Automotive News - May 5, 2008 - (Page 59)

MAY 5, 2008 • 59 U.S. light-vehicle sales – continued Rogue (I) 5,814 Titan 2,407 Xterra 1,916 Total Nissan Division truck 24,375 Total Nissan Division 66,318 Total Nissan North America car 48,990 Total Nissan North America truck 26,865 Nissan North America domestic 54,300 Nissan North America import 21,555 NISSAN NORTH AMERICA 75,855 Boxster (I) 352 911 Carrera/Carrera 4 (I) 898 911 Carrera GT (I) – Cayman (I) 395 Total Porsche car (I) 1,645 Porsche truck Cayenne (I) 1,218 PORSCHE 2,863 Baja – Forester (I) 5,339 Impreza (I) 4,010 Legacy 6,027 Total Subaru car 15,376 Subaru truck Tribeca 1,395 Subaru domestic 7,422 Subaru import 9,349 SUBARU 16,771 Aerio/SX4 (I) 2,860 Forenza/Reno (I) 2,727 Verona (I) 1 Total Suzuki car (I) 5,588 Grand Vitara (I) 999 XL–7 (D) 3,082 XL7 (I) – Total XL–7/XL7 3,082 Total Suzuki truck 4,081 Suzuki domestic 3,082 Suzuki import 6,587 SUZUKI 9,669 ES 330/350 (I) 5,439 GS 350/430/450h (I) 1,568 IS 250/350 (I) 4,550 LS 430/600h (I) 1,992 SC 430 (I) 217 Total Lexus car (I) 13,766 GX 470 (I) 1,625 LX 470/570 (I) 799 RX 330/350 (D) 5,145 RX 330/350/400h (I) 2,015 Total RX 330/350/400h 7,160 Total Lexus truck 9,584 Total Lexus 23,350 tC (I) 4,119 xA (I) 8 xB (I) 4,220 xD (I) 2,913 Total Scion car (I) 11,260 Avalon 4,195 Camry (D) 39,224 Camry (I) 792 Total Camry 40,016 Corolla/Matrix (D) 26,749 Corolla (I) 5,686 Total Corolla/Matrix 32,435 Echo (I) – Prius (I) 21,757 Yaris (I) 11,434 Total Toyota Division car 109,837 4Runner (I) 4,490 FJ Cruiser (I) 2,682 Highlander (I) 10,008 Land Cruiser (I) 473 RAV4 (I) 12,773 Sequoia 2,675 Sienna 11,215 Tacoma 15,587 Tundra 13,350 Total Toyota Division truck 73,253 Total Toyota Division 183,090 Total Toyota Motor Sales car 134,863 Total Toyota Motor Sales truck 82,837 Toyota Motor Sales domestic 118,140 Toyota Motor Sales import 99,560 TOYOTA MOTOR SALES 217,700 A3 (I) 398 A4/S4 (I) 3,682 A5/S5 (I) 484 A6/S6 (I) 1,201 A8/S8 (I) 284 R8 (I) 43 TT (I) 435 Total Audi car (I) 6,527 Audi truck Q7 (I) 1,203 Total Audi (I) 7,730 Bentley car (I) 306 Eos (I) 1,663 Golf/GTI/R32 (I) 1,572 Jetta 7,171 New Beetle 2,803 Passat (I) 3,673 Phaeton (I) – Rabbit (I) 1,809 Total VW division car 18,691 VW division truck Touareg (I) 724 Total VW division 19,415 Total VW Group of America car 25,524 Total VW Group of America truck 1,927 VW Group of America domestic 9,974 VW Group of America import 17,477 VW GROUP OF AMERICA 27,451 Domestic car 439,936 Import car 234,846 Total U.S. car 674,782 Domestic light truck 477,340 Import light truck 96,427 Total U.S. light truck 573,767 Total domestic light vehicle 917,276 Total import light vehicle 331,273 TOTAL U.S. LIGHT VEHICLE 1,248,549 Note: (D) = produced in North America; (I) = imported to U.S. Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources April 2008 – 4,922 3,045 28,013 61,179 40,714 30,410 53,848 17,276 71,124 325 1,213 – 484 2,022 993 3,015 165 3,580 3,455 5,505 12,705 1,081 6,751 7,035 13,786 1,308 3,885 37 5,230 1,583 2,319 47 2,366 3,949 2,319 6,860 9,179 6,544 1,887 4,363 3,182 341 16,317 1,577 240 6,044 1,817 7,861 9,678 25,995 5,333 1,454 1,173 – 7,960 5,791 33,538 4,373 37,911 28,352 3,937 32,289 – 13,056 7,232 96,279 7,093 4,587 10,122 191 14,495 1,991 12,773 14,771 14,200 80,223 176,502 120,556 89,901 117,460 92,997 210,457 662 3,906 – 898 355 – 388 6,209 1,897 8,106 466 1,142 1,165 8,234 2,703 3,439 3 1,932 18,618 468 19,086 25,293 2,365 10,937 16,721 27,658 443,148 202,716 645,864 589,416 103,764 693,180 1,032,564 306,480 1,339,044 April 2007 23,345 13,762 12,119 124,040 303,530 210,226 135,374 248,002 97,598 345,600 950 3,102 – 1,438 5,490 4,150 9,640 1 15,327 15,189 22,751 53,268 4,384 27,136 30,516 57,652 10,446 7,021 2 17,469 4,873 13,754 3 13,757 18,630 13,754 22,345 36,099 20,599 6,138 16,516 7,914 860 52,027 6,510 2,720 20,012 8,596 28,608 37,838 89,865 14,409 31 15,890 8,816 39,146 17,004 143,198 3,820 147,018 89,507 9,975 99,482 – 64,664 41,811 369,979 19,996 12,557 43,676 1,690 47,002 10,525 45,514 55,363 54,134 290,457 660,436 461,152 328,295 435,257 354,190 789,447 1,514 13,431 1,674 3,929 1,036 210 1,560 23,354 4,932 28,286 1,162 4,827 5,546 29,112 8,203 12,587 – 6,860 67,135 2,835 69,970 91,651 7,767 37,315 62,103 99,418 1,675,004 795,932 2,470,936 1,965,925 390,209 2,356,134 3,640,929 1,186,141 4,827,070 4 mos. 2008 – 23,769 18,654 139,547 307,615 200,208 149,896 271,108 78,996 350,104 1,132 4,584 4 1,890 7,610 3,634 11,244 878 14,596 12,904 23,699 52,077 4,687 29,264 27,500 56,764 5,238 15,460 185 20,883 6,796 8,932 362 9,294 16,090 8,932 28,041 36,973 24,594 7,104 16,772 11,745 1,295 61,510 6,816 1,066 21,273 8,821 30,094 37,976 99,486 20,426 6,799 9,673 – 36,898 25,426 115,792 27,982 143,774 106,896 13,588 120,484 2 52,738 26,418 368,842 31,030 20,632 41,505 873 55,900 8,929 47,732 61,099 43,386 311,086 679,928 467,250 349,062 430,533 385,779 816,312 2,150 13,928 – 3,730 1,287 – 684 21,779 7,355 29,134 1,551 3,703 4,872 29,798 8,879 12,429 12 6,524 66,217 3,201 69,418 89,547 10,556 38,677 61,426 100,103 1,724,396 783,540 2,507,936 2,289,435 431,239 