September 2012 sales thread

[classicjetta]

Good morning Chrysler:

Chrysler Group LLC Reports September 2012 U.S. Sales Increased 12 Percent; Best September Sales in Five Years

*Best September sales since 2007
*30th-consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains
*Third-quarter sales up 13 percent versus same quarter a year ago
*Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge, Ram Truck, and FIAT brands each post sales increases in September compared with same month a year ago
*FIAT brand sets all-time sales record with 51 percent increase
*Both Fiat 500 and Fiat 500 Cabrio record sizeable sales gains
*Dodge brand sales up 18 percent; best September sales since 2007
*Sales of the all-new Dodge Dart up 72 percent compared with previous month as production ramp up continues in Belvidere, Ill. assembly plant
*Dodge Journey sales up 41 percent; sets sales record for month of September; named a Road & Travel ‘Top 10 Pick’ in its 2012 SUV Buyer’s Guide
*Dodge Avenger mid-size sedan sales up 89 percent; sets sales record for month of September
*Dodge Grand Caravan sales increase 32 percent; best sales since 2006
*Jeep brand sales increase 10 percent; best September sales since 2006
*Iconic Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Patriot compact sport-utility vehicle (SUV) each set sales records for month of September
*Jeep Grand Cherokee sales up 19 percent compared with same month a year ago; best September sales since 2005
*Chrysler brand sales up 5 percent; best September sales since 2007
*Chrysler 200 mid-size sedan sets sales record for month of September
*Chrysler 300 flagship sedan posts best September sales since 2007
*Ram Truck brand sales up 4 percent compared with same month last year
*Ram Cargo Van sales up 223 percent versus same month a year ago
*Ram Truck brand unveils new 2013 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickups and 3500, 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cab work trucks at Texas State Fair

October 2, 2012 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler Group LLC today reported U.S. sales of 142,041 units, a 12 percent increase compared with sales in September 2011 (127,336 units), and the group’s best September sales since 2007.

The Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge, Ram Truck and FIAT brands each posted year-over-year sales gains in September compared with the same month a year ago. The FIAT brand’s 51 percent increase was the largest sales gain of any Chrysler Group brand for the month. September marked Chrysler Group’s 30th-consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains.

More: http://media.chrysler.com/newsrelease.do?id=13251&mid=2

[mraguilar]

Hope they capitalize that, instead of doing internal c**k fights between exectutives and their branding strategies

[Swallow Doretti]

Hope they capitalize that, instead of doing internal c**k fights between exectutives and their branding strategies

To be fair, most of Chrysler's new products have been fantastic. It's a shame the Dart launch was such an utter cluster.

[classicjetta]

Ford Small Car Sales Reach Decade High; Escape has Best-Ever September; Ford F-Series Hit Best September in 5 Years

*Ford small car sales totaled 24,628 vehicles in September – the company’s best U.S. small car sales since 2002 and a 73 percent increase year-over-year
*Escape compact utility sales increased 14 percent for the month; 23,148 Escape sales mark best-ever September sales
*F-Series produces its 14th consecutive year-over-year sales increase in September, reaching its best September since 2007; total sales were 55,077 pickups – a 1 percent increase
*Ford Motor Company U.S. sales total 174,976 vehicles in September, unchanged from a year ago; retail sales up 4 percent compared to last year


DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 2, 2012 – Ford delivered U.S. sales gains across its vehicle portfolio in September, with cars up 2 percent, utilities up 9 percent, and F-Series trucks up 1 percent.

“As more buyers look for new vehicles across the country, Ford is ready with our strongest lineup ever of fuel-efficient cars, utilities and full-size pickups,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. “Fuel economy remains one of the most important features customers want most today, and Ford is answering the call with five vehicles that deliver 40 mpg or better – with another three on the way by year-end.”

http://media.ford.com/article_displa...ticle_id=37138

[classicjetta]

GM U.S. Car Sales Rise 29 percent in September
Total sales up 1.5 percent

2012-10-02

DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today reported its highest September U.S. sales since 2008: 210,245 vehicles, up 1.5 percent compared with a year ago. New products helped drive a 29 percent increase in passenger car sales. Sales of GM’s mini, small and compact cars alone were up a combined 97 percent, and all GM brands increased their retail sales.

