Automotive News - October 4, 2010 - 23

OCTOBER 4, 2010 • 23

U.S. light-vehicle sales – continued
Sept. 2010 Sept. 2009 9 mos. 2010 9 mos. 2009

SALES
Cause to feel good — but not too good
continued from Page 1

Top 10 vehicles
9 months 2010
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Ford F series Chevrolet Silverado Toyota Camry Honda Accord Toyota Corolla/Matrix Honda Civic Nissan Altima Chevrolet Malibu Ford Fusion Hyundai Sonata 385,879 267,715 250,830 235,631 209,186 198,272 168,897 163,246 161,581 149,123

Winners and losers
Sept. 2010
% change in sales from Sept. 2009

Aerio/SX4 (I) ..................................................... Forenza/Reno (I) ............................................... Kizashi (I) .......................................................... Verona (I) .......................................................... Total Suzuki car (I).................................. Equator .............................................................. Grand Vitara (I) ................................................. XL7 (D)............................................................ XL-7 (I)............................................................ Total XL7/XL-7.................................................. Total Suzuki truck ................................... Suzuki domestic ..................................... Suzuki import ........................................ SUZUKI ................................................. ES (I).................................................................. GS (I)................................................................. HS (I)................................................................. IS (I)................................................................... LS (I).................................................................. SC (I) ................................................................. Total Lexus car (I)................................... GX (I)................................................................. LX (I).................................................................. RX (D) ............................................................. RX (I)............................................................... Total RX............................................................. Total Lexus truck .................................... Total Lexus ........................................... tC (I)................................................................... xA (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).............................................................. 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 ............................................................... Total Toyota Division truck ........................ Total Toyota Division ............................... Total Toyota Motor Sales car ..................... Total Toyota Motor Sales truck ................... Toyota Motor Sales domestic..................... Toyota Motor Sales import ........................ TOYOTA MOTOR SALES ............................. A3 (I).................................................................. A4/S4 (I)............................................................ A5/S5 (I)............................................................ A6/S6 (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 ................................................................... New Beetle......................................................... Passat (I)........................................................... Rabbit/Golf/GTI/R32 (I) .................................... Total VW division car............................... Routan............................................................... Tiguan (I)........................................................... Touareg (I) ........................................................ Total VW division truck............................. Total VW division ................................... Total VW Group of America car .................. Total VW Group of America truck ................ VW Group of America domestic .................. VW Group of America import ..................... 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 NORTH AMERICA.................... 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.....................

749 – 477 – 1,226 118 290 7 – 7 415 125 1,516 1,641 3,697 542 711 2,447 712 26 8,135 1,054 339 5,566 1,854 7,420 8,813 16,948 981 – 1,687 894 3,562 2,504 30,518 251 30,769 13,866 7,194 21,060 11,394 3,546 2,835 72,108 3,577 1,424 4,841 2,983 7,824 109 11,161 3,524 14,685 1,208 9,920 8,874 6,923 54,544 126,652 83,805 63,357 98,927 48,235 147,162 558 2,415 1,172 787 83 103 83 5,201 2,277 673 2,950 8,151 129 2,132 521 10,769 1,012 722 1,934 17,090 1,206 1,326 321 2,853 19,943 22,420 5,803 12,987 15,236 28,223 248 279 88 262 949 739 2,565 878 709 1,587 4,152 325,721 165,391 491,112 402,337 65,600 467,937 728,058 230,991 959,049

1,224 21 – – 1,245 72 364 178 – 178 614 250 1,609 1,859 3,046 501 1,242 3,346 777 19 8,931 473 307 5,631 2,597 8,228 9,008 17,939 1,232 – 1,539 912 3,683 1,939 25,384 361 25,745 20,430 311 20,741 10,984 4,738 1,907 66,054 666 413 – 5,216 5,216 233 4,656 5,742 10,398 1,150 6,442 7,513 6,308 38,339 104,393 78,668 47,347 84,191 41,824 126,015 362 2,945 987 623 187 77 179 5,360 1,106 743 1,849 7,209 131 2,290 516 9,568 1,660 664 548 15,246 901 886 325 2,112 17,358 20,737 3,961 12,129 12,569 24,698 – – – – – – – – – – – 278,214 136,550 414,764 278,049 53,311 331,360 556,263 189,861 746,124

