March 2008 Vehicles Sales
04-02-08, 05:39 AM
#46
There are consumers out there who will read these publications, see that a certain car scored poorly, may have horrible crash test data, poor fuel economy, etc. and still buy the car because they want it. Then, there are others who make the practical decision and review all of this data prior to their purchase.
So, who knows?
There may be a slip in sales, but most likely continue to sell these units.
So, who knows?
There may be a slip in sales, but most likely continue to sell these units.
04-02-08, 05:50 AM
#47
Lexus Champion
I agree. In the case of the ES, as well as all successful new models, it sold very well in '06 and '07 (75K-85K per year). It's inevitible that sales won't continue at those intro levels, and eventually they will settle in at their long term sales rate. At least until a refresh or new model.
04-02-08, 05:53 AM
#48
Lexus Champion
There are consumers out there who will read these publications, see that a certain car scored poorly, may have horrible crash test data, poor fuel economy, etc. and still buy the car because they want it. Then, there are others who make the practical decision and review all of this data prior to their purchase.
So, who knows? There may be a slip in sales, but most likely continue to sell these units.
So, who knows?
There may be a slip in sales, but most likely continue to sell these units.I did not mention the other that over a length of time impacts a product on the market...word of mouth... 10,000 PO'd consumers can ultimately, over a period of time, cause a sales drop of a product by telling their friends, family and business associates, as an example, never mind the added publication impact.
04-02-08, 07:53 AM
#49
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Luxury Car Sales (March 2008)
Brand
1. Lexus - 24,939
2. BMW - 23,115
3. Mercedes-Benz - 20,808
4. Cadillac - 17,453
5. Infiniti - 13,821 (outsold Acura for the first time in history)
6. Acura - 13,288
7. Lincoln - 10,913
8. Volvo - 9,263
9. Audi - 7,987 (disappointing, should be at least 10k a month)
10. Land Rover - 3,054
11. Saab - 2,962
12. Porsche - 2,467
13. Jaguar - 1,752 (yikes)
Entry
1. 3 - 11,226 (coupe/sedan/covert/M, jumped back over 10k units)
2. G35/37 - 8,269 (coupe/sedan, selling well for the brand)
3. C class - 6,713 (redesign doing very well)
4. CTS - 6,045 (GM doing big things!!!)
5. ES - 6,019 (dipped some)
6. IS - 4,798 (holding steady for Lexus)
7. TL - 4,269 (IMO, still selling very well for an older car and a questionable refresh)
8. A4 - 4,061 (I wonder if we add A5 how much the total is)
9. MKZ - 3,501 (solid amount)
10. TSX - 2,280 (not this class but I copied and pasted)
11. 9-3 - 2,133 (ditto)
12. S40 - 1,528 (ditto)
13. S60 - 1,243
14. X-Type - 46 (about to kick the bucket)
Mid
1. 5 - 3,667 (everyone down, 5 still leading)
2. E - 3,039 (not bad for such an expensive car)
3. M - 1,753 (still in incredible feat for the brand, beating Lexus here)
4. GS - 1,668 (sales will only continue to dwindle, IMO)
5. S80 - 1,629 (GOOD SHOW!!! New redesign is selling)
6. STS - 1,486 (amazing they sold twice as much with rebates)
7. XF - 1,161 (wow, pretty good start)
8. A6 - 898 (sad, so overlooked)
9. RL - 548 (will get worse with the childish, pathetic redesign)
10. 9-5 - 316 (kill Saab)
11. S-Type - 80 (discontinued)
Flagship
1. LS - 2,125 (still a huge lead, the standard in class)
2. S - 1,622 (more variants, more expensive, selling well)
3. 7 - 1,467 (lease deal helping an older car that has aged as well as **** Cheney's heart)
4. A8 - 249 (so sad, so sad a great car)
5. XJ - 218 (even sadder, a great car)
Brand
1. Lexus - 24,939
2. BMW - 23,115
3. Mercedes-Benz - 20,808
4. Cadillac - 17,453
5. Infiniti - 13,821 (outsold Acura for the first time in history)
6. Acura - 13,288
7. Lincoln - 10,913
8. Volvo - 9,263
9. Audi - 7,987 (disappointing, should be at least 10k a month)
10. Land Rover - 3,054
11. Saab - 2,962
12. Porsche - 2,467
13. Jaguar - 1,752 (yikes)
Entry
1. 3 - 11,226 (coupe/sedan/covert/M, jumped back over 10k units)