“Passenger cars have been the launch point for a broad and deep GM product offensive,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president of U.S. sales operations. “Auto sales will continue to be a bright spot for the U.S. economy, which is particularly good news for GM as we walk into an even stronger cadence of new products in 2013 and 2014.”

http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/n...t/gmsales.html

[Hajduk]

VOLKSWAGEN REPORTS A 34.4 PERCENT SALES INCREASE IN SEPTEMBER

- Best September since 1972 with 36,339 units sold and a 37.2 percent increase year-to-date -
• 25 consecutive months of year-on-year growth
• Best September ever for Passat and Tiguan with 9,500 and 2,202 units sold, respectively
• Best September for Beetle since 2003
• Best September for Golf since 2007
• Jetta Sedan achieved sales of 12,584 units
• High-mileage, clean diesel TDI models account for 23.9 percent of sales in September.

http://media.vw.com/pressrelease/123...ease-september

[HaterSlayer]

To be fair, most of Chrysler's new products have been fantastic. It's a shame the Dart launch was such an utter cluster.

What happened with it?

[BLK9GEN]

To be fair, most of Chrysler's new products have been fantastic. It's a shame the Dart launch was such an utter cluster.

Agreed. And that includes there website which has been finicky for weeks when trying to build certain models of the Dart. Even now (see what happens when you click on the Build button): http://dodge.com/en/2013/dart/

*Edit: And just like that, it's back up again.

[Blonde Guy]

Quote from VW sales article: The Jetta turbo hybrid, which will go on sale this month, recently achieved a Land Speed Record at Bonneville, posting 185 mph, a record speed for hybrid vehicles.

[1985Jetta]

I was surprised that the Ram sold that well. I haven't seen a single new ram here. Glad VW and GM are selling well.

[CBJ]

GM U.S. Car Sales Rise 29 percent in September
Total sales up 1.5 percent

2012-10-02

DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today reported its highest September U.S. sales since 2008: 210,245 vehicles, up 1.5 percent compared with a year ago. New products helped drive a 29 percent increase in passenger car sales. Sales of GM’s mini, small and compact cars alone were up a combined 97 percent, and all GM brands increased their retail sales.

The Volt did another 2800 units last month
Verano, over 4000. Regal, gulp, 1800.
The Sonic was over 7500 units last month
The Cruze, over 25,000 sales.
The Malibu, not so much, definitely needs a relaunch or alternatively refocus on the Impala while the Malibu gets a quick rework.

[Swallow Doretti]

What happened with it?

Cliff's Notes: They went three months without an automatic transmission in the mix.

Long version: The car was supposed to use a new Fiat-designed auto across the board. Sometime in about January--you know, when the car's launch was imminent--Chrysler realized it just wasn't going to be ready yet, and ended up submitting bids to Aisin (Toyota) and Hyundai Mobis for a stop-gap replacement. Hyundai won because of sheer speed; the Koreans would be able to get the automatic up and running about a month after the car's May launch, which is pretty break-neck when you consider that basically means speccing it out, testing it, building it and delivering it in roughly three months.

And it all would have worked, too...had Chrysler not sent over the wrong specs. Which meant that the transmission didn't work. Which in turn meant automatic production didn't really start until the end of July, and that Chrysler wasn't getting a full supply of automatics from Hyundai until early August.

There have been other Dart issues, too--on the original schedule, all engines and transmission combos were supposed to be available by now (some like the 2.4 still aren't due to the fact that they're not done yet). From what I hear, early Darts are having a LOT of teething issues because of the fact that some electrical issues haven't been resolved yet, either. I wouldn't be surprised to see the first-year Dart perform poorly in quality tests, either.

It's a shame, because it seems like a really nice car.

[Mike!]

Cliff's Notes: They went three months without an automatic transmission in the mix.

Long version: The car was supposed to use a new Fiat-designed auto across the board. Sometime in about January--you know, when the car's launch was imminent--Chrysler realized it just wasn't going to be ready yet, and ended up submitting bids to Aisin (Toyota) and Hyundai Mobis for a stop-gap replacement. Hyundai won because of sheer speed; the Koreans would be able to get the automatic up and running about a month after the car's May launch, which is pretty break-neck when you consider that basically means speccing it out, testing it, building it and delivering it in roughly three months.

And it all would have worked, too...had Chrysler not sent over the wrong specs. Which meant that the transmission didn't work. Which in turn meant automatic production didn't really start until the end of July, and that Chrysler wasn't getting a full supply of automatics from Hyundai until early August.

There have been other Dart issues, too--on the original schedule, all engines and transmission combos were supposed to be available by now (some like the 2.4 still aren't due to the fact that they're not done yet). From what I hear, early Darts are having a LOT of teething issues because of the fact that some electrical issues haven't been resolved yet, either. I wouldn't be surprised to see the first-year Dart perform poorly in quality tests, either.

It's a shame, because it seems like a really nice car.

Something about all of this reminds me of now-ancient history where models were changed every year or so and development was continuous rather than cycled. Perhaps it's Fiat playing catchup for things that weren't in place when they took over. On the one hand, it's rushing to market, and you know there can't be as much durability testing done as the competition. On the other hand, it's neat to see how eager they are to improve product.

