U.S. auto sales have been strong these past few months. Some manufacturers’ sales are significantly higher than this time last year.
October 2017 turned out to be a good month for automakers, beating analyst’s expectations that the sales figures would shrink year-on-year, according to Bloomberg. Some manufacturers benefited way more than others compared to this time last year. Whether it’s because of new models, revamps, or changes in tastes, some have thrived while others have shrunk over the past 12 months. Here’s a list of TFLcar’s Top 5 Winners and Losers of October 2017. These are the brands which, by year-on-year margins, have grown or shrunk the most compared to a year ago.
Top 5 winners:
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| 1) Alfa Romeo | 2) Genesis | 3) Volkswagen | 4) Volvo | 5) Nissan |
Top 5 losers:
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| 1) Smart | 2) Dodge | 3) Fiat | 4) Mazda | 5) Chrysler |
Top 5 Winners
1) Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo is experiencing a sales boom right now thanks to the Giulia and the Stelvio. Before they came along, the only car under Alfa Romeo’s banner in the U.S. was the 4C. While they’re still not a volume brand by any means. They shifted 1,205 units last month. Still, you have to admit that’s way better than the 23 they sold in October 2016.
Top 5 Winners
2) Genesis
This was the first full model year for Genesis, as the G80 and G90 rolled out as 2017 models. Sales have picked up this year, with the G90’s sales increasing four-fold over this time last year, to 378 units in October 2017. The G80 also fared well, with a 27 percent increase in sales (1,408 units in October 2017).
Top 5 Winners
3) Volkswagen
The pace of Volkswagen’s sales have picked up this year over 2016, thanks in no small part to models like the GTI. Sales of this venerable hot hatch are up 14.4% over this time last year. For the brand in total, sales are up 11.9% over this time last year. Interestingly, while the GTI did well, it’s big brother did not. Sales of the Golf R in October 2017 plummeted over the same time last year. Just 31 Golf Rs were sold last month – a 92.2% decrease.
Top 5 Winners
3) Volvo
Volvo’s sales pace for the whole year has slowed a bit over 2016. Nevertheless, it’s October sales are up 10.5%. With a refreshed lineup including the S90, XC90 and the new XC60, the brand has a fresh new face. The S90’s margins fared best of all, increasing by 166% over this time last year.
Top 5 Winners
5) Nissan
Nissan’s sales pace has picked up slightly over 2016. They have moved 112,716 units so far this year, compared to 102,312 at this time last year. In October, however, sales are up more than 10% over October 2016. Models like the Maxima have almost doubled their sales. The Maxima’s sales increased 72.5% (to 6,741 units) over October 2016.
Top 5 Losers
1) Smart
It’s perhaps no surprise, but Smart’s sales are down. Way down. In fact, it’s October sales are down 66.5% over this time last year. Smart’s making a shift by discontinuing their gas-powered models and moving to battery-powered cars in 2018. With demand for tiny cars also evaporating, its sales likely won’t rebound anytime soon.
Top 5 Losers
2) Dodge
While Alfa Romeo has seen explosion in sales over the past year, the rest of FCA’s portfolio hasn’t fared so well, as you’ll soon see. Dodge came out of it the worst, with the brand’s October sales shrinking by 41% over the same time last year. The Journey was the worst offender. No surprise, as the car is rather long in the tooth – it’s sales dropped 60% over October 2016. The Charger did well, however, with its sales increasing 19% over this time last year.
Top 5 Losers
3) Fiat
Sales decrease over October 2016: -32.5%
Yep, Fiat’s sales have also shrunk over October 2016. It’s cute, cuddly 500 suffered worst of all, seeing its sales drop 37% over this time last year. However, it’s larger compatriot, the 500L, picked up its sales 34%. That being said, such an increase meant Fiat only shifted 159 500Ls in October. The Fiat 124 Spider will hopefully also act as a boon for Fiat’s sales, but it hasn’t been out long enough yet to stem the flow just yet.
Top 5 Losers
4) Mazda
Sales decrease over October 2016: -30.1%
Mazda’s a mixed bag, as far as sales go. Overall, the brand’s sales are down 30.1% over this time last year. That shortfall fell largely on the backs of its cars – namely the Mazda3 (which saw a 35% drop in sales over October 2016) and the Mazda6. Its crossovers, however, have done better. The CX-5 – by far Mazda’s best-selling model – saw its sales increase 15.3% over October 2016.
Top 5 Losers
5) Chrysler
Another pillar of FCA’s portfolio saw its sales shrink in October 2017. In fact, Chrysler’s sales are down over 22% compared to this time last year. The reason? The 200 was discontinued, as was the Town and Country. On the up side, it’s replacement, the Pacifica, didn’t fare so badly (its sales only shrunk 2% over this time last year).
