Auto news and reviews from Car Buyer's Notebook.com: Industry Statistics Archives

June 8, 2008

Audi on track to sell record 1 million cars globally in 2008

AUDI AG sold more than 426,200 vehicles worldwide from January to May, an increase of 1.5 percent. In the month of May, Audi increased sales to 88,200 vehicles, up an additional 0.8 percent versus the strong prior-year month.

The strongest growth drivers were once again the Asia/Pacific and Eastern Europe regions.

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Posted by Frank at 12:05 PM | Filed under Audi | Auto News | Industry Statistics

BMW global sales up 3.9% in May

Munich -- The BMW Group increased its automobile sales once again in May. 133,496 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles were delivered to customers (prev.yr.: 128,434) in the month under review.

This represents a gain of 3.9%. For the year to May, sales climbed 6.7% to reach a total of 618,731 vehicles (prev.yr.: 579,745). This is the first time in the company's history that more than 600,000 vehicles have already been sold by the end of May.

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Posted by Frank at 11:57 AM | Filed under Auto News | BMW | Industry Statistics | MINI

Ford retains leadership of UK vehicle market through May

BRENTWOOD, Essex – Ford was the UK market leader in total vehicle sales in the month of May and for the first five months of this year, according to figures from the Society of Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

So far this year total Ford retail sales have grown by 5.3 per cent to 73,930 – an increase of more than 3,750 over the same period last year. Share of the retail market has risen to 13 per cent.

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Posted by Frank at 2:37 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Ford | Industry Statistics

June 7, 2008

Audi Celebrates 20 Years in China

Audi celebrated the 20th anniversary of its partnership with First Automobile Works (FAW) in Changchun today and laid the cornerstone for a new assembly hall. The company also announced the local production of the Audi Q5 at the Changchun plant.

“We hope to deliver up to 200,000 vehicles per year to customers in China by 2015. The new assembly hall is an important milestone toward achieving this goal,” says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG during the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the joint venture between FAW and Audi in Changchun.

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Posted by Frank at 2:25 PM | Filed under Audi | Auto Marketing | Auto News | Industry Statistics

Mercedes global sales up 10% on year

Stuttgart – The Mercedes-Benz Cars division - with the brands Mercedes-Benz, AMG, smart, and Maybach - sold a total of 111,100 vehicles in May 2008, a decrease of four percent from the 116,000 units sold in May 2007.

Unit sales over the first five months of the year rose ten percent at the division, however, reaching the new record level of 548,800 vehicles (January-May 2007: 500,500).

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Posted by Frank at 2:17 PM | Filed under Auto News | Industry Statistics | Mercedes-Benz

Chrysler Achieves Three Straight Years of International Sales Growth

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Chrysler reached an unprecedented sales milestone in May by achieving 36 consecutive months of year-over-year sales growth in markets outside North America.

Chrysler International sales for the month grew by 5 percent (21,505 units) compared to May 2007, establishing a new record for the best May sales in the Company's history. Year-to-date sales were up 7 percent (98,188 units) versus the same time period last year, driven by a vehicle lineup that offers customers fuel- efficient and versatile options.

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June 5, 2008

Best Selling Pickups in the United States for May 2008

Pickup truck sales dropped 36.1% in the U.S. in May, and as they say, that's gonna' leave a mark.

For the year to date pickup sales are down 21%, with only the Toyota Tundra selling more than last year [8.5%].

Even with plant idlings and closings, it's becoming pretty obvious there is overcapacity in the market, and we wouldn't be surprised if one of the manufacturers pulls out or shuts down pickup truck production altogether.

Best selling pickups trucks for May 2008:

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Top Selling Minivans in the Unites States for May 2008

The minivan segment saw sales drop 16.6% in May, with Chrysler holding on to two of the top three spots, thanks in part to their gas rebate plan.

Of particular note was the 80% drop in Hyundai Entourage sales, that one can only hope was due to a supply problem -- point being, this is a bad time to be getting into the minivan business, as Volkswagen is about to find out.