2. G35/37 - 8,269 (coupe/sedan, selling well for the brand)
3. C class - 6,713 (redesign doing very well)
4. CTS - 6,045 (GM doing big things!!!)
5. ES - 6,019 (dipped some)
6. IS - 4,798 (holding steady for Lexus)
7. TL - 4,269 (IMO, still selling very well for an older car and a questionable refresh)
8. A4 - 4,061 (I wonder if we add A5 how much the total is)
9. MKZ - 3,501 (solid amount)
10. TSX - 2,280 (not this class but I copied and pasted)
11. 9-3 - 2,133 (ditto)
12. S40 - 1,528 (ditto)
13. S60 - 1,243
14. X-Type - 46 (about to kick the bucket)
Mid
1. 5 - 3,667 (everyone down, 5 still leading)
2. E - 3,039 (not bad for such an expensive car)
3. M - 1,753 (still in incredible feat for the brand, beating Lexus here)
4. GS - 1,668 (sales will only continue to dwindle, IMO)
5. S80 - 1,629 (GOOD SHOW!!! New redesign is selling)
6. STS - 1,486 (amazing they sold twice as much with rebates)
7. XF - 1,161 (wow, pretty good start)
8. A6 - 898 (sad, so overlooked)
9. RL - 548 (will get worse with the childish, pathetic redesign)
10. 9-5 - 316 (kill Saab)
11. S-Type - 80 (discontinued)
Flagship
1. LS - 2,125 (still a huge lead, the standard in class)
2. S - 1,622 (more variants, more expensive, selling well)
3. 7 - 1,467 (lease deal helping an older car that has aged as well as **** Cheney's heart)
4. A8 - 249 (so sad, so sad a great car)
5. XJ - 218 (even sadder, a great car)
1SICKLEX, I love it when you do this.
It puts the whole scene in context. And I agree about the A8. It deserves better.
04-02-08, 07:54 AM
#50
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
U.S. Auto Sales Tumble Double-Digitaly in March 2008 - No Joke!
U.S. Auto Sales Tumble Double-Digitaly in March 2008 - No Joke!
DETROIT April 1, 2008; Dee-Ann Durbin writing for the AP reported that automakers reported double-digit U.S. sales declines in March as demand for trucks and sport utility vehicles plummeted and consumers held back because of concerns about gas prices, the housing slump and tightening credit.
General Motors Corp.'s U.S. sales fell 19 percent, Ford's sales dropped 14 percent and even industry stalwart Toyota was down 10 percent compared with last March, according to figures released Tuesday. Honda reported a 3 percent drop. Some automakers warned things could continue to worsen in the near term.
"I'd like to be able to tell you that the worst is behind us, but I really can't give you that assurance," Jim Farley, Ford Motor Co.'s sales and marketing chief, said in a conference call with reporters and analysts. Farley said Ford is concerned the shrinking availability of consumer credit will continue to hurt sales and that the second quarter could be more difficult than the first.
GM's truck and SUV sales were down 22 percent in March while its car sales fell 14 percent. New vehicles like the Chevrolet Malibu were a bright spot, with sales up 17 percent, but sales of Chevrolet pickups were down 25 percent while sales of GM's gas-guzzling Hummer brand were down 29 percent. GM's sales were down 11 percent for the first quarter.
"There's no question that the industry and the economy is in a weakened state," Mike DiGiovanni, GM's executive director of global markets and industry analysis, said in a conference call. "We expected the first three quarters to be weak, and this has exceeded what we thought."
DiGiovanni said GM remains hopeful the federal economic stimulus package will help sales in the second half of the year.
A 24 percent jump in sales for Ford's popular Edge crossover couldn't make up for falling sales of pickups and large SUVs. Ford's truck and SUV sales dropped 16 percent versus March 2007. Sales of the Ford Expedition SUV fell 34 percent, while sales of the perennially popular F-Series pickup — which will be replaced with a new version this fall — were down 24 percent.
Ford's car sales were down 10 percent, dragged by declining demand for the Ford Mustang and Crown Victoria sedan. Ford's overall sales for the first quarter were down 9 percent.
Toyota Motor Corp., which beat Ford to become the No. 2 automaker by U.S. sales last year, held onto its lead in the first quarter, outselling Ford by more than 43,000 vehicles. But Toyota took a beating in March, reporting truck and SUV sales down 14 percent and car sales down 7 percent. The Tundra pickup saw a surprising 17 percent sales increase, but totals were dragged down by SUV sales, which fell 20 percent. Toyota's sales were down 6 percent for the quarter.
Honda Motor Co., which had bucked the downward sales trend in February, saw its 3 percent increase in car sales eroded by a 12 percent decline in truck and SUV sales. That drop was led by the Honda Pilot SUV, which saw sales fall 24 percent. Honda's sales were flat for the first quarter.
Truck sales have been hurt by the slowdown in housing construction. Small cars fared best as consumers focused on fuel efficiency. The Ford Focus saw sales jump 24 percent for the month, while Toyota's subcompact Yaris saw sales rise 83 percent and Honda's subcompact Fit saw a 74 percent jump.
The Associated Press reports unadjusted figures, calculating the percentage change in the total number of vehicles sold in one month compared with the same month a year earlier. Some automakers report percentages adjusted for sales days. There were 26 sales days last month and 28 in March 2007.
DETROIT April 1, 2008; Dee-Ann Durbin writing for the AP reported that automakers reported double-digit U.S. sales declines in March as demand for trucks and sport utility vehicles plummeted and consumers held back because of concerns about gas prices, the housing slump and tightening credit.
General Motors Corp.'s U.S. sales fell 19 percent, Ford's sales dropped 14 percent and even industry stalwart Toyota was down 10 percent compared with last March, according to figures released Tuesday. Honda reported a 3 percent drop. Some automakers warned things could continue to worsen in the near term.
"I'd like to be able to tell you that the worst is behind us, but I really can't give you that assurance," Jim Farley, Ford Motor Co.'s sales and marketing chief, said in a conference call with reporters and analysts. Farley said Ford is concerned the shrinking availability of consumer credit will continue to hurt sales and that the second quarter could be more difficult than the first.
