Automotive News - March 5, 2012 - 35

MARCH 5, 2012 • 35

U.S. light-vehicle sales – continued
Feb. 2012 Feb. 2011 2 mos. 2012 2 mos. 2011

GM idles Volt plant as inventories rise
Mike Colias
mcolias@crain.com

Equator ............................................................. Grand Vitara (I)................................................. XL7.................................................................... Suzuki truck (D).................................... Suzuki truck (I)..................................... Total Suzuki truck................................... Suzuki (D) ............................................ Suzuki (I) ............................................. SUZUKI................................................. CT (I)................................................................. ES (I)................................................................. GS (I) ................................................................ HS (I) ................................................................ IS (I).................................................................. LFA (I)............................................................... LS (I)................................................................. SC (I)................................................................. Total Lexus car (I) .................................. GX (I) ................................................................ LX (I)................................................................. RX (D)............................................................. RX (I) .............................................................. Total RX............................................................ Lexus truck (D) .................................... Lexus truck (I)...................................... Total Lexus truck.................................... Lexus (D)............................................. Lexus (I) .............................................. Total Lexus........................................... iQ (I).................................................................. tC (I).................................................................. xB (I) ................................................................. xD (I)................................................................. Total Scion car (I)................................... Avalon............................................................... Camry (D)....................................................... Camry (I) ........................................................ Total Camry ...................................................... Corolla/Matrix (D) .......................................... Corolla (I)........................................................ Total Corolla/Matrix.......................................... Prius (I)............................................................. Venza ................................................................ Yaris (I)............................................................. Toyota Division car (D)........................... Toyota Division car (I)............................ Total Toyota Division car.......................... 4Runner (I)....................................................... FJ Cruiser (I)..................................................... Highlander (D)................................................ Highlander (I) ................................................. Total Highlander............................................... Land Cruiser (I)................................................ RAV4 (D) ........................................................ RAV4 (I).......................................................... Total RAV4........................................................ Sequoia............................................................. Sienna............................................................... Tacoma............................................................. Tundra............................................................... Toyota Division truck (D) ........................ Toyota Division truck (I).......................... Total Toyota Division truck........................ Toyota Division (D)................................. Toyota Division (I) .................................. Total Toyota Division............................... Total Toyota Motor Sales car..................... Total Toyota Motor Sales truck................... Toyota Motor Sales (D)............................ Toyota Motor Sales (I) ............................. TOYOTA MOTOR SALES ............................ A3 (I)................................................................. A4/S4 (I) ........................................................... A5/S5 (I) ........................................................... A6/S6 (I) ........................................................... A7 (I)................................................................. A8/S8 (I) ........................................................... R8 (I)................................................................. TT (I) ................................................................. Total Audi car (I).................................... Q5 (I)................................................................. Q7 (I)................................................................. Total Audi truck (I).................................. Total Audi (I)......................................... Bentley car (I) ....................................... CC (I)................................................................. Eos (I) ............................................................... Jetta................................................................... Beetle ................................................................ Passat (D)....................................................... Passat (I) ........................................................ Total Passat...................................................... Rabbit/Golf/GTI/R32 (I).................................... VW division car (D) ............................... VW division car (I) ................................ Total VW division car .............................. Routan .............................................................. Tiguan (I) .......................................................... Touareg (I)........................................................ VW division truck (D)............................. VW division truck (I).............................. Total VW division truck ............................ VW division (D) ..................................... VW division (I) ...................................... Total VW division................................... Total VW Group of America car.................. Total VW Group of America truck................ VW Group of America (D) ......................... VW Group of America (I) .......................... VW GROUP OF AMERICA........................... 30 series (I) ...................................................... 40 series (I) ...................................................... 50 series (I) ...................................................... 60 series (I) ...................................................... 70 series (I) ...................................................... 80 series (I) ...................................................... Total Volvo car (I)................................... XC60 (I) ............................................................ XC90 (I) ............................................................ Total Volvo truck (I) ................................ VOLVO CARS N.A. ................................... Domestic car..................................... Import car......................................... Total U.S. car...................................... Domestic light truck ............................ Import light truck ................................ Total U.S. light truck ............................. Total domestic light vehicle................... Total import light vehicle ...................... TOTAL U.S. LIGHT VEHICLE ....................

151 434 5 156 434 590 156 2,269 2,425 1,640 2,997 2,396 150 2,095 6 516 – 9,800 703 383 4,629 1,163 5,792 4,629 2,249 6,878 4,629 12,049 16,678 864 1,648 1,608 818 4,938 3,497 34,526 16 34,542 19,095 3,053 22,148 20,589 2,670 3,611 59,788 27,269 87,057 3,068 1,046 7,640 515 8,155 122 11,088 1,589 12,677 1,040 7,652 10,662 6,328 44,410 6,340 50,750 104,198 33,609 137,807 101,795 57,628 108,827 50,596 159,423 469 2,719 1,119 972 584 323 74 144 6,404 1,754 373 2,127 8,531 126 1,413 419 12,838 1,303 8,189 – 8,189 2,753 22,330 4,585 26,915 659 2,280 723 659 3,003 3,662 22,989 7,588 30,577 33,445 5,789 22,989 16,245 39,234 220 – – 1,929 709 235 3,093 1,251 919 2,170 5,263 448,361 170,554 618,915 455,497 75,020 530,517 903,858 245,574 1,149,432

