BMW, Hyundai and Nissan lead the way
BMW scored the greatest gain of all brands, with a 25.9% increase. While sales of the popular X3 and X5 SUVs increased over 50%, BMW also had good news in car sales -- the 3 series sold 10% more units in January over last year, and the 5 series sold 22% more.
Hyundai continues its steady inroads into the U.S. market, recording a 9.6% sales increase, thanks to sales of the Tucson, its new compact SUV. The Sonata sedan also sold more vehicles in January, after coming off a record-breaking 2004.
Nissan’s sales increased 7.5% overall, due to a 32.7% jump in SUV and light truck transactions. The good news was spread over several models -- the Pathfinder, Murano, Armada and Titan all posted best-ever January performances. While Pathfinder sales more than doubled, the Titan increase of 62.5% bodes well for Nissan’s attempt to gain share in the large pickup segment. Including sales from the Infiniti division, Nissan is slightly off pace to record the vaunted one million sales mark the company came within 14,011 units of in 2004.
Toyota and Honda post mixed results
Toyota sold nearly 10% more cars in January than it did last year -- the gain coming from its hot Prius hybrid and Scion models. Despite media coverage that the Prius was hard to come by, Toyota sold 5,566 units in January, a 90% increase over last year. The three Scion models sold a combined 8,940 units, putting Toyota on track to break over 100,000 units in the second full year of sales.
SUVs and light trucks were another matter for Toyota. Sales fell 12%, mostly due to drops in Sienna minivan and Tacoma pickup sales. The company’s large pickup, the Tundra, gained 11%, however, another good sign that Internationals are competing in that segment.
Acura brought home the good news for Honda -- sales of the new all-wheel drive RL model nearly tripled, and the TSX, its entry-level luxury model, recorded a 20% rise in sales.
While Honda saw modest increases in Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV sales, Honda division sales dropped 11.9% in January.
Suzuki and MINI outpace the big boys, Kia stays even
Suzuki’s 6.1% January sales increase marks the twelfth consecutive month of growing sales for the company. Led by a 65% increase in sales of the Forenza car platform, which includes the Forenza sedan wagon and Reno hatchback, the company’s XL-7 SUV also aided the cause with a 24% sales increase.
MINI continues to perform well with its sporty Cooper, selling 5.8% more units in January. The new convertible version of its Cooper and Cooper S model found 848 customers in the U.S. -- in January, not a time of year usually associated with strong drop-top sales.
While Kia posted a negligible gain of .7% in sales, the company expects its new Sportage compact SUV, on sale March 1, to further aid its growth in the U.S. While sales of several Kia models were slightly off, the losses were offset by a 142% increase in volume from the Amanti sedan.
Audi and Volkswagen up their game
Audi’s A6 model posted a 48.3% increase in January, leading the automaker to a slim 1.4% sales increase for the month. This is encouraging news for Audi, which saw a nearly 10% drop in sales in 2004.
Volkswagen posted a 4% drop in sales for the month, but this can be considered an improvement over last year, when VW dropped volume by 15%. The newly redesigned Jetta and Passat models are welcome news for VW dealers, who expect the cars to turn around the brand’s fortunes in the United States.
Porsche, Volvo, Land Rover and Saab slightly off pace
Porsche execs are mighty happy with sales of the new Boxster -- despite only having the car on the ground since January 15, sales of the company’s entry-level sportster jumped 80% in January. While sales of the 911 were up slightly, Porsche saw a 1.8% drop in overall volume, due to a 22% decline in sales of its Cayenne SUV.
Volvo experienced a similar drop, of 1.6%, but sales of the S40 and new V50 continue to be especially strong. Even sales of the XC70 wagon, which have suffered due to the popularity of the XC90 SUV, posted a slight rise. Sales of the XC90 are up 3.2% for the month, despite a short supply of the new V8 model. Volvo has been heavily promoting its first-ever Super Bowl ad, featuring the V8, which is expected to increase interest in the new model even further.
While Land Rover dropped 2.1%, the all-new LR3 sold 1,310 units for the month, outpacing last year’s sales of the Discovery, the model it is replacing. Saab’s sales were off only .5% in January, but the company expects the new 9-7 SUV, due in the spring, to boost its fortunes.
Subaru, Mazda and Mercedes slow down
Subaru’s 12,340 cars sold accounted for an overall 5% drop in sales, while recording a 31% volume for the Legacy. Mazda, while posting an overall 8.5% drop, got encouraging news from big increases in 3 and 6 series vehicles.
The only good news for Mercedes came from sales of its SLK-class vehicles, which more than doubled in volume. Overall, Mercedes dropped 20% in January.
Mitsubishi, Jaguar and Isuzu continue apace
Mitsubishi’s sales dropped 54.1% in January, continuing its slide, though the company announced a $2.1 billion bailout last week to help its turnaround efforts. Jaguar also continued to lose sales, dropping 38.4% and Isuzu lost 32.4% in January sales.