GM's truck and SUV sales were down 22 percent in March while its car sales fell 14 percent. New vehicles like the Chevrolet Malibu were a bright spot, with sales up 17 percent, but sales of Chevrolet pickups were down 25 percent while sales of GM's gas-guzzling Hummer brand were down 29 percent. GM's sales were down 11 percent for the first quarter.
"There's no question that the industry and the economy is in a weakened state," Mike DiGiovanni, GM's executive director of global markets and industry analysis, said in a conference call. "We expected the first three quarters to be weak, and this has exceeded what we thought."
DiGiovanni said GM remains hopeful the federal economic stimulus package will help sales in the second half of the year.
A 24 percent jump in sales for Ford's popular Edge crossover couldn't make up for falling sales of pickups and large SUVs. Ford's truck and SUV sales dropped 16 percent versus March 2007. Sales of the Ford Expedition SUV fell 34 percent, while sales of the perennially popular F-Series pickup — which will be replaced with a new version this fall — were down 24 percent.
Ford's car sales were down 10 percent, dragged by declining demand for the Ford Mustang and Crown Victoria sedan. Ford's overall sales for the first quarter were down 9 percent.
Toyota Motor Corp., which beat Ford to become the No. 2 automaker by U.S. sales last year, held onto its lead in the first quarter, outselling Ford by more than 43,000 vehicles. But Toyota took a beating in March, reporting truck and SUV sales down 14 percent and car sales down 7 percent. The Tundra pickup saw a surprising 17 percent sales increase, but totals were dragged down by SUV sales, which fell 20 percent. Toyota's sales were down 6 percent for the quarter.
Honda Motor Co., which had bucked the downward sales trend in February, saw its 3 percent increase in car sales eroded by a 12 percent decline in truck and SUV sales. That drop was led by the Honda Pilot SUV, which saw sales fall 24 percent. Honda's sales were flat for the first quarter.
Truck sales have been hurt by the slowdown in housing construction. Small cars fared best as consumers focused on fuel efficiency. The Ford Focus saw sales jump 24 percent for the month, while Toyota's subcompact Yaris saw sales rise 83 percent and Honda's subcompact Fit saw a 74 percent jump.
The Associated Press reports unadjusted figures, calculating the percentage change in the total number of vehicles sold in one month compared with the same month a year earlier. Some automakers report percentages adjusted for sales days. There were 26 sales days last month and 28 in March 2007.
04-02-08, 01:29 PM
#51
Thx for the data, guys.
Just to mention, those who read Consumer Reports, I think many--if not most--will take from it regarding the Lexus models, the fact that the ES 350 basically ties with the G35 for most recommended entry-luxe sedan, and just recently the LS 460 L received a 99/100 score and was named the top pick for the Luxury Sedan category, which is advertised as "The Best Car We Ever Tested."
That does not in any way remove the concerns of customers affected by issues on the ES 350, or other models, and it does not change the fact that CR dropped Lexus from 1st to 5th for 2007 (with Toyota going up to 1st). However CR said that the reason for that was the GS AWD issues. I think that right now we are seeing some ****** in the Lexus reliability armor, but IMO the biggest reason for sales decreases is the slowing economy.
Just to mention, those who read Consumer Reports, I think many--if not most--will take from it regarding the Lexus models, the fact that the ES 350 basically ties with the G35 for most recommended entry-luxe sedan, and just recently the LS 460 L received a 99/100 score and was named the top pick for the Luxury Sedan category, which is advertised as "The Best Car We Ever Tested."
That does not in any way remove the concerns of customers affected by issues on the ES 350, or other models, and it does not change the fact that CR dropped Lexus from 1st to 5th for 2007 (with Toyota going up to 1st). However CR said that the reason for that was the GS AWD issues. I think that right now we are seeing some ****** in the Lexus reliability armor, but IMO the biggest reason for sales decreases is the slowing economy.
04-02-08, 01:47 PM
#52
Pole Position
Basically saying two months of data means I can draw a straight line but can't divine a trend yet.
My guess is the economy continues to falter and Lexus misses their target because of the aggressive pricing of the Germans. Just my guess.
04-02-08, 01:58 PM
#53
Pole Position
Quick comments on the results:
1) Chrysler results are pathetic. They are seriously hurting and Nardelli isn't the guy that inspires confidence. Jim Press what are you going to do to help?
2) GM: Lucerne crashing, Corvette with a surprisingly large drop, and Escalade too. Some nice pops with Malibu and Aura but Aura was up against weak previous year totals. CTS FTW!
3) S80. Hate the look. No love A6 (or A8 for that matter).
4) M sales vs. GS sales. I agree it doesn't look good for the GS and the PR speak had me laughing. Exactly how bad do sales have to be to improve an order of magnitude?!?
1) Chrysler results are pathetic. They are seriously hurting and Nardelli isn't the guy that inspires confidence. Jim Press what are you going to do to help?
2) GM: Lucerne crashing, Corvette with a surprisingly large drop, and Escalade too. Some nice pops with Malibu and Aura but Aura was up against weak previous year totals. CTS FTW!
3) S80. Hate the look. No love A6 (or A8 for that matter).
4) M sales vs. GS sales. I agree it doesn't look good for the GS and the PR speak had me laughing. Exactly how bad do sales have to be to improve an order of magnitude?!?