'Yeah, we'll get you a better car. You want a better engine to go with that? That's coming next year, but we won't make you wait for the car until the next-gen engine or transmission are out.'

[1985Jetta]

I like the look of the new Malibu, but the last one looks better IMO.

[classicjetta]

There have been other Dart issues, too--on the original schedule, all engines and transmission combos were supposed to be available by now (some like the 2.4 still aren't due to the fact that they're not done yet). From what I hear, early Darts are having a LOT of teething issues because of the fact that some electrical issues haven't been resolved yet, either. I wouldn't be surprised to see the first-year Dart perform poorly in quality tests, either.

It's a shame, because it seems like a really nice car.

That is too bad considering the new JGC and 200 have done really well quality wise. One thing Chrysler did with the new models is almost double the amount of validation miles driven. That will hopefully reduce the chances of a large number of problems with the Dart, but yes I'd worry about a first year car.

[whitejeep1989]

Interesting numbers:

XTS: 2506
CTS: 3103
The XTS seems to be closing in fast on the CTS. It'll be interesting to see next month if the ATS steals from the CTS.

Cadillac: 12,579
Buick: 14,673
I guess those numbers show why GM kept Buick in North America. With fewer models, Buick has been routinely outselling Caddy. I'm assuming that Buick's line-up of fancier Opels and Chevys is pretty profitable, too. Combined sales of both brands usually makes GM the leader in "premium segment" sales.

Malibu: 11188
Passat: 9500
Despite not being a Fortune Magazine, Motor Trend, or TCL favorite, the Malibu seems to be outselling the sedan that Fortune and MT heap praise upon.

[classicjetta]

Malibu: 11188
Passat: 9500
Despite not being a Fortune Magazine, Motor Trend, or TCL favorite, the Malibu seems to be outselling the sedan that Fortune and MT heap praise upon.

True, but I bet the Camry and Accord each will see almost 3X as many sales as the Malibu.

[Shomegrown]

Malibu: 11188
Passat: 9500
Despite not being a Fortune Magazine, Motor Trend, or TCL favorite, the Malibu seems to be outselling the sedan that Fortune and MT heap praise upon.

There's no shortage of mid 2000's Malibu/Impalas on the road - and they are just about the worst vehicles imaginable.

In other words, there's little correlation between sales volume and vehicle quality.

[GTRaavv]

In other words, there's little correlation between sales volume and vehicle quality.

Exactly. The new Jetta is proof of this.

[whitejeep1989]

There's no shortage of mid 2000's Malibu/Impalas on the road - and they are just about the worst vehicles imaginable.

In other words, there's little correlation between sales volume and vehicle quality.

I've never heard anything bad about the last generation Malibu's quality. If it is significantly worse than a Passat of similar vintage, please pass some links that support this.

[Shomegrown]

I've never heard anything bad about the last generation Malibu's quality. If it is significantly worse than a Passat of similar vintage, please pass some links that support this.

I wasn't talking about the last gen, I was talking about this thing. The Taurus of the era was equally bland. Terrible cars which sold well because many people in that segment just don't care.

[whitejeep1989]

I wasn't talking about the last gen, I was talking about this thing. The Taurus of the era was equally bland. Terrible cars which sold well because many people in that segment just don't care.

I'm not going to defend that car, but were any family sedans particularly exciting in the late 1990s? Even GM made better midsizers back then (Olds Alero)!

[Shomegrown]

I'm not going to defend that car, but were any family sedans particularly exciting in the late 1990s? Even GM made better midsizers back then (Olds Alero)!

A V6 Accord was infinitely better at the time.

[eweu]

Malibu: 11188
Passat: 9500
Despite not being a Fortune Magazine, Motor Trend, or TCL favorite, the Malibu seems to be outselling the sedan that Fortune and MT heap praise upon.

Well I would certainly hope 3,000 dealerships could sell more cars than 600 dealerships.

[Hajduk]

Well I would certainly hope 3,000 dealerships could sell more cars than 600 dealerships.

That's about 1 Malibu per week for a typical Chevy dealer.

[whitejeep1989]

Well I would certainly hope 3,000 dealerships could sell more cars than 600 dealerships.

But remember, full volume Malibu production had not begun last month. Those numbers are only for EAssist and base 4 cylinder.

[classicjetta]

Toyota Motor Sales Reports Increase In September Sales
Camry Leads the Way with 38 Percent Increase

TORRANCE, Calif., (Oct. 2, 2012) – Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported September 2012 sales results of 171,910 units, an increase of 41.5 percent compared to the same period last year on both a daily selling rate (DSR) and a raw volume basis, unadjusted for 25 selling days in both September 2012 and in September 2011.

