buying and leasing, so he’s gonna have a hard time if he sticks around here.
Maybe we’ll wind up best buddies in the Always Saying Stupid Sh1t club!
The only prestige in the Elantra is in the dealer name, assuming it’s being sold by Prestige Hyundai. You’re talking about a Toyota-esque appliance here, and it’s intended to be so, Hyundai is a wannabe Toyota, just like GM these days.
I do know the difference between buying and leasing and probably know more about the car business than you internet tough guys insulting someone from behind your comfortable keyboards. This is not my first comment but it appears that it took me quoting somebody who knows nothing about cars for you to notice me and insult my intelligence.
1. The first Versa was purchased and bought back under Lemon Law.
2. The dealer offered her a great lease deal on the SECOND one which has also given her trouble.
3. Hence why she’s turning it in when the lease runs out.
Did I explain this neatly enough for your Neanderthal brains to comprehend or should I get a Speak-N-Spell to help you out?
You’re right, keyboard insults deserve real life death.
Buying and leasing are not interchangeable. You’d do well to not use them that way.
“I hope you get hit by a Versa.”
That might go worse for the Versa.
“your comfortable keyboards”
Never actually sat on mine.
My cats have and seem to like it but that may just be warmth coming up from the mobo.
My kid loves the Juke and may well end up with one next year for school. Not crazy about the exterior of the Rogue, but the interior is quite nice on the upper levels and now that they have a hybrid we’ll have to give them a look as well.
Different strokes….
Is Genesis included in the Hyundai-Kia total?
Despite all the consternation about Cadillac sales (and sedan sales in particular), Cadillac sold 4,794 of the CT6, CTS and XTS.
Sales of the CT6 was only 430 units from sales of the ATS.