04-02-08, 04:17 PM
#54
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Looks like GM, Chrysler, and Ford all had huge sales drops. Toyota's sales drop (once again) can be mostly attributed to the Corolla model changeover.
Overall it looks like given the economy many people are moving towards smaller, cheaper and more fuel efficient cars. This is good news for automakers like Honda and Toyota, and bad news for the American automakers. Financial results for the 1st quarter are likely going to be really bad for the American automakers with cash cows like trucks and SUVs taking such huge sales hits.
The F-Series, Silverado, and Ram all had huge sales drops. Nissan Titan sales are absolutely miniscule in the segment. Sierra sales held pretty well, as did the Tundra.
GM's hybrid SUVs have hit the market at a really bad time. Despite the advantage the hybrids SUVs have over the regular models, they're just too expensive for most people to buy.
Surprising that Camry sales haven't been discussed much. Camry sales continue to be absolutely monstrous. Nothing seems to be stopping Camry sales; the slowing economy actually appears to be helping Camry sales. Given the fuel efficiency offered by the Camry Hybrid, it's not surprising to see that Camry Hybrid sales were almost 7000 units in March. Prius sales too were a record for March. Yaris sales are up tremendously. The Yaris is a great value-priced compact that offers exceptional fuel economy, and given the market conditions in the US no surprise that it's becoming popular. The Yaris almost outsold the Versa and Fit combined.
Accord sales seem to be back up, let's see how sales fare in the coming months.
Nice to (finally) see Hyundai sales up, but they are still way down YTD.
Interesting that Mazda 3 sales took quite hit.
Nice to see IS sales holding strong, as well as RX sales. ES sales despite the drop are still strong, and the LS continues to be sales leader in the segment.
It's amazing that Lexus sold almost as many IS-Fs as Acura sold RLs. On top of that, Infiniti outsold Acura for the month. I hope that reality finally hits Honda executives and that they do something drastic to help the Acura brand, otherwise things for the brand will only get worse. RDX sales are down quite a bit, not good for Acura, considering the RDX is an entry-level model. Sales should be much higher. Acura sales for the month actually dropped by more units than Lexus, and Acura volumes are much lower than Lexus to begin with.
They don't differentiate it in the sales chart, but they still do break down most of the models in the press release.
There's nothing "wrong" with the Corolla. The factories are still ramping up production. You can look at Toyota's sales chart for March as proof. US production of Corollas last month was down quite a bit compared to March 2007. The exact same thing happened with the Camry model changeover.
Give it a few months, and Corolla sales should be setting all-time highs.
What exactly is wrong from the interior? Owners of the 09 Corolla are saying the material quality has improved compared to the old model, as well as fit and finish.
Huh? Toyota showed a 0.2% decline? Can you please show me where Toyota indicated that? Yes Toyota sales were down 10,000 units compared to last year, and if you look closely at the sales chart, Corolla sales were roughly down by 10,000 units, and US production of Corollas was down almost 10,000 units. Ergo, Toyota's sales drop can be mostly attributed to the model changeover for the Corolla as factories are still ramping up production of the new Corolla. Once Corolla production is fully ramped, expect to see Toyota sales hold steady or even increase in this down market.
Once again, comparing Camry and Corolla sales and Accord and Civic sales here is not applicable. Corolla production is nowhere near fully ramped, and Corolla sales are most definitely supply limited. I checked with several local Toyota dealers and they all have waiting lists for the new Corolla.
Yeah, Toyota is really screwing up and they've totally been blinded by success
. Give me a break 
. You make it sound as if we're discussing GM here, and not Toyota. I'm not sure why you're being ignorant and refusing to look the numerous statements Toyota has made over the past 2 years that they admit to quality problems and that they are working hard to improve quality.
The new Corolla and Highlander are examples that already Toyota quality is improving.
It's awfully foolish to ignore or refute promises that Toyota has made. When Toyota makes promises, the industry listens. Toyota has an absolutely stellar track record on delivering on it's promises.
IF (and that's a big if) Toyota fails to improve quality within the next few years than we can criticize them to no end. For now, we wait until Toyota's next-gen models debut to judge whether or not quality is improving.
Hyundai sales up for the month, but WAY down year-to-date. Hyundai had a big incentive program in March which it looks like helped sales. Hyundai will have a lot of work to do if they want to match last year's sales, let alone increase over last year.
Overall it looks like given the economy many people are moving towards smaller, cheaper and more fuel efficient cars. This is good news for automakers like Honda and Toyota, and bad news for the American automakers. Financial results for the 1st quarter are likely going to be really bad for the American automakers with cash cows like trucks and SUVs taking such huge sales hits.
The F-Series, Silverado, and Ram all had huge sales drops. Nissan Titan sales are absolutely miniscule in the segment. Sierra sales held pretty well, as did the Tundra.
GM's hybrid SUVs have hit the market at a really bad time. Despite the advantage the hybrids SUVs have over the regular models, they're just too expensive for most people to buy.
Surprising that Camry sales haven't been discussed much. Camry sales continue to be absolutely monstrous. Nothing seems to be stopping Camry sales; the slowing economy actually appears to be helping Camry sales. Given the fuel efficiency offered by the Camry Hybrid, it's not surprising to see that Camry Hybrid sales were almost 7000 units in March. Prius sales too were a record for March. Yaris sales are up tremendously. The Yaris is a great value-priced compact that offers exceptional fuel economy, and given the market conditions in the US no surprise that it's becoming popular. The Yaris almost outsold the Versa and Fit combined.