The Toyota Division posted September total sales of 151,524 units, an increase of 42.3 percent on a DSR basis from September 2011. On a raw volume basis, Toyota Division sales were also up 42.3 percent from the year-ago month.

http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases...ember+2012.htm

[classicjetta]

American Honda Reports September Sales: Accord 56-Percent Gain Fuels Honda Sales Surge; Acura RDX Sales Up More Than 119 Percent


TORRANCE, Calif., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- American Honda today reported September 2012 U.S. sales of 117,211 units, an increase of 30.9 percent compared with September 2011. The Honda Division posted September 2012 sales of 102,845 units, an increase of 29.3 percent compared with September 2011. Acura's U.S. September sales of 14,366 units increased 43.5 percent compared with September 2011.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...172328271.html

[classicjetta]

Nissan North America Announces September Sales

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today reported September U.S. sales of 91,907 units versus 92,964 units a year earlier, down 1.1 percent. Nissan Division sales decreased 2.4 percent for the month at 82,462 units. Sales of Infiniti vehicles were up 11.4 percent over the prior year, to 9,445 units.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...172318891.html

Surprising for them to have a down month.

[classicjetta]

Hyundai Motor America Reports Record September Sales


- Seventh Straight Month Breaking the 60,000 Mark

- Best-Ever September Sales

- 25th Consecutive Year-Over-Year Monthly Sales Increase

COSTA MESA, Calif., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor America wrapped up the third quarter of 2012 setting multiple sales records including a record 60,025 sales for the month of September. Sales were up 15 percent for the month and up 10 percent for the first nine months of the year versus 2011.

"September was a very encouraging month for Hyundai as we avoided the traditional back-to-school sales decline and began to reap the benefits of a materially improved inventory situation on our core vehicle lines," said Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of sales. "We're well positioned for a strong fourth quarter as sales of the newly launched Elantra GT, Elantra Coupe, the all-new Azera and all-new Santa Fe continued at a brisk pace. Our fourth quarter production plan is up nearly 20 percent on a year-over-year basis."

The all-new Azera and the Elantra family saw sales gains of a remarkable 1028 percent and 27 percent, respectively, over last September. The Tucson saw sales gains of 23 percent over the same period a year ago, and Veloster, the three-door coupe now available in both turbo and non-turbo models, continues to impress with a sales gain of 262 percent. Hyundai fleet sales and mix remained low at a nine percent mix for the month and year-to-date, among the lowest in the industry.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...172323471.html

[classicjetta]

Kia Motors America Records Best Third Quarter And 25th Consecutive Monthly Sales Record In September


Annual Sales Up 18.4 Percent for the Fastest-Growing Car Company in the U.S. Over the Last Five Years [1]

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kia Motors America (KMA) is the fastest growing car company in the United States and the brand's unprecedented momentum reached new highs in September, achieving a record third quarter and the 25th consecutive month of record sales, reaching 48,105 units, a 35.1-percent increase over the same period in 2011. September once again saw KMA's U.S.-built* vehicles take the top sales honors. The Optima midsize sedan sold 14,304 units and the Sorento CUV enjoyed sales of 10,066 vehicles. The Soul accounted for 9,467 units sold, bolstered by the recent launch of the "Bringing Down the House" advertising campaign featuring the music-loving Kia hamsters and the dance anthem "In My Mind" (Axwell remix).

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...172299651.html

[classicjetta]

Mitsubishi Motors Reports Record Outlander Sport Sales


CYPRESS, Calif., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) today reported September sales of the Outlander Sport that marked the highest total for a month in the two years the fuel-efficient crossover has been on the market.

Outlander Sport sales were 2,253 for the month, an increase of 49.0 percent compared to September 2011. The previous record monthly sales for Outlander Sport were 1,618 in March of this year.

"The Outlander Sport's combination of fuel-efficiency, performance, and style, as highlighted in the 'Unpretentious' Outlander Sport marketing campaign, is obviously resonating with customers," said MMNA President & CEO Yoichi Yokozawa.

Outlander Sport continues to be Mitsubishi's top seller in the U.S. and began production in Normal, Illinois in July.

Overall Mitsubishi sales were 4,806 units, down 17.2 percent compared to September 2011. "Comparisons to last year's total sales are still being slightly affected by some models that ended their production last year," Yokozawa added. "Obviously, this effect will have a diminishing impact over the next few months."

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...172323981.html

[VarianceVQ]

Mitsubishi Motors Reports Record Outlander Sport Sales

The sign of a great sales month for a brand: The headline of your monthly sales report highlights the success of one model and 80% of the actual press release does nothing but talk about that model.

[eweu]

Overall Mitsubishi sales were 4,806 units

I can't wrap my head around the economics here. How does that work out on any balance sheet?

[curvedinfinity]

I can't wrap my head around the economics here. How does that work out on any balance sheet?

Negative profit