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[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
Reported US Hybrid Sales Up 5.2% Year on Year in June; 3% New Vehicle Market Share for the Month
July 03, 2009
| Hybrid new vehicle market share by month. Click to enlarge. |
Reported sales of hybrids in the US increased 5.2% by volume in June 2009 year-on-year to 26,205 units, representing 3% of new vehicles sold—marking the highest monthly new vehicle share since April 2008, and the fourth straight month of increasing share. For the first half of 2009, hybrids held a 2.6% new vehicle share.
Hybrids significantly outperformed the total light-duty vehicle market, which dropped 27.7% by volume to 859,847 units, according to figures from Autodata. The SAAR (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in June was 9.69 million—lower than May’s 9.91 million.
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US LDV Sales Down 33.7% in May; SAAR Up to 9.91M; Reported Hybrid Sales Down 28.5%; Hybrid New Vehicle Share of 2.8%
June 03, 2009
| New vehicle SAAR. Data: Autodata. Click to enlarge. |
Total sales of light-duty vehicles in the US decreased 33.7% by volume year-on-year in May 2009 to 925,824 units, according to figures compiled by Autodata. Although still a significant decrease compared to the prior year, the May 2009 results were the highest of the year so far, and raised the Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) to 9.91 million units—its highest level yet in 2009.
Sales of passenger cars declined 38.6% to 488,045 units; sales of light trucks declined 27.2% to 437,779. The car:truck ratio for new vehicle sales for the month was 52.7:47.3. OEM-reported sales of hybrids in the month dropped 28.5% to 25,693 units; hybrids thus held a 2.8% share of new vehicle sales, the best monthly result so far this year.
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US Hybrid Sales Down 45.5% in April
May 04, 2009
| Monthly US sales of hybrids. Click to enlarge. |
Reported sales of hybrids in the US reported by Toyota, Honda, Ford, GM and Nissan dropped 45.5% year-on-year in April to 21,735, despite full month sales for the new Honda Insight and the Ford Fusion and Milan hybrids. Total LDV sales in the US were down 34.4%. (Earlier post.)
The reported sales represented a 2.65% hybrid new vehicle market share (based on Autodata’s total LDV sales figure)—the highest monthly new vehicle share for hybrids so far this year, but below the 3.2% high mark in April 2008. Year-to-date in 2009, hybrids are holding a 2.4% new vehicle market share.
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US LDV Sales Down 34.4% in April; Hybrid Sales Down 45.5%
May 01, 2009
| US LDV SAAR. Click to enlarge. |
Reported US sales of light-duty vehicles in April dropped 34.4% year-on-year to 819,540 units, according to figures from Autodata. Sales of passenger cars dropped 34.2% to 432,939 units, while sales of light trucks dropped 34.5% to 386,601 units. April 2008 and April 2008 both had 26 selling days.
The Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) in April dropped to 9.32 million units, down from a 14.52 million SAAR in April 2008.
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US Hybrid Sales in March 2009 Down 44% Year-on-Year; Monthly New Vehicle Market Share of 2.5%
April 03, 2009
| Reported US sales of hybrids. Click to enlarge. |
US sales of hybrids in March 2009 as reported by the automakers dropped 44% by volume year-on-year to 21,433 units; that performance was worse than the total light duty vehicle market, which posted a 36.8% drop by volume for the month compared to March 2008, based on total sales figures from Autodata (earlier post).
Those results represented a 2.5% new vehicle market share for hybrids in March—down from 2.82% in March 2008, but the highest mark so far in 2009. The month also saw the debut of three new hybrids—the Honda Insight and the Ford Fusion and Milan—all of which only came on sale toward the end of the month.
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US LDV Sales Dropped 36.8% in March 2009; March SAAR Up Slightly to 9.86M Units
April 01, 2009
| SAAR in March climbed to the highest level yet this year. Click to enlarge. |
Sales of light-duty vehicles in the US dropped 36.8% by volume year-on-year in March 2009 to 857,735 units, according to figures from Autodata. Sales of passenger cars dropped 34.6% to 444,892 units, while sales of light-duty trucks dropped 39.0% to 412,843 units. March 2009 had 25 sales days compared to 26 in March 2008; all figures here reflect changes in actual volume, rather than adjusted day selling rate.
The SAAR (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in March 2009 was 9.86 million units, down 35% from March 2008’s 15.10 million units, but the highest result this year. January SAAR was 9.57 million, while February SAAR dropped further to 9.12 million.