Accord sales seem to be back up, let's see how sales fare in the coming months.
Nice to (finally) see Hyundai sales up, but they are still way down YTD.
Interesting that Mazda 3 sales took quite hit.
Nice to see IS sales holding strong, as well as RX sales. ES sales despite the drop are still strong, and the LS continues to be sales leader in the segment.
It's amazing that Lexus sold almost as many IS-Fs as Acura sold RLs. On top of that, Infiniti outsold Acura for the month. I hope that reality finally hits Honda executives and that they do something drastic to help the Acura brand, otherwise things for the brand will only get worse. RDX sales are down quite a bit, not good for Acura, considering the RDX is an entry-level model. Sales should be much higher. Acura sales for the month actually dropped by more units than Lexus, and Acura volumes are much lower than Lexus to begin with.
Give it a few months, and Corolla sales should be setting all-time highs.
Apparantly the legendary Corolla hits a wall this time (as I expected).
People aren't blind. Hopefully Toyota can learn from this hard lesson and give the US market the interior it deserves in the next model year.
The C-Class is doing extremely well, and easily becomes the 2nd best selling compact luxury sedan now. Congrats.
People aren't blind. Hopefully Toyota can learn from this hard lesson and give the US market the interior it deserves in the next model year.The C-Class is doing extremely well, and easily becomes the 2nd best selling compact luxury sedan now. Congrats.
Couple of observations...
MB sales increases/decrease DON'T take # selling days into account, so they actually had a great month. Toyota for example sold 10 THOUSAND less cars and showed only a 0.2% decline due to counting actual selling days.
There's loads of b.s. in the press releases but this might take the cake: "Sales of the GS 460 luxury sport sedan reported a greater than ten-fold increase as compared to the GS 430 in March 2006." First off, did they mean 2006 or 2007? I saw Porsche made the same mistake. Second, if the GS460 is 10 fold better than the GS430 was a year (2?) ago, both that GS430 must have been selling really badly.
Overall a tough month for car sales but some standouts...
The new MB C-class - wow!
The Lexus LS, ES, IS and RX continue to be great successes. The rest are pretty irrelevant. Personally I like the LS and RX a lot - I think Lexus did a great job. The rest I'm not big on although the LS is impressive. Its sales numbers are low probably more due to supply than demand. The competition for the other models though has gotten a LOT hotter and Lexus needs to step it up.
Really glad to see VW numbers improving. They deserve better... some really great vehicles the public mostly overlooks.
Ford's mainstream sedans (Taurus, Focus, Fusion) held their own or gained, and Edge is a winner. Frankly I wish it had been out when I got my Explorer. It's really nice.
Toyota sold 65.5k Camrys and Corollas while Honda beat that by selling 69k Accords and Civics. I agree with that market sentiment!
Toyota is rapidly screwing up its product line AND its quality but it is blinded by the big sales numbers and ongoing cost reductions. No wonder the stock has done nothing in the past couple of years.
Hyundai's numbers are UP despite less selling days... impressive!
Nissan cars and Infiniti sales up - IMPRESSIVE!
A very difficult time for the car business but never a better time for consumers.
MB sales increases/decrease DON'T take # selling days into account, so they actually had a great month. Toyota for example sold 10 THOUSAND less cars and showed only a 0.2% decline due to counting actual selling days.
There's loads of b.s. in the press releases but this might take the cake: "Sales of the GS 460 luxury sport sedan reported a greater than ten-fold increase as compared to the GS 430 in March 2006." First off, did they mean 2006 or 2007? I saw Porsche made the same mistake. Second, if the GS460 is 10 fold better than the GS430 was a year (2?) ago, both that GS430 must have been selling really badly.
Overall a tough month for car sales but some standouts...
The new MB C-class - wow!
The Lexus LS, ES, IS and RX continue to be great successes.
The rest are pretty irrelevant. Personally I like the LS and RX a lot - I think Lexus did a great job. The rest I'm not big on although the LS is impressive. Its sales numbers are low probably more due to supply than demand. The competition for the other models though has gotten a LOT hotter and Lexus needs to step it up.Really glad to see VW numbers improving. They deserve better... some really great vehicles the public mostly overlooks.
Ford's mainstream sedans (Taurus, Focus, Fusion) held their own or gained, and Edge is a winner. Frankly I wish it had been out when I got my Explorer. It's really nice.
Toyota sold 65.5k Camrys and Corollas while Honda beat that by selling 69k Accords and Civics. I agree with that market sentiment!
Toyota is rapidly screwing up its product line AND its quality but it is blinded by the big sales numbers and ongoing cost reductions.
No wonder the stock has done nothing in the past couple of years.Hyundai's numbers are UP despite less selling days... impressive!
Nissan cars and Infiniti sales up - IMPRESSIVE!
A very difficult time for the car business but never a better time for consumers.
Once again, comparing Camry and Corolla sales and Accord and Civic sales here is not applicable. Corolla production is nowhere near fully ramped, and Corolla sales are most definitely supply limited. I checked with several local Toyota dealers and they all have waiting lists for the new Corolla.
