September proved to be a stronger than anticipated month for the domestic auto industry as total sales of light vehicles reached just under 1.19 million within the 25 day selling period. This was a 12.8% increase from the same period last year. Consumers are flocking to replace the aging vehicles they held onto during the recession and are being attracted by the multiple new models on the market as well as low financing rates. Unsurprisingly, the Ford F-Series pickup was once again the top selling model (55,077 units) and has sold 463,733 units thus far in 2012. The rest of the top 5 was comprised of the Chevy Silverado (36,425), Toyota Camry (34,252), Honda Accord (29,128), and Dodge Ram (25,973).
The performances of Honda and Toyota are cited as having been vital in the successes of September. While their competitor Nissan exhibited decreased sales of -1.1%, Honda and Toyota both grew an amazing 30.9% and 41.5% respectively. It seems that Nissan’s newly redesigned Altima has not been able to capture buyers as anticipated and the numbers prove this as Altima sales grew only a meager 0.4%. This disheartening news for the Japanese automaker comes at a time when it has begun efforts to re-introduce the defunct Datsun brand, which was once a staple foreign name in the U.S., into emerging markets. Nissan is hoping to penetrate Asia and Eastern Europe with super affordable entry level cars (starting at $3,000) that will be stripped of virtually all the amenities we have come to enjoy such as an automatic gear shift, power windows, and side airbags. Only time will tell if Nissan can take Datsun back to its former heights and not end up with a vehicle that is just too bare boned like Indian manufacturer Tata has with its Nano.
Detroit powerhouses G.M. and Ford struggled in September, unable to maintain the momentum they gained over the summer. G.M.’s sales grew a mere 1.5% while Ford was down -0.2%. Chrysler on the other hand showed growth of almost 12% aided by the new Dodge Dart and sustained sales of the Fiat line. Chrysler’s year to date sales of 1.25 million units surpassed 2011’s by 23.9%, offering the impression that Chrysler is set to make a new mark on America and solidify its position in the industry.
The Koreans (at least in the recent times) continue to be worthy of an honorable mention. Hyundai grew 15.3% with, both the Elantra and Sonata in the top 20 for the month, and so did Kia at 35.1%, with the Optima also in the top 20 at 131% growth. Among luxury brands Mercedes held the highest market share at 2.1% and 24,950 units sold (a 6.5% growth). Audi (with 26.5%) and Volkswagen (with 34.4%) both showed considerable growth while BMW appeared stagnant at only 0.1%.
All in all September auto sales ended well as Americans put serious effort into their purchasing and took advantage of what is a buyer’s market. The race now continues to finish the year off strong with record setting sales.