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Tata Motors Launches the Nano in India, Details Booking Process
March 23, 2009
| The Tata Nano. Click to enlarge. |
Tata Motors held the commercial launch of the low-priced Tata Nano—the much-anticipated Rs 1-Lakh (about US$2,000) “People’s Car”. (Earlier post.) The Tata Nano is BS-III compliant and comes with an all-new 2-cylinder aluminium MPFI 624 cc petrol engine mated to a four-speed gear box and will be available in three variants. The cars will be on display across India at Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships and other select authorized outlets from 1 April.
The Nano is also available in BS-II variants and is BS-IV ready. BS II, BS III and BS IV are the India mandatory norms for NOx, HC, CO and particulates. These norms are substantially aligned with the European norms Euro II, Euro III and Euro IV; the main difference is that the peak speed in the extra urban driving cycle is 90 km/h in India and 120 km/h in Europe.
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US Hybrid Sales in February Drop 29%; Lower Decline Than General LDV Market
March 05, 2009
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| Reported sales of hybrids. Click to enlarge. |
Reported sales of light-duty hybrids in the US dropped 29% by volume in February year-on-year to 16,020 units. The decline in hybrids was less than the 41% decline in the overall light-duty vehicle market for the month. New hybrid sales represented 2.3% of the new vehicle market, essentially flat with the January 2009 results. In February 2008, hybrids held 1.9% of the new vehicle sales for the month.
Toyota. Toyota posted 7,232 units of the Prius, down 33.6% by volume year-on-year. Camry Hybrid sold 2,080 units, down 49.5% from the year before, and representing 10.1% of all Camry models sold. Sales of the non-hybrid Camry dropped 39.8% to 18,554 units. The Highlander Hybrid sold 956 units, down 50.7%, representing 19.1% of all Highlander models sold. Sales of the non-hybrid Highlander dropped 54.1% to 4052 units.
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February US LDV Sales Down 41.4%
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| SAAR Feb 2008 to Feb 2009. Data: Autodata. Click to enlarge. |
Light-duty vehicle sales in the US in February plunged 41.4% year-on-year to 688,909 units, according to figures from Autodata. The Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate fell to 9.12 million units, the sixth straight month of SAAR decline.
Passenger car sales were down 38.4% year-on-year, light truck sales were down 44.1%. Trucks nudged past cars for new vehicle share for the month, with a 50.4% share. February 2009 had 24 selling days, compared to 25 the prior year.
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Honda’s Cumulative World-wide Hybrid Sales Pass 300,000 In January 2009
February 19, 2009
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| Cumulative hybrid sales by model and region. Click to enlarge. |
Global sales of Honda hybrid vehicles reached 300,740 units on a cumulative basis at the end of January 2009. Honda first began hybrid sales in November 1999 with the introduction of its first-generation Insight in Japan.
The Civic Hybrid accounts for 85% of Honda’s combined hybrid sales, with 255,249 units, 75% of which were in North America. Put another way, sales of the Civic Hybrid in North America have accounted for 64% of Honda’s cumulative hybrid sales worldwide.
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New Car Registrations in UK fall 30.9% in January; Industry Urges UK Government to Provide Scrappage Incentives to Boost Demand
February 05, 2009
The new car market in the UK continued to decline sharply at the start of 2009, with volumes down by 30.9% to 112,087 units, according to figures from the UK’s SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders). SMMT expects the market to decline by 19.3% in 2009 to 1.72 million units. This would be some 410,000 units off the 2008 total and almost 685,000 units down on 2007.
In January, diesel penetration rose 0.7 percentage points to match its second highest level ever (45.6%), but diesel volumes still fell by 29.7%. Alternatively fuelled vehicle (AFV) demand showed a particularly sharp decline, down 47.4%, in part reflecting strong growth in 2008.
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Reported US Sales of Hybrids Drop 31% in January; 2.35% New Vehicle Market Share (updated w/ Chrysler)
February 04, 2009
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| Monthly reported sales of hybrids in the US. Click to enlarge. |
Reported sales of hybrids in the US in January dropped 32.2% by volume from the year before to a combined 15,442 units, a lower rate of decline than that of the overall light-duty vehicle market in the month.
Total light duty vehicle sales in the US dropped 37.1% by volume year-on-year to 656,976 units in January, according to figures from Autodata. Year-on-year sales of passenger cars dropped 36.3% to 315,863 units in January, while sales of light trucks dropped 37.8% to 341,113 units. (Earlier post.) Hybrids took a 2.35% share of the new vehicle market for the month.
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US LDV Sales Fall 37.1% in January; January SAAR Below 10 Million
February 03, 2009
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| January SAAR dropped below 10 million. Click to enlarge. |
Sales of light-duty vehicles (LDV) in the US continued their descent in January, dropping 37.1% by volume year-on-year to 656,976 units, according to figures from Autodata. The January 2009 Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) dropped below 10 million units to 9.57 million—a 38% drop compared to the January 2008 SAAR of 15.37 million, and the lowest level since 1982. Actual sales in 2008 were 13.2 million units, according to Autodata.