Yeah, Toyota is really screwing up and they've totally been blinded by success
. Give me a break . You make it sound as if we're discussing GM here, and not Toyota. I'm not sure why you're being ignorant and refusing to look the numerous statements Toyota has made over the past 2 years that they admit to quality problems and that they are working hard to improve quality. The new Corolla and Highlander are examples that already Toyota quality is improving.
It's awfully foolish to ignore or refute promises that Toyota has made. When Toyota makes promises, the industry listens. Toyota has an absolutely stellar track record on delivering on it's promises.
IF (and that's a big if) Toyota fails to improve quality within the next few years than we can criticize them to no end. For now, we wait until Toyota's next-gen models debut to judge whether or not quality is improving.
Hyundai sales up for the month, but WAY down year-to-date. Hyundai had a big incentive program in March which it looks like helped sales. Hyundai will have a lot of work to do if they want to match last year's sales, let alone increase over last year.
04-02-08, 06:32 PM
#55
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Once again, comparing Camry and Corolla sales and Accord and Civic sales here is not applicable. Corolla production is nowhere near fully ramped, and Corolla sales are most definitely supply limited. I checked with several local Toyota dealers and they all have waiting lists for the new Corolla.
Yeah, Toyota is really screwing up and they've totally been blinded by success . Give me a break . You make it sound as if we're discussing GM here, and not Toyota. I'm not sure why you're being ignorant and refusing to look the numerous statements Toyota has made over the past 2 years that they admit to quality problems and that they are working hard to improve quality.
. Give me a break . You make it sound as if we're discussing GM here, and not Toyota. I'm not sure why you're being ignorant and refusing to look the numerous statements Toyota has made over the past 2 years that they admit to quality problems and that they are working hard to improve quality.
04-02-08, 06:36 PM
#56
Lexus Fanatic
But don't take my word for it. Our Car Chat's resident car reviewer mmarshall has said the same.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=340554
"All of the interior hardware, with one execption, was solid and well-done....that lone exception being the cheap, flimsy, black plastic spin-rings on the climate-control ***** that wobbled and felt like something out of a toy car from K-Mart (the Camry suffers from the same thing, except that the whole ***** themselves wobble)."
And Car & Driver's:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t_drive_review
"Even so, we're disappointed with the design and materials used throughout the interior. The peanut-butter-jar lids doubling as rheostat dials for the climate controls are particularly horrifying from a company that could probably buy any one of Detroit's Big Three automakers with the change in its pockets. If Toyota wants to maintain its lead in this business, we dare suggest it benchmark some of GM's interiors and then do better, not worse."
Last edited by XeroK00L; 04-02-08 at 06:39 PM.
04-02-08, 07:40 PM
#57
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http://www.autospies.com/news/What-L...s-Times-28276/
What Luxury Brands Are Holding Up To These Tough Economics Times?
Agent009 submitted on 04/02/2008 Official Bell & Ross Timestamp: 12:00 PM
from: www.autospies.com
[20] user comments | category: Misc News
Print this Page | Digg It | del.icio.us
What Luxury Brands Are Holding Up To These Tough Economics Times?
With the US economy still suffering, many automakers philosophies have shifted from trying to gain ground in the market, to how not to lose as much ground as your competitors. As hard to believe as it is breaking even may be the best strategy for the next few months.
Scanning through the figures for March it is difficult to see a winner anywhere in the mix, manufacturers are gaining and losing in a cyclical pattern. Up on month then down the next. However there are some trends emerging with the top three Japanese Luxury Brands and the Top 3 European Luxury brands. But who it winning and who is losing ground over the last six months. We will start at the bottom of the heap first.
Acura -15.53% (Down 14,876 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 13288 16986 -21.77%
2008 February 13084 13658 -4.20%
2008 January 11168 13017 -14.20%
2007 December 17582 19056 -7.74%
2007 November 12910 17200 -24.94%
2007 October 12886 15877 -18.84%
80918 95794 -15.53%
Delta -14876
Uninspiring designs, a failure to offer anything not found with less expensive Honda models, and lackluster performance have devastated the brand as they continue to spiral downwards. Acura is down over 15% in sales over the last six months on top of the fact last year’s sales were down on the prior year’s numbers. I wouldn’t want to put Acura in a grave just yet, but you might want to start looking at funeral plots.
Lexus -6.49% (Down 10,484 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 24939 28855 -13.57%
2008 February 21277 22518 -5.51%
2008 January 20229 22118 -8.54%
2007 December 34555 37235 -7.20%
2007 November 24848 26719 -7.00%
2007 October 25119 24006 4.64%
150967 161451 -6.49%
Delta -10484
I am quite surprised to see Lexus suffering so badly, after all if you look at the monthly percentages it doesn’t seem to add up. However the way Lexus reports figures with the DSR method, can lead to deceiving percentages that only are uncovered by raw data comparison. The most disturbing trend is the methodical loss of more and more sales each month. Could it be Lexus buyers are hanging on by their bootstraps weathering the storm? Or are there underlying issues with the brand?