8,246 12 3,957 – 12,215 1,083 3,374 300 – 300 4,757 1,383 15,589 16,972 33,960 5,239 7,962 24,694 8,287 283 80,425 11,522 2,595 52,240 15,656 67,896 82,013 162,438 9,829 – 15,803 7,602 33,234 21,305 248,702 2,128 250,830 183,253 25,933 209,186 103,334 36,410 31,793 652,858 33,177 11,350 47,260 15,770 63,030 1,278 68,039 58,352 126,391 9,200 72,131 77,584 68,645 462,786 1,115,644 766,517 544,799 884,769 426,547 1,311,316 4,570 25,929 12,596 6,211 651 516 1,308 51,781 16,636 5,173 21,809 73,590 954 20,893 5,709 87,107 14,747 11,356 22,225 162,037 12,539 15,282 2,832 30,653 192,690 214,772 52,462 114,393 152,841 267,234 557 589 141 437 1,933 1,481 5,138 1,908 1,547 3,455 8,593 3,111,600 1,450,800 4,562,400 3,489,919 569,471 4,059,390 6,601,519 2,020,271 8,621,790

17,268 3,761 – 1 21,030 2,033 6,492 3,962 3 3,965 12,490 5,995 27,525 33,520 33,431 5,277 1,785 27,911 7,388 595 76,387 5,183 2,513 43,612 21,713 65,325 73,021 149,408 15,028 3 20,531 11,686 47,248 19,878 255,239 9,118 264,357 184,407 30,631 215,038 104,794 39,416 50,785 694,268 13,127 8,381 – 61,484 61,484 1,747 31,155 75,708 106,863 11,752 59,772 85,773 56,599 405,498 1,099,766 817,903 478,519 787,603 508,819 1,296,422 2,657 27,967 6,237 4,794 1,046 546 1,493 44,740 9,326 5,452 14,778 59,518 994 15,187 5,915 81,161 11,646 9,163 11,236 134,308 12,639 9,839 2,994 25,472 159,780 180,042 40,250 105,446 114,846 220,292 – – – – – – – – – – – 2,823,928 1,499,998 4,323,926 2,884,349 607,813 3,492,162 5,708,277 2,107,811 7,816,088

Winners (among major brands)
1. Saab 2. Chrysler Division 3. Dodge 4. Jeep 5. Ford division 133% 92% 71% 66% 49% –48% –12% –12% –6% –3%

would go quicker.” Among the gainers last month: Ford Motor’s sales jumped 40 percent to 160,375. With strong sales of pickups and new vehicles such as the Fiesta subcompact, Ford narrowed its gap behind General Motors Co. and solidified its lead over Toyota Motor Sales for the year. It now looks as if Ford will maintain the No. 2 spot for all of 2010, said Edmunds.com analyst Ivan Drury. Ford has sold 1.5 million vehicles through September vs. 1.3 million for Toyota. “It would be very difficult for them to fall down and allow Toyota to get that No. 2 spot again,” Drury said. GM’s sales rose just 11 percent in September to 173,031, including its four discontinued brands. Sales at GM’s four core brands — Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC — rose 22 percent. Retail sales of the core brands jumped 39 percent. Big pickups contributed significantly to the automaker’s retail and overall sales improvements in September, said Don Johnson, GM vice president of U.S. sales operations. At Toyota Motor Sales, sales rose 17 percent for September to 147,162. It was a good month, but after a strong start, the pace was erratic, said Bob Carter, Toyota Division general manager. “Sales were so strong during Labor Day that it felt like 2006 again,” Carter said. “But by the end of the month, the pace had slowed to a more typical 2010 level.” Chrysler Group posted the biggest year-over-year increase of any manufacturer for the month, rising 61 percent to 100,077. “Chrysler is benefiting from stable gas prices and the highly visible launch of the redesigned Grand Cherokee,” said Edmund’s Drury.

Losers
1. Smart 2. Volvo 3. Suzuki 4. Lexus 5. Scion

Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources

Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources

Winners and losers
9 months 2010
% change in sales from 9 mos. 2009

Top 10 vehicles
Sept. 2010
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Ford F series Chevrolet Silverado Toyota Camry Honda Accord Toyota Corolla/Matrix Hyundai Sonata Nissan Altima Honda Civic Honda CR-V Ram 47,433 32,185 30,769 24,127 21,060 20,639 20,016 18,637 17,907 16,887 58% 44% 31% 26% 25% –62% –53% –49% –30% –12%

Winners (among major brands)
1. Buick 2. Cadillac 3. GMC 4. Acura 5. Dodge

Losers
1. Smart 2. Saab 3. Suzuki 4. Scion 5. Volvo

Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources

Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources

More sales tables ➤ 21
“As long as consumers are not worried about high fuel costs, Chrysler should be able to maintain a decent sales pace, since 71 percent of Chrysler sales are trucks.” Of the large manufacturers, the biggest gainers for the month were Chrysler, Hyundai Motor America and Ford. The smallest increases came from GM and Toyota. Nissan and Honda were in the middle of the pack. With three months to go, Toyota’s Carter and other manufacturers reiterated their earlier forecasts that 2010 sales would come in around 11.5 million vehicles. But after the roller-coaster ride of the past two-plus years, auto executives have learned not to count on anything.