Year-on-year sales of passenger cars dropped 36.3% to 315,863 units in January, while sales of light trucks dropped 37.8% to 341,113 units. Light-duty trucks claimed a 51.9% new vehicle share for the month.
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Reported Sales of Hybrids Down 42.8% in December, 10% for 2008
January 06, 2009
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| December sales of hybrids were the lowest for that month since 2004. Click to enlarge. |
Reported sales of hybrids in the US dropped 42.7% in December 2008 year-on-year to 17,698 units—the lowest December figure since 2004, when there were only four hybrid models on the market. Overall light-duty vehicle sales in the US dropped 35.5% in the month. (Earlier post). For the full year, total reported hybrid sales dropped 10% to 313,781 units, while total light duty vehicle sales were down 18%.
The hybrid percentage share of new vehicles sold dropped to just below 2% (1.97%) in December. For the year, hybrids held a 2.4% share of the new vehicle market.
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US LDV Sales Down 35.5% in December, 18% for the Year
January 05, 2009
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| December SAAR was 10.32 million units, down from a 16.0 million SAAR in December 2007. Click to enlarge. |
Sales of new light-duty vehicles in the US in December 2008 were down 35.5% from December 2007 to 896,124 units, according to figures from Autodata. Passenger car sales were down 32.8% year-on-year to 423,763 units. Light truck sales were down 37.8% to 472,361 units. In December, the monthly market share of new light trucks rose to its highest point this year: 52.7%.
December SAAR (Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate) for the US was 10.32 million units, a dramatic drop from the 16.0 million unit SAAR of December 2007. Nevertheless, the December SAAR was incrementally up from November’s 10.18 million units, and was reflected in increased sales by a number of automakers from November to December.
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Japan Auto Industry Forecasts Further Domestic Decline in 2009
December 24, 2008
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| Passenger car demand in Japan. Click to enlarge. Data: JAMA |
In its December forecast, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) projects that total sales of passenger cars and commercial vehicles in Japan in calendar 2008 should finish at 5.11 million units, a decline of 4.5% from the previous year. JAMA is forecasting a further 4.9% reduction to 4.86 million units in 2009. Peak new vehicle demand in Japan’s domestic market was in 1996, with 7,077,745 units, according to JAMA.
Demand for passenger cars is estimated at 4.25 million units (down 3.3% from 2007); for trucks, at 843,000 units (down 10.1%); and for buses, at 15,400 units (down 1.4%). JAMA attributes the decline in sales of both passenger cars and commercial vehicles to the economic slowdown and sinking consumer confidence caused by soaring fuel prices in the first half of the year, as well as a dramatically deteriorating economy, starting in autumn, resulting from the “US-spawned global financial crisis.”
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US Sales of Hybrids Down 50% in November
December 09, 2008
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| Monthly hybrid sales in November were the lowest since February 2006. Click to enlarge. |
Reported US sales of hybrids dropped 50% in November to 16,571 units from November 2007—a volume slightly above that of November 2005. Overall light duty vehicle sales in the US in November dropped 36.7%. (Earlier post.) For November, hybrids represented 2.22% of the new vehicle light duty market; year-to-date, hybrids hold a 2.4% share of new vehicle sales. November 2007 and 2008 had the same number of selling days.
Toyota. Sales of the market-leading Prius were down 48.3% to 8,660—its lowest sales month since January 2007. Camry Hybrid sales were off 57.5%, down to 2,174 units. That accounted for 8.6% of all Camry sales. Total Camry sales for the month were down 28.8%. Sales of the Highlander Hybrid were down 64.8% to 907 units, representing 11.5% of all Highlander models sold. Total Highlander sales were down 35.9% in the month.
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US Light Duty Vehicle Sales Plunge 36.7% in November
December 02, 2008
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| Market share of light trucks climbed back up to 51.9% in November. Click to enlarge. |
Total US sales of light-duty vehicles (LDV) plunged 36.7% in November from November 2007 to 746,789 units, according to figures from Autodata. There were 25 selling days in November 2008 and November 2007. Year-to-date, total LDV sales are down 16.3% from 2007.
Sales of passenger cars dropped 36.5% year-on-year, while sales of light trucks dropped 36.9% year-on-year. The market share of new light trucks in November pushed back up to 51.9%—the highest level since February. Year-to-date passenger car sales are down 8.3%, while year-to-date truck sales are down 23.4%.
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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.