2,720,674 4,013,831 1,214,779 5,228,610 4 mos. 2007 A dreary April in Detroit Import sales rise, but the Detroit 3 plunge 16.8% John K. Teahen Jr. jteahen@crain.com Same old, same old. That was the story of car and lighttruck sales in April, which means it was another terrible month for the auto industry. Sales totaled 1,248,549, down 6.8 percent from last year. It was the sixth consecutive year-to-year monthly decline and the 10th in the past 11 months. April’s total was the poorest for that month since April 1995. April’s seasonally adjusted annual rate skidded to 14.7 million. Should the final 2008 figures come in at the current SAAR, the total would be down 1.5 million from last year’s 16.2 million, and that is spelled R-E-C-E-S-S-I-O-N. Truck sales collapsed in April, down 17.2 percent. If you omit crossovers, which are really station wagons — and, thus, cars — truck sales were off 24.8 percent. Pickup sales fell 19.9 percent from April 2007. SUV sales plummeted 32.8 percent. Cars outsold trucks for the second month in a row — but hold the cheers, you car lovers. March car sales of 702,954 were the lowest in more than a quarter-century. April car sales, at 674,782, were 4.0 percent lower than in March. Small cars sold well in April as gasoline prices headed toward $4 a gallon. Sales of the Toyota Prius, for example, rose 66.6 percent over last April. news ANALYSIS More sales tables � 57 Top 10 vehicles April 2008 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Ford F series Toyota Camry Chevrolet Silverado Honda Accord* Toyota Corolla/Matrix Honda Civic* Chevrolet Impala Dodge Ram Ford Focus Nissan Altima 44,813 40,016 37,231 34,000 32,435 30,000 26,728 24,206 23,850 22,630 Perspective How the past 5 Aprils rank for U.S. light-vehicle sales 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 2005 2006 2004 2007 2008 1,504,527 1,448,775 1,423,300 1,339,044 1,248,549 Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources Top 10 vehicles 4 months 2008 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Ford F series Chevrolet Silverado Toyota Camry Honda Accord* Honda Civic* Toyota Corolla/Matrix Nissan Altima Chevrolet Impala Dodge Ram Ford Focus 192,951 160,010 147,018 121,802 107,532 99,482 99,037 98,478 93,068 72,920 *Estimate Source: Automotive News Data Center & company sources Winners and losers April 2008 Winners 1. Scion 2. Mini 3. Jaguar 4. Subaru 5. Kia % change in sales from April 2007 41.5% 39.4% 25.4% 21.7% 15.6% –45.6% –40.4% –39.3% –32.8% –26.3% Small cars do well Small autos buttressed the car total as customers reacted to gasoline prices accelerating toward $4 a gallon. The price of fuel also was a big factor in the miserable sales of pickups and SUVs. April sales gains for some of the itty-bitty cars were the Toyota Prius, 66.6 percent; Toyota Yaris, 58.1 percent; Honda Fit, 54.1 percent; Ford Focus, 43.5 percent; and Hyundai Accent, 41.0 percent. Bad as the month was for the industry, it was considerably worse for the Detroit 3. Combined domestic sales of General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler LLC fell an astounding 16.8 percent from last year. Every one of the 13 domestic makes showed a deficit. Steepest declines by corporations were 45.6 percent for Hummer, 40.4 percent for Chrysler Division and 26.1 percent for Mercury. April was an up month for importbrand sales. The Japanese gained 5.1 percent, the Koreans climbed 6.5 percent, and the Europeans posted an advance of 1.4 percent. Overall, the import brands moved - Losers 1. Hummer 2. Chrysler Division 2. Land Rover 4. Saab 5. Mitsubishi *Estimate Source: Automotive News Data Center & company sources Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources ahead 4.6 percent. Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. (ToyotaLexus-Scion) jumped 3.4 percent in April after four consecutive monthly losses. Nissan North America (Nissan-Infiniti) doubled that, up 6.7 percent, and American Honda Motor Co. (Honda-Acura) matched Nissan with a gain of 6.8 percent. American Honda figures are estimated. 47% share for Detroit 3 The Toyota brand trounced Chevrolet and the Ford brand in April and took over first place in sales for the year. In April, Toyota upended Ford by 17,813 sales and topped Chevy by 26,989. With 660,436 for four months, Toyota is 13,296 ahead of Ford and 26,874 ahead of Chevy. Market share was another disaster for the Detroiters. It dropped to 47.4 percent in April, the lowest in history. That means that import brands captured 52.6 percent of the April market, far beyond the 1-1 ratio that the Americans have been trying to stave off for several years. GM’s market share was a piddling 20.5 percent for its domestic brands in April. Ford Motor’s domestics fell back to 15.1 percent, and Chrysler LLC had to make do with only 11.8 percent. By comparison, Toyota Motor Sales checked in with a rousing 17.4 percent share, and American Honda had 10.8 percent.c Chrysler small cars, Jeep crossovers are hot Bradford Wernle bwernle@crain.com For an expanded version http://www.autonews.com/datacenter