The top 8 best selling minivans in the United States for May 2008:

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Chrysler reports 7% sales increase in Canada

Windsor, Ontario -- Chrysler Canada’s sales grew seven percent in May (27,325 units) and extended the unprecedented streak of year-over-year sales increases to 22 consecutive months.

May sales were driven by Chrysler’s one-two punch of their all-new minivans and the newly crowned most popular crossover in Canada, the Dodge Journey. Sales were also bolstered by the increased demand for fuel-efficient vehicles such as the Jeep Patriot and Dodge Caliber.

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June 4, 2008

Top Selling Crossovers in the United States for May 2008

With total SUV sales down 19.5% in May, not even the crossover segment was able to escape unscathed -- the smaller ute/station wagon category was also down 5%, as consumers decided they didn't even want mini-SUVs over more fuel efficient cars.

Besides the usual suspects a couple vehicles did well in consumers' quest for smaller wagons, including the Dodge Journey, Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester. Also of note is that GM placed both the GMC Acadia and Saturn Vue in the top 15, which is good news for that new platform, and for the parent company that suffered a big blow for the month.

After the jump, the top 15 best selling crossovers for May 2008:

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Top Ten Best Selling Cars in the United States for May 2008

American consumers voted with their wallets at car dealerships in May, and overwhelmingly chose fuel efficient cars over trucks and SUVs, by the highest margin in recent history. Nearly 60% of vehicles bought were cars, while bigger vehicles dropped to 43% of purchases.

There was big news in the battle for the best selling car, as the Honda Civic pulled in front of Toyota's Camry and Corolla, with the Nissan Altima taking its usual fifth spot behind the Honda Accord.

But even the domestics did well in this new reality environment, as Chevy posted three best sellers to the top ten, and Ford had two, with the Focus that has been doing well, but also with the Fusion sedan that had its best sales month ever.

Top Ten Best Selling Car in the United States for May 2008:

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June 3, 2008

Honda Civic is the Best Selling Vehicle in the United States

Folks, today is a historic day in automotive history: The Honda Civic was the best selling car in the United States in May, beating out the long time leader, the Toyota Camry, by 53,299 [Civic] to 51,291 [Camry].

What's even more amazing is that the Toyota Corolla even beat out the Camry, 52,826 to 51,291.

And to make Honda's achievement even more amazing, it beat out the Ford F-150, long the best selling vehicle, by 53,299 [Civic] to 42,973 [F-150].

Today is a great day in Honda land, indeed, and congrats are well deserved.

Posted by Frank at 11:55 PM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Honda | Industry Statistics

Volvo Reports Sales for May Down 21.4%

IRVINE, Calif. -- Volvo Cars of North America, LLC, recorded 7,238 units sold in the United States during May. While the figure is 21.4 percent lower than May 2007 sales, the company is on track to meet its projected sales volume for 2008.

"Last year, we said 2008 sales would be 10-15 percent lower than 2007 as we balanced margin and volume," said Doug Speck, president and CEO. "We're down 11 percent, year-on-year, and that's essentially where we expected to be for a variety of business and economic reasons."

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Posted by Frank at 7:22 PM | Filed under Audi | Auto News | Industry Statistics

Audi of America Reports May Sales Down 2.9%

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Audi of America, Inc. announced today auto sales for the month of May totaling 8,534, a slight decrease of 2.9% from last year's figures, however, the brand expects to record an increase in market share for the month. Audi Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales continued their record-setting trend; compared with last year's May figures, CPO sales rose to 3,364 units, an increase of 42.7%.

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Posted by Frank at 7:22 PM | Filed under Audi | Auto News | Industry Statistics

Mitsubishi Reports May Sales Up 7.9%

CYPRESS, Calif.-- Mitsubishi Motors today announced total May 2008 sales of 10,430.

-- Galant sales in May were 2,783, an increase of 7.9 percent over May 2007. Galant sales are up 14.5 percent calendar-year-to-date.

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Posted by Frank at 4:51 PM | Filed under Auto News | Industry Statistics | Mitsubishi