“That’s a tough one to call,” said Timothy Colbeck, senior vice president of sales at Subaru of America, which posted a 47 percent increase for September. “Every time you think you’re starting to see momentum build, it seems like something sets us back a little bit.” And while some economic indicators are improving, others remain troubled. “We’re hopeful that the fourth quarter will log a good SAAR,” said Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, Ford’s chief economist. “But as you know, we have this so-called troika of challenges out there on jobs, housing and credit.” c David Barkholz, Ryan Beene and Jesse Snyder contributed to this report

ALLIANCES
BMW with Saab, Nissan with Daimler
continued from Page 3

*Estimate †The sale of Volvo to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group was final on Aug. 2, 2010; includes Volvo sales through July 2010. ††The sale of Saab to Spyker Cars was final on Feb. 23, 2010; includes Saab sales through Feb. 2010. Note: (D) = produced in North America; (I) = imported to U.S. Source: Automotive News Data Center and company sources

ible with cooperation agreements.” Bosch’s Bohr said the financial stress comes from researching a host of alternative powertrain options while improving existing internal combustion engines to cut emissions and boost fuel economy. “I think we will see, between some of the Japanese makers and some of the European makers, different forms of alliances,” he said. First, though, it was a Swedish-German partnership. Saab and BMW signed an agreement for BMW to supply engines for Saab’s next-generation 9-3. Under the accord, BMW will provide Saab with a four-cylinder, 1.6-liter, turbocharged gasoline powerplant in 2012. The engine currently is used in the Mini. Asked why Saab isn’t creating engines itself, CEO Jan Ake Jonsson said, “It is too expensive to develop your own engine.”

‘We have a powerhouse’
In the meantime, Ghosn said he’s focused on expanding his companies’ ties with Daimler.

For an expanded version of this table, go to autonews.com/datacenter

“We know we have a powerhouse,” he said. ”When you add the r&d of Renault, Nissan and Daimler, we are the largest in the industry. We have every kind of technology, particularly if we get organized within ourselves. It can be a competitive advantage.” For now, the Renault-Nissan work with Daimler is limited to light commercial vehicles, powertrain sharing and development of the Smart car and the Renault Twingo. Ghosn said that once those projects achieve their “breakthrough,” cooperation among the three automakers could expand into such areas as electric vehicles and battery development. Nissan also is talking with Daimler about using a car platform for the Infiniti luxury brand, said Colin Dodge, a Nissan executive vice president. The companies planned to meet last week to iron out details, such as selecting Daimler diesel engines to be offered with the Infiniti model, Dodge said. And, in a flashback to 2006, GM is in the picture again. Ghosn said last week that a tighter alliance with Daimler would not necessarily quash a potential deal with GM. Some areas, such as shared development of a minivan, would not conflict with any areas of Daimler products, he said. Separately, Daimler’s Zetsche confirmed that his company has been dis-

cussing shared hybrid technology with Toyota. He cautioned that the companies are “just testing the water” and said he did not expect any “concrete potential outcome in the short term.” “Our priority is Renault and Nissan,” Zetsche said.

A familiar face
And then there’s VW’s Piech, who has set his sights on Alfa as the next brand in an expanding empire. Fiat sources say Piech has been courting money-losing Alfa since the summer of 2009. They say he has made several attempts at buying the brand, mainly to help VW’s Audi compete directly with Mercedes-Benz in a scenario that then would allow a VWowned Alfa to take on BMW. Marchionne, for his part, said he has “no intention at all of selling Alfa.” He expects to launch Alfa in the United States in late 2012 and achieve volumes of 85,000 vehicles two years later. Piech, meanwhile, said nothing would happen with Alfa for at least two years. Yet he only stoked speculation when reporters persisted with questions about VW’s adding the Italian make to its stable of a dozen brands. Said Piech: “Thirteen is my lucky number.” c
http://www.munds.com http://www.autonews.com/datacenter
Automotive News - October 4, 2010

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