Sales
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Europe Passenger Car Registrations Fell 14.5% in October
November 14, 2008
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| Year-on-year change in passenger car registrations in Europe by country in October 2008. Click to enlarge. |
Demand for new passenger cars in Europe fell by 14.5% in October, according to figures published by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). Reflecting the financial and economic crisis, new car registrations have now decreased for six consecutive months, most notably since the summer. Cumulative figures over January to October show a decline of 5.4%.
October new car registrations in Europe reached a total of 1,134,031 units. Registrations over the first ten months of the year added up to 12,852,387 new vehicles. No calendar effect occurred in October as the number of working days were about the same compared to 2007 across the whole region.
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US Sales of Hybrids in October Down 10%; Monthly Share Up to 2.6%
November 05, 2008
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| Reported US sales of hybrids. Click to enlarge. |
Reported sales of hybrids in the US in October dropped 10% by volume to 21,979 units from 24,443 units in October. There were 27 selling days for October 2008, versus 26 days for October 2007.
However, with the overall 31.9% decline in light-duty vehicle sales in the US (earlier post) hybrids represented 2.62% of the new vehicle market for the month, up from 1.98% in October 2007. For the 10 months through October 2008, hybrids have a 2.4% share of the new vehicle market.
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US Light Duty Vehicle Sales Down 31.9% In October; “Probably the Worst Sales Month in Post-WWII Era”
November 04, 2008
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| Sales of passenger cars in October 2008 surpassed those of light trucks for 51.1% of the market. Click to enlarge. |
Sales of light-duty vehicles in the US dropped 31.9% by volume year-on-year in October to 838,156 units, according to Autodata. There were 27 selling days for October 2008, versus 26 days for October 2007. Mark LaNeve, vice president, GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing, termed October 2008 “probably the worst industry sales month in the post-WWII era.”
Sales of passenger cars dropped 23.6% by volume to 428,089 units; sales of light-duty trucks plunged 38.9% to 410,067 units. Cars once again edged back past trucks to take 51.1% of new vehicle sales in October 2008. October 2008 also saw a 16% drop in the average price of gasoline in the US (all grades) to $3.112, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
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US Sales of Hybrids Down 8.9% in September
October 03, 2008
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| Monthly reported sales of hybrids in the US. Click to enlarge. |
Reported sales of hybrids in the US dropped 8.9% by volume to 20,836 units in September 2008 year-on-year—the lowest September sales volume since 2005. Overall sales of light duty vehicles in the US in September dropped 26.6% year-on-year. (Earlier post.) September 2008 had 24 selling days, compared to 25 selling days last September. Hybrids had a 2.2% new vehicle market share for the month.
Toyota. September sales of the Prius dropped 13% to 10,873 from the year prior on continuing limited availability. Sales of the Camry Hybrid were down 33.6% to 2,785 units year-on-year, representing 9.4% of all Camry models sold in the month. Total Camry sales were down 27% by volume to 29,486 units from the year before. Sales of the Highlander Hybrid rose substantially year-on-year to 921 units, up from 193 in September 2007. Hybrids represented 16.1% of all Highlander sales. Total Highlander sales dropped 30% to 5,729 units.
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US Light Duty Vehicle Sales Down 26.6% in September; Truck Sales Edge Past Cars
October 02, 2008
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| Sales of light duty trucks edged back past those of passenger cars in September 2008, capturing a 50.3% share for the month. The national average price of gasoline (all grades) is plotted in green. Click to enlarge. |
Sales of new light-duty vehicles in the US plunged to 964,873 units in September, a 26.6% drop compared to September 2007, according to figures compiled by Autodata. Sales of both passenger cars and trucks plummeted, although for the first time since February the share of new light trucks edged past that of cars, to 50.3% of vehicle sales in the month. There were 24 selling days in September 2008, compared to 25 selling days last September.
Passenger car sales were down 21.6% year-on-year to 479,531 units, according to Autodata, while light truck sales dropped 31% to 485,342 units. The SAAR (seasonally adjusted annual selling rate) for the industry in September was 12.5 million units—the lowest level since 1991. The SAAR at this time last year was 16.19 million units.