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - May 5, 2008

Automotive News - May 5, 2008 Dodge dealers battle to bust Ram logjam Used-car price slump slams luxury makes INDUSTRY IN DISTRESS Tesla opens first dealership in L.A. Los Angeles Top auto execs to talk marketing at seminar Nader and the Corvair: GM edition tells whole story Dealers take Tundra to the people UAW official expects American Axle buyouts Ford plans more UAW buyouts at 2 plants Honda to some dealers: Upgrade or else Hyundai: Powertrains will take us halfway to mpg target Diesel dynamo Daimler cuts Chrysler value, again Ford domestic dealer count dips below 4,000 Seems like old times: More cash on the hood Toyota sister car poses a challenge for Subaru Suzuki to offer standard navigation in $16,000 car Mpg plan fuels states-rights battle Kerkorian interest buoys Ford stock Henderson: GM will keep tight rein on inventory Is it real, or is it just temporary? Ford Motor must stay focused on recovery 'Have you lost your mind?' Dealers are victims of Axle strike Federal oversight? Good heavens, no Geoff Polites: A salute Save a board seat for the UAW A car for everyone or cut, cut, cut, cut? Think of Buick as part of B-P-G Costs up in China, but bargains still abound Mexico sales fall 17% in March Obituary Hyundai reworks Sonata sooner rather than later Nissan's Dominique gets to the big dance Dana seeks new business with Japanese companies ZF will supply Nissan Certified Tool closes a plant German engineering company plans Ala. factory Dealers A Lexus colossus Used-vehicle leasing boosts showroom traffic Certified buyers opt for extended service contracts Repossessed vehicles offer dealers a profit opening Prepaid plans spark service visits beyond oil changes Key to managing floorplan costs: Be realistic Long-term loans: Convenience or bad deal? Dealers hunt upside-down buyers with leases, incentives and long-term loans Where have all the investors gone? Dealer rebounds from contract mess Dealers must choose: Reynolds, GM — or start over AutoTrader.com makes big pitch to bump up new-vehicle sales CAW, Ford reach extensive early labor deal Infiniti asks: Do you smell something? Sure, Nissan GT-R is impractical — but what a rush Faurecia: We'll break even in N.A. Suppliers join carmakers' charge into Russia Chrysler small cars, Jeep crossovers are hot A dreary April in Detroit Penske earnings rise in 1st quarter Lithia posts $1.9 million loss GM makes 2nd ethanol deal Group 1's earnings slip Magna profits down; sales rise AIADA picks dealer of the year Vox(wagen) populi — plus a sales pitch Wagoner's pension shift: More earlier, less overall COMMENT: Bargaining barbs will sting for a long time Bugging the boss: Who's listening to Porsche CEO? New models from the post office Critics have kind words for Pontiac's G8 Ford can't picture kids at design studio

Automotive News - May 5, 2008

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