127 374 3 130 374 504 130 1,513 1,643 – 2,598 349 183 2,081 5 706 1 5,923 1,051 273 4,830 1,737 6,567 4,830 3,061 7,891 4,830 8,984 13,814 – 1,662 1,475 807 3,944 2,026 26,981 231 27,212 18,702 7,158 25,860 13,539 2,551 1,946 50,260 22,874 73,134 3,760 1,134 7,819 803 8,622 181 9,719 2,843 12,562 998 8,806 7,879 7,012 42,233 8,721 50,954 92,493 31,595 124,088 83,001 58,845 97,323 44,523 141,846 386 2,770 1,142 594 – 361 94 125 5,472 1,539 742 2,281 7,753 101 2,329 422 12,592 256 – 71 71 2,472 12,848 5,294 18,142 710 2,172 438 710 2,610 3,320 13,558 7,904 21,462 23,715 5,601 13,558 15,758 29,316 217 309 50 1,247 727 372 2,922 1,184 689 1,873 4,795 360,407 148,411 508,818 411,792 72,956 484,748 772,199 221,367 993,566

259 818 6 265 818 1,083 265 3,665 3,930 2,665 5,407 2,489 302 3,905 10 1,089 2 15,869 1,581 672 8,230 2,600 10,830 8,230 4,853 13,083 8,230 20,722 28,952 1,238 2,957 2,808 1,470 8,473 6,716 62,803 34 62,837 34,705 5,431 40,136 32,144 5,130 6,621 109,354 44,230 153,584 5,987 1,754 14,091 920 15,011 241 19,548 2,948 22,496 2,108 13,957 19,560 11,840 81,104 11,850 92,954 190,458 56,080 246,538 177,926 106,037 198,688 85,275 283,963 1,054 5,395 1,997 2,102 1,227 647 153 326 12,901 3,745 1,239 4,984 17,885 244 2,828 784 23,800 2,704 14,507 – 14,507 5,403 41,011 9,015 50,026 1,618 4,588 1,554 1,618 6,142 7,760 42,629 15,157 57,786 63,171 12,744 42,629 33,286 75,915 510 48 – 3,344 1,451 446 5,799 2,310 1,615 3,925 9,724 788,259 305,117 1,093,376 826,652 142,700 969,352 1,614,911 447,817 2,062,728

275 863 10 285 863 1,148 285 3,920 4,205 – 4,813 672 469 4,073 9 1,440 8 11,484 2,186 556 8,711 3,737 12,448 8,711 6,479 15,190 8,711 17,963 26,674 – 3,013 2,773 1,433 7,219 3,821 44,873 484 45,357 35,135 11,306 46,441 24,174 4,938 3,785 88,767 39,749 128,516 7,589 2,262 14,458 1,671 16,129 326 18,130 5,628 23,758 1,962 15,149 15,019 13,099 77,817 17,476 95,293 166,584 57,225 223,809 147,219 110,483 175,295 82,407 257,702 1,101 5,253 2,196 1,188 – 811 173 222 10,944 3,123 1,498 4,621 15,565 183 3,712 671 24,051 527 – 179 179 4,476 24,578 9,038 33,616 1,602 3,711 933 1,602 4,644 6,246 26,180 13,682 39,862 44,743 10,867 26,180 29,430 55,610 417 623 131 2,289 1,391 633 5,484 2,150 1,437 3,587 9,071 639,054 275,697 914,751 761,506 137,204 898,710 1,400,560 412,901 1,813,461

DETROIT — General Motors will idle the plant that builds the Chevrolet Volt for more than a month to curb rising inventories of the plug-in hybrid. GM will shut down production at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant for five weeks, starting the week of March 19. GM plans to resume production on April 23, a GM spokesman said. “We need to maintain the right inventory levels and continue to meet demand,” he said. At the end of February, GM’s Volt inventory stood at 6,300 units, enough to last 154 days at current sales rates. Volt sales rebounded in February

to 1,023 units. January’s sales of 603 units marked a five-month low following a federal investigation into battery fires in the Volt. Federal regulators closed the probe in January after determining the Volt was safe. GM executives have said they believe that unfavorable publicity from the investigation hurt sales. Volt sales are being watched closely in the industry as several automakers prepare to market their own electric vehicles this year and in 2013. The car runs on battery power for about 35 miles before an onboard gasoline-powered generator kicks on to power an onboard electric drive unit. The vehicle has served as a halo for

GM. CEO Dan Akerson points to the Volt as a symbol of GM’s innovation and fresh thinking. He has pressed engineers and product planners to slash costs while extending the technology to other models. A Cadillac coupe featuring the same technology is due out in 2013. Last year, GM missed a self-imposed Volt sales target of 10,000 units, selling 7,671 in the United States. Since then, GM executives have backed off an earlier production forecast of 60,000 Volts for 2012, three-fourths of which were to be sold in the United States. The Volt and its sister car, the Opel Ampera, are the only vehicles assembled at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant. c