Audi -6.33% (Down 3,081 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 7987 8020 -0.41%
2008 February 6152 6609 -6.91%
2008 January 6418 6399 0.30%
2007 December 8502 11997 -29.13%
2007 November 9104 9209 -1.14%
2007 October 7421 6431 15.39%
45584 48665 -6.33%
Delta -3081
With such low volumes you can rise and fall pretty easily percentage wise. Losing 3,081 units of sales over 6 months may not be much to Lexus or BMW, but to Audi it brings them in at third from the bottom. The key factor here probably was a disastrous December when the factory ceased most incentives effectively killing any forward momentum.
BMW -3.82% (Down 5,496 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 23115 25325 -8.73%
2008 February 20775 22274 -6.73%
2008 January 16935 21811 -22.36%
2007 December 30199 30945 -2.41%
2007 November 23808 22602 5.34%
2007 October 23451 20822 12.63%
138283 143779 -3.82%
Delta -5496
With sales pretty close to that of Lexus, BMW has had a few disastrous months in a row tempering recent sales success over the last few months. However BMW has lost only half as many unit sales when compared to Lexus. Couple this with relatively stable losses and a host of new model introductions for the rest of the year, and you see BMW may be well situated to weather the storm. As a matter of fact BMW may over take Lexus if the market continues to soften.
Infiniti +0.46 (Up 302 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 13821 13877 -0.40%
2008 February 10068 9704 3.75%
2008 January 8644 8964 -3.57%
2007 December 12655 13112 -3.49%
2007 November 10604 10382 2.14%
2007 October 9955 9406 5.84%
65747 65445 0.46%
Delta 302
See what I mean about just holding even? After a disastrous previous 12 months Infinti has started to show signs of returning. Badly needed new models and a successful niche above parent Nissan have given the brand new life. Acura needs to take a look at Infiniti’s play book and take a few notes. Infiniti survives because they offer more than the parent brand and the buyer knows it. In this case hold on means winning market share.
Mercedes-Benz +3.01 (Up 3810 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 20808 21612 -3.72%
2008 February 18564 17304 7.28%
2008 January 18275 17069 7.07%
2007 December 27301 28115 -2.90%
2007 November 22819 22079 3.35%
2007 October 22820 20598 10.79%
130587 126777 3.01%
Delta 3810
What can we say here? Perhaps new models in the lineup, or probably more to the effect that Mercedes sells more upper crust models than the others. For some reason Mercedes is showing it’s true inner strength, battling a downhill market and actually maintaining momentum. Perhaps their buyers are best insulated from the economic woes than the others? Or perhaps since Daimler has jettisoned Chrysler, they now can focus on what they do best.
Summary
Obviously the next 6 months are going to be interesting to say the least. Will Lexus follow Acura in to the depths of recession, and can Mercedes maintain the up hill battle?
As a group the Japanese big three have lost 7.77% in sales losing 25,058 units in sales.
Infiniti 65747 65445 0.46%
Lexus 150967 161451 -6.49%
Acura 80918 95794 -15.53%
297632 322690 -7.77%
Delta -25058
But this is not the whole story, maybe the bigger story here, is the fact that those losses were 5 times that of the European big three over the course of the last six months The European only lost 4,767 units in sales.
Mercedes Benz 130587 126777 3.01%
BMW 138283 143779 -3.82%
Audi 45584 48665 -6.33%
314454 319221 -1.49%
Delta -4767
Take a look at the figures, and tell who will be the winner at the end of 2008.
What Luxury Brands Are Holding Up To These Tough Economics Times?
Agent009 submitted on 04/02/2008 Official Bell & Ross Timestamp: 12:00 PM
from: www.autospies.com
[20] user comments | category: Misc News
Print this Page | Digg It | del.icio.us
What Luxury Brands Are Holding Up To These Tough Economics Times?
With the US economy still suffering, many automakers philosophies have shifted from trying to gain ground in the market, to how not to lose as much ground as your competitors. As hard to believe as it is breaking even may be the best strategy for the next few months.
Scanning through the figures for March it is difficult to see a winner anywhere in the mix, manufacturers are gaining and losing in a cyclical pattern. Up on month then down the next. However there are some trends emerging with the top three Japanese Luxury Brands and the Top 3 European Luxury brands. But who it winning and who is losing ground over the last six months. We will start at the bottom of the heap first.
Acura -15.53% (Down 14,876 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 13288 16986 -21.77%
2008 February 13084 13658 -4.20%
2008 January 11168 13017 -14.20%
2007 December 17582 19056 -7.74%
2007 November 12910 17200 -24.94%
2007 October 12886 15877 -18.84%
80918 95794 -15.53%
Delta -14876
Uninspiring designs, a failure to offer anything not found with less expensive Honda models, and lackluster performance have devastated the brand as they continue to spiral downwards. Acura is down over 15% in sales over the last six months on top of the fact last year’s sales were down on the prior year’s numbers. I wouldn’t want to put Acura in a grave just yet, but you might want to start looking at funeral plots.
Lexus -6.49% (Down 10,484 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 24939 28855 -13.57%
2008 February 21277 22518 -5.51%
2008 January 20229 22118 -8.54%
2007 December 34555 37235 -7.20%
2007 November 24848 26719 -7.00%
2007 October 25119 24006 4.64%
150967 161451 -6.49%
Delta -10484
I am quite surprised to see Lexus suffering so badly, after all if you look at the monthly percentages it doesn’t seem to add up. However the way Lexus reports figures with the DSR method, can lead to deceiving percentages that only are uncovered by raw data comparison. The most disturbing trend is the methodical loss of more and more sales each month. Could it be Lexus buyers are hanging on by their bootstraps weathering the storm? Or are there underlying issues with the brand?