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US Sales of Hybrids Up 3.6% Year-on-Year in August 2008
September 04, 2008
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| Monthly sales of hybrids. Click to enlarge. |
Reported US sales of hybrids from the major automakers rose 3.6% in August 2008 compared to the same month the year before to 26,045 units. This represented a 2.08% new vehicle market share for the month, on total light duty vehicles sales of 1,249,793 units, as reported by Autodata. The August 2008 results fell short of the current August sales record of 26,249 units hit in 2006.
Overall, sales of light-duty vehicles in the US fell 15.5% in August 2008, with sales of passenger cars dropping by 7.7% to 628,947 units, while light truck sales plunged 22.1% to 620,846 units from the year before. (Earlier post.)
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US Light Duty Vehicle Sales Fall 15.5% for August 2008 Year-on-Year; Light Trucks Increase Their Market Share
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| The new sales market share of passenger cars and trucks, plotted against the average US price of gasoline (green line). Click to enlarge. |
Total sales of light duty vehicles in the US in August 2008 fell 15.5% to 1,249,793 units from 1,478,274 units in August 2007, according to data provided by Autodata. Passenger car sales dropped 7.7% to 628,947 units from 681,130, while light truck sales plunged 22.1% to 620,846 units from 797,144 the year before.
Although the August results mark the sixth straight month that sales of passenger cars exceed sales of light trucks, the gap between the two was the narrowest of those six months—cars 50.3%, light trucks 49.7%.
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US Hybrid Sales Down 6% in July
August 04, 2008
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| Total reported hybrid sales. Click to enlarge. |
Reported US sales of hybrids in July dropped 6% year-on-year to 26,877 units, representing a new vehicle market share of 2.4% for the month. Through July, reported 2008 sales of hybrids in the US are down 1.6% compared to the same period in 2007, representing a new vehicle market share for the first seven months of 2008 of 2.5%.
Total sales of light duty vehicles in the US dropped 13.2% in July, according to figures from Autodata. (Earlier post.) Through July, total light duty vehicle sales have declined 10.5% compared to the same period in 2007.
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US Light Duty Vehicle Sales Continue Decline in July
August 01, 2008
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| The SAAR for US light-duty vehicles dropped to 12.55 million in July. Click to enlarge. |
US sales of light-duty vehicles continued their decline in July, dropping to a total 1.136 million units, a 13.2% reduction in volume compared to July 2007, according to Autodata. The seasonally adjusted sales rate (SAAR) dropped to 12.55 million units. July 2008 had two selling days more than July 2007 (26 vs. 24).
The year-on-year decrease came, in general, out of the light-duty truck segment. Sales of cars in July 2008 slightly increased 0.3% on a volume basis (not on a day-sales rate) to 620,213 units, according to Autodata. Light truck sales, however, dropped 25.2% by volume from the year before to 515,963 units. The car-truck ratio for the month was 55:45, the fifth consecutive month cars have held the majority of the new light vehicle market.
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Reported US Sales of Hybrids Down 27% in June; Share of New Vehicle Sales Down to 2.1%
July 03, 2008
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| Reported hybrid sales by monthly volume. Click to enlarge. |
Reported US sales of hybrids took a 27% dive in June 2008 to 24,917 units from 34,300 units in June 2007 as Toyota continued to struggle with limited availability of the Prius. The Prius sold 11,765 units in June 2008, down 34% from June 2007. June 2008 had 24 selling days, compared to 27 in June 2007.
Total light-duty vehicle sales in the US dropped 18.3% by volume in June to 1,189,108 units, according to Autodata, with sales of passenger cars dropping 7.9% and sales of light trucks dropping 28.4%. Reported hybrid sales represent 2.1% of new vehicle sales for the month.
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Total US LDV Sales Down 18.2% by Volume in June 2008; Down 10.1% For First Six Months
July 01, 2008
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| Car sales have exceeded those of trucks for four months running. Click to enlarge. |
Light duty vehicle sales in the US dropped 18.2% by volume in June 2008 compared to June 2007, to a total of 1,185,435 units, according to data from Ward’s Auto. On an adjusted day sales rate (DSR) basis, the drop was 2.3%—June 2008 had three less selling days than June 2007. For the first six months of the year, the decrease in sales by volume was 10.1% for all light duty vehicles compared to the same period in 2007.
Passenger car sales saw an 8% decrease by volume in June year-on year, with an increase of 3.5% on a DSR basis. Light truck sales dropped 28.5% by volume in June year-on-year, with a decrease of 19.5% on a DSR basis. For the first six months of 2008, car sales dropped 1.6% by volume, while truck sales have dropped 18%.