SALES
Dealers were ready for spike in demand
continued from Page 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

More sales tables ➤ 36

Top 10 vehicles
February 2012
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Ford F series Toyota Camry Nissan Altima Chevrolet Silverado Honda Civic Honda CR-V Ford Focus Ram Toyota Corolla/Matrix Ford Fusion 47,273 34,542 32,953 32,297 27,087 24,759 23,350 22,595 22,148 21,773

Perspective
How the past 5 Februarys rank for U.S. light-vehicle sales 2008 2012 2011 2010 2009 1,176,161 1,149,432 993,566 780,422 689,040

anticipated.” Most analysts expected February’s seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales to fall between 13.8 million and 14.3 million. “It’s a breakout month, the first month that far exceeded expectations,” said Jesse Toprak, vice president of TrueCar.com. Dealers were ready for the spike in February demand, starting the month with a 66-day supply of vehicles, the most stock in a year. And they look like they’ll be OK for the rest of 2012. Carmakers and suppliers slashed North American capacity dramatically to survive in 2009 and 2010. As sales gained momentum late last year, several added shifts or are doing so. Anthony Pratt, Polk’s director of forecasting, said automakers could meet higher demand this year as long as it doesn’t exceed 15.5 million. “There could be some short-term constraints, but that would be a good problem to have,” he said. “Automakers can manage a small increase, but some of their suppliers might feel a pinch.” Toyota Motor Sales and American Honda are steadily restocking. Each managed a 12 percent sales gain in February, the second straight month each has increased yearover-year sales after struggling with supply disruption caused by the Japan earthquake and Thai floods. “Inventories are excellent and getting better all the time,” Carter said. Toyota added a second shift at its Blue Springs, Miss., plant in February and will boost Highlander SUV production capacity next year there and transmission output later this year in West Virginia, he said.

Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources

Winners and losers
February 2012
% change in sales from Feb. 2011

Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources

Winners (among major brands)
1. Chrysler Division 114% 2. Smart 59% 3. Jaguar 48% 3. Suzuki 48% 5. Volkswagen division 43%

Losers
1. Mitsubishi 2. Cadillac 3. Buick –31% –27% –11%

Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources

Erich Merkle, Ford’s chief sales analyst, said customers looking for “more fuel-efficient offerings” more than doubled February sales of the Focus from a year ago, when Ford was phasing out the old version and introducing the redesigned model. But he said Ford’s sales increase was even greater on the truck side than the car side, led by the F-series pickup gaining 26 percent with two V-6 engines capturing 57 percent of the model’s sales mix.

Rising tide
February’s big volume lifted almost everybody. The only exception was Mitsubishi, which was down 31 percent. Chrysler Group sales soared 40 percent, Volkswagen Group of America was up 34 percent, and Hyundai-Kia Automotive was up 26 percent. Nissan North America matched the industry average with

*Estimate †Fiat S.p.A. became the majority shareholder of Chrysler Group on July 21, 2011. Note: (D) = produced in North America; (I) = imported to U.S. Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources

a 16 percent increase. General Motors gained just 1 percent from February 2011, when the company ran big incentives. This year GM slashed February incentives by $720, or 19 percent, from the level of February 2011, TrueCar.com said. Ford Motor Co. slightly underperformed the market with a 14 percent increase in sales. But Ken Czubay, Ford’s head of sales and marketing, said “sales momentum built as February unfolded, with higher fuel prices driving consumer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles in the second half of the month.” Executives sounded relaxed about the trend toward higher pump prices. “We do not believe short-term fluctuations in pump prices will curtail industry growth this year,” GM’s Johnson said. “That’s because American consumers and the overall economy are in much better shape than they were a year ago.” Lithia Motors CEO Sid DeBoer even sees rising gasoline prices as a sales driver because automakers have introduced more high-mpg models. “Four- to five-dollar gas won’t have the same impact,” he said. “If anything, it allows people to trade up to a car that gets 24 mpg rather than one that gets 16 or 18 mpg.”

Pull-ahead sales
Toyota’s Carter said rising fuel prices “are pulling ahead some volume we wouldn’t see until later in the year.” Gasoline prices normally begin to rise in late April, he said, which spurs consumers to move to more fuel-efficient vehicles. Because prices went up in February, that shift is happening sooner. Carter said February sales of the Toyota Tacoma small pickup rose 35 percent from the same month last year. Reid Bigland, Chrysler Group’s U.S. sales boss, also discounted fuel prices as a negative because automakers are offering better fuel economy across the board. “A few years ago higher fuel prices were a threat to our total vehicle sales,” he said in a statement. “Today higher prices have become far less of an issue.” GM’s Johnson remains upbeat about the rest of 2012. He said consumers will adjust to high fuel prices and added that the continued high value of used cars will help to finance down payments on new vehicles. “When you look at the equity that people have in their current vehicles, and the improved credit availability and the low cost of financing,” he said, “absolutely that’s [what] makes it a great time to buy a car.” c
http://www.TrueCar.com http://www.Car.com
Automotive News - March 5, 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - March 5, 2012