Audi -6.33% (Down 3,081 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 7987 8020 -0.41%
2008 February 6152 6609 -6.91%
2008 January 6418 6399 0.30%
2007 December 8502 11997 -29.13%
2007 November 9104 9209 -1.14%
2007 October 7421 6431 15.39%
45584 48665 -6.33%
Delta -3081
With such low volumes you can rise and fall pretty easily percentage wise. Losing 3,081 units of sales over 6 months may not be much to Lexus or BMW, but to Audi it brings them in at third from the bottom. The key factor here probably was a disastrous December when the factory ceased most incentives effectively killing any forward momentum.
BMW -3.82% (Down 5,496 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 23115 25325 -8.73%
2008 February 20775 22274 -6.73%
2008 January 16935 21811 -22.36%
2007 December 30199 30945 -2.41%
2007 November 23808 22602 5.34%
2007 October 23451 20822 12.63%
138283 143779 -3.82%
Delta -5496
With sales pretty close to that of Lexus, BMW has had a few disastrous months in a row tempering recent sales success over the last few months. However BMW has lost only half as many unit sales when compared to Lexus. Couple this with relatively stable losses and a host of new model introductions for the rest of the year, and you see BMW may be well situated to weather the storm. As a matter of fact BMW may over take Lexus if the market continues to soften.
Infiniti +0.46 (Up 302 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 13821 13877 -0.40%
2008 February 10068 9704 3.75%
2008 January 8644 8964 -3.57%
2007 December 12655 13112 -3.49%
2007 November 10604 10382 2.14%
2007 October 9955 9406 5.84%
65747 65445 0.46%
Delta 302
See what I mean about just holding even? After a disastrous previous 12 months Infinti has started to show signs of returning. Badly needed new models and a successful niche above parent Nissan have given the brand new life. Acura needs to take a look at Infiniti’s play book and take a few notes. Infiniti survives because they offer more than the parent brand and the buyer knows it. In this case hold on means winning market share.
Mercedes-Benz +3.01 (Up 3810 units)
Current Previous Actual
2008 March 20808 21612 -3.72%
2008 February 18564 17304 7.28%
2008 January 18275 17069 7.07%
2007 December 27301 28115 -2.90%
2007 November 22819 22079 3.35%
2007 October 22820 20598 10.79%
130587 126777 3.01%
Delta 3810
What can we say here? Perhaps new models in the lineup, or probably more to the effect that Mercedes sells more upper crust models than the others. For some reason Mercedes is showing it’s true inner strength, battling a downhill market and actually maintaining momentum. Perhaps their buyers are best insulated from the economic woes than the others? Or perhaps since Daimler has jettisoned Chrysler, they now can focus on what they do best.
Summary
Obviously the next 6 months are going to be interesting to say the least. Will Lexus follow Acura in to the depths of recession, and can Mercedes maintain the up hill battle?
As a group the Japanese big three have lost 7.77% in sales losing 25,058 units in sales.
Infiniti 65747 65445 0.46%
Lexus 150967 161451 -6.49%
Acura 80918 95794 -15.53%
297632 322690 -7.77%
Delta -25058
But this is not the whole story, maybe the bigger story here, is the fact that those losses were 5 times that of the European big three over the course of the last six months The European only lost 4,767 units in sales.
Mercedes Benz 130587 126777 3.01%
BMW 138283 143779 -3.82%
Audi 45584 48665 -6.33%
314454 319221 -1.49%
Delta -4767
Take a look at the figures, and tell who will be the winner at the end of 2008.
04-02-08, 08:03 PM
#58
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The Sequoia interior is extremely similar to the Tundra's interior, and looking at Sequoia reviews the interior seems to be a slight step up from the Tundra. It's not worse than the Tundra, but it is better, so how is that not improvement?
If those ***** are the only real complaint against the new Corolla's interior, ignoring the improved materials quality and improved fit and finish, then it's a pretty weak argument.
Are those ***** bad? Yes. Should Toyota have used them? No. Does that mean the Corolla's overall interior is bad? Not even close.
Also in many markets including Europe, Canada and Japan the Corolla gets auto climate control, with a different center console that replaces those ***** with much higher-quality switchgear. Toyota seems to have had a reason for not offering auto climate control in the US for the Corolla. It might show up in the Corolla mid-cycle update.
Last edited by TRDFantasy; 04-02-08 at 08:06 PM.
04-02-08, 08:46 PM
#59
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
04-02-08, 08:56 PM
#60
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
TOTAL TOYOTA PASS. CAR 129,778 140,009 -0.2
So down 10K but only down 0.2%
I'm not sure why you're being ignorant and refusing to look the numerous statements Toyota has made over the past 2 years that they admit to quality problems and that they are working hard to improve quality.
Statements, statements... only results count.
The new Corolla and Highlander are examples that already Toyota quality is improving.
It's awfully foolish to ignore or refute promises that Toyota has made.
When Toyota makes promises, the industry listens. Toyota has an absolutely stellar track record on delivering on it's promises.
IF (and that's a big if) Toyota fails to improve quality within the next few years than we can criticize them to no end. For now, we wait until Toyota's next-gen models debut to judge whether or not quality is improving.