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US Sales of Hybrids Drop Year-on-Year in May 2008
June 04, 2008
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| Total reported hybrid sales in the US. Click to enlarge. |
Reported US sales of hybrids in May 2008 declined 20% from May 2007 to 35,943 units. This drop is largely, but not solely, due to a 37% drop in sales of the Prius to 15,011 units in May 2008 from 24,009 units in May 2007. Toyota characterized the decline as due to “limited availability”.
The May 2008 figures also include sales of the Lexus LS600h and five hybrids from GM (Tahoe and Yukon two-modes, Saturn VUE, Saturn Aura and Chevy Malibu.) All percentage comparisons here are by total sales volume, not by adjusted day sales rate.
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Light Truck Sales Plummet in May 2008
June 03, 2008
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| Passenger car sales have exceeded those of light trucks for three months running, with the gap widening. Click to enlarge. |
May 2008 US sales of light-duty trucks dropped 23.6% compared to May 2007 to 601,703 units, according to Autodata. Overall light-duty vehicle sales were down by 10.7% for the same period, while sales of passenger cars increased 2.4%.
Car sales exceeded truck sales for the third month in a row, with the gap between the two widening each of those months. In May 2008, passenger cars accounted for 56.9% of all light-duty vehicle sales; the last time the passenger car percentage was at that level (on an annual basis) was in the mid 1990s (58.8% in 1995, 56.7% in 1996).
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Reported US Sales of Hybrids in April Pass 3% Market Share of New Vehicles Sold
May 05, 2008
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| New vehicle market share for reported hybrid sales. Click to enlarge. |
Reported US sales of hybrids in April climbed 46% to 39,898 units from April 2007. While April is the second-highest reported monthly total of hybrid sales, the increase in hybrid volume combined with the general decrease in light-duty vehicle sales (earlier post) pushed the new vehicle market share for hybrids past the 3% mark for the first time, to 3.2%. The results do not include hybrid sales from GM.
Sales of Toyota’s Prius were up 67% to 21,757 units. Toyota has now sold more than 680,000 Priuses in total in the US (more than 514,000 beginning in 2004), and will likely break the 700,000-unit mark next month.
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US Car Sales in April Outpace Trucks for Second Month in a Row
May 02, 2008
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| Monthly sales of cars and light trucks in the US, January-April, 2007 and 2008. Click to enlarge. |
Sales of passenger cars in the US in April exceeded the number of light trucks sold for the second month in a row, with 655,432 units sold compared to 591,122, according to figures from Autodata.
The US new vehicle market has been generally characterized by greater share of heavier light truck sales for a number of years, with light truck sales finally exceeding those of cars in 2001 on an annual basis, according to the Transportation Energy Data Book. However, car sales have recently occassionally exceeded those of trucks—in May 2007, for example, and before that in 2002.
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R. L. Polk & Co. Analysis of Hybrid Sales Suggests Segment Affinity Among Hybrid Buyers
April 21, 2008
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| The top 10 metro markets for hybrids in 2007. Click to enlarge. |
Nationwide registrations for new hybrid vehicles rose to 350,289 registrations in 2007—a 38% increase from 2006, according to R. L. Polk & Co. The Toyota Prius continued to lead the segment with 179,178 total new registrations—51.2% of hybrid market share.
Polk’s analysis shows that buyers of specific hybrid models predominantly come from the vehicle segment shared by their new hybrid purchase. In 2007, 55% of new hybrid buyers previously had a midsize car, midsize SUV or small car model. These vehicle segments represent the majority of the volume in the hybrid category and indicate consumers may be predisposed to a body style first before choosing a hybrid model, according to Polk.
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Reported US Sales of Hybrids Up 10% in March; Total LDV Sales Down 12%
April 05, 2008
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| Reported sales of US hybrids by month. Click to enlarge. |
Reported US sales of hybrids climbed 10% in March 2008 year-on-year to 38,214 units—the second highest monthly total yet, behind only the results from May 2007. Total light-duty vehicle (LDV) US sales in March dropped 12%, according to figures from Autodata, with total passenger car sales dropping 5.4% and total light truck sales dropping 17.8% from March 2007.
Percent changes reported are based on a straight comparison of numbers, and are not adjusted for the selling days in the month. There were 26 selling days in March 2008, as compared to 28 selling days last March. The figures do not include sales results from GM, which does not yet break out its hybrid results in the monthly sales reports.
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Sales of New smart fortwo Hit 100,000 in First Year
April 01, 2008
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| The 100,000th next-generation smart fortwo is delivered in Munich. |
Since the end of March 2007, the second-generation model of the smart fortwo two-seater (earlier post) has been purchased by a total of 100,000 customers, representing a sales increase of more than 80%. The new fortwo is now offered in 37 countries.
The fortwo is most popular with customers in Italy and Germany, who account for two-thirds of all drivers of the new two-seater. Demand is particularly high for the premium equipment line “passion”, which is chosen by two out of three buyers worldwide.
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US Sales of Hybrids in February Dip From Year Before
March 05, 2008
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| Reported US sales of hybrids. Click to enlarge. |
Reported US sales of hybrids in February dipped 2.5% from the prior year to 22,413 units. The results do not include sales from GM, which does not yet report its hybrid sales separately. Overall, light-duty vehicle sales in the US dropped 6.3% in February from the year before to 1,176,236 units, according to Autodata.
The new vehicle share of reported hybrid sales thus dropped back below the 2% mark to 1.9%—about one-tenth of a percentage point above the share in February 2007.
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European Automobile Production Grows by 5.3% in 2007; Diesel Accounts for 53.3% of New Car Registrations
February 20, 2008
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| Diesel share of new car registrations in Western Europe, 1990-2007. Click to enlarge. |
Automotive production from the European motor vehicle industry in the EU27 grew 5.3% in 2007, reaching nearly 19.7 million vehicles (passenger cars, trucks and buses), according to the ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) winter Economic Report.
Diesel-powered cars accounted for 53.3% of total new car registrations in Western Europe in 2007, up from 13.8% in 1990. Luxembourg (77.2%), Belgium (77%), France (73.9%) and Spain (70.9%) had the highest diesel share of new car registrations in 2007. The share of 4x4s has increased steadily as well, rising from 2.6% in 1990 to 9.9% in 2009.
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Reported US Sales of Hybrids Up 27.3% In January 2008
February 07, 2008
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| Total reported hybrid sales by month. Click to enlarge. |
US sales of hybrids in January 2008 climbed 27.3% to 22,392 units, according to monthly sales reports from automakers. That number does not yet include hybrid sales figures from GM, who does not report them separately.
The reported sales of hybrids represented 2.14% of the more than 1.04 million new vehicles sold in the month. According to figures from Autodata, total new light-duty vehicle sales in January declined 4.2% year-on-year, with total passenger car sales declining 2.3% and total light truck sales dropping 6.1%.
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Cumulative Reported US Sales of Hybrids Edge Past the One Million Mark in 2007
January 09, 2008
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| Hybrids pass the one million mark. Click to enlarge. |
The cumulative reported US sales of hybrids, beginning with the introduction of the Honda Insight in 1999 and running through 2007, passed the one million mark in 2007 to reach more than 1,002,000 units.
The sales figures come from manufacturers’ monthly reports. The cumulative figure does not yet include sales from GM, who does not break out its hybrid sales separately.
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Reported US Hybrid Sales Up 36% In December, 38% for 2007
January 04, 2008
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| Reported hybrid sales by month. Click to enlarge. |
Reported sales of hybrids in December 2007 in the US reached 30,871 units, a year-on-year increase of 36%. Combined reported sales for all of 2007 climbed 38% to almost 350,000 units. GM is not yet breaking out its hybrid sales in reporting, so actual totals are higher. Total light-duty vehicle sales in the US dropped 2.9% in December, and 2.5% for the year, according to Ward’s.
With those reported numbers, hybrids closed out the year with a 2.22% share of the new vehicle market in December, and a 2.15% new vehicle market share for the entire year.
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Hybrids Post Strong US Sales in November; Up 82% Year-on-Year
December 06, 2007
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| Total hybrid sales by month. Click to enlarge. |
Reported sales of hybrids in the US in November rose 82% year-on-year to reach 33,233 total units, representing 2.8% of all light-duty vehicles sold during the month. GM does not break out its hybrid sales separately, and so is not reflected in the hybrid number—thus, the actual hybrid total and new market share will slightly higher.
Total light-duty vehicle sales in the US dropped 1.6% year-on-year in November to 1,179,848 units, according to Autodata, with sales of light trucks dropping 7.4% and sales of passenger cars increasing 5.5%.
