Not surprisingly, automakers with inexpensive and efficient lineups benefited most from the Cash for Clunkers program: Hyundai , Kia and Subaru reported their best-ever month, while Toyota , Ford and Volkswagen also saw impressive sales increases.
Overall, sales appeared to follow the trend started late last month when the Clunkers program began.
The best news so far comes from Kia , which showed a 60.4 percent increase in sales over last August – and posted its best ever month. Subaru , with a 52 percent jump, and Hyundai , with a 47 percent improvement, weren’t far behind.
Hyundai Group sales – including Kia – were up 52.1 percent to 100,665.
Ford Motor Company saw a 21 percent increase in sales over last August and Volkswagen says that the month was its best since December of 2005.
Overall, Chrysler saw a reasonable 15 percent drop off compared to last year’s figures – not bad considering inventories of several models were essentially depleted about halfway through the Cash for Clunkers program.
General Motors, which saw a strong August last year, recorded a 20.1 percent drop off in sales overall.
Honda ’s group sales, including Acura , were up 14.2 percent, setting a new record for the month despite weak Acura sales.
Toyota ’s group sales, which include Lexus and Scion , were up 10.5 percent to 225,088.
The good
Kia saw demand soar for a number of its models, including the Rio, Optima and Sportage, all of which essentially doubled last August’s figures. The automaker also sold 5,751 Souls and 4,049 Fortes – both of which are in their first model year.
Only Subaru’s Tribeca saw a drop off in sales – and even then, it only posted a 7 percent drop. The automaker’s Forester led the charge, with a 76 percent improvement, but the Outback, Legacy and Impreza were not far behind – they posted 53, 49 and 30 percent improvements, respectively.
Toyota sold 54,396 Camrys last month – making it the United States’ best-selling car by a wide margin. Overall Toyota sales crested 200,000 for the first time this year, led by the best-ever month for passenger cars (not including trucks).
Audi emerged strongly despite relatively limited line-wide appeal for Clunkers shoppers – due to the automaker’s premium price tags. A4 demand was up 79 percent (to 3,823) and the Q5 sold an impressive 1,496 units. Q5 supply was down to an almost nonexistent level at the end of last month.
Hyundai saw increased demand almost across the board for its products. Most notable was the Elantra, which sold 21,673 units – more than double last year’s figure for the same period.
Honda’s Fit and Civic posted record-breaking months and helped boost the division to a 19.6 percent increase in demand.
Pontiac, the only GM brand that will be killed off and not sold to another party, saw a hefty 23.3 percent increase in sales last month due mostly to G6 and Vibe sales. Although GM doesn’t break out the number of vehicles sold to fleets, we know that the G6, in particular, was a major purchase from government and car rental agencies.
Chevrolet ’s car divisions actually saw an 11 percent increase in sales – mostly thanks to a 159 percent increase in demand for the Aveo (to 12,733 units). Of Aveos sold this year, more than one third were sold in August. The Camaro was a hot seller, too, with 8,680 reported deliveries, while the Cobalt and Malibu also posted positive numbers. Though the bowtie’s SUVs were a little more hit-or-miss, the redesigned Equinox saw sales of 13,157 units – a 188.5 percent increase in demand.
Despite general movement away from SUVs across the industry, Jeep saw a reasonable 6 percent drop in sales – and Grand Cherokee sales actually jumped 62 percent to 7,679 units.
Volkswagen’s Jetta TDI, which qualified for $4,500 in rebates for those taking advantage of the Clunkers program, was a virtual sell-out in August. The automaker says that the strong month essentially depleted 2009 TDI inventory. Tiguan, CC and, for the first time in months, Routan, also posted strong numbers for the month.
Ford’s Focus, one of the best sellers during the Clunkers program, saw a 56 percent increase in demand to 25,547 units, while Fusion sales hit their highest point ever at 21,010 units sold. Ford’s Escape was up 49 percent to 20,933. Of Ford’s retail models, only Taurus, Mustang, Expedition, Explorer and Econoline saw sales drop offs.
Mercury also posted a strong month thanks to a 112 percent increase in demand for its Milan (to 3,844) and a 50.3 percent increase for the Mariner (to 3,921 units).
The bad
Despite strength at Toyota, Lexus sales dropped about 18.8 percent.
Acura didn’t quite share in parent company Honda’s success: A 33.8 percent drop-off in sales was recorded, although the TSX saw a 7.1 percent increase.
It wasn’t a hot month for Saab : Sales were off nearly 69 percent.
Like most luxury brands, Lincoln ’s sales weren’t so hot. All models posted at least a 20 percent drop in demand.
Mercedes-Benz also saw a 7.5 percent decrease in sales, although a 74.2 percent increase in demand (to 4,671) for the E-Class helped out.
The not-so-ugly
Acura, down 33.8 percent to 9,625.
Audi, up 25.8 percent to 8,057.
BMW , down 24.5 percent to 19,232.
Buick , down 51.7 percent to 8,612.
Cadillac , down 55 percent to 6,931.
Chevrolet, down 9.2 percent to 168,130.
Chrysler, down 23 percent to 18,619.
Dodge , down 16 percent to 52,562.
Ford, up 21.2 percent to 161,369.
GMC , down 45.1 percent to 23,145.
Honda, up 19.6 percent to 151,814.
Hummer, down 64 percent to 777.
Hyundai, up 47 percent to 60,467.
Kia, up 60.4 percent to 40,198.
Lexus, down 18.8 percent to 22,892.
Lincoln, down 38.4 percent to 5,874.
Jeep, down 6 percent to 22,041.
Maserati , down 30.2 percent to 127.
Mazda , up 12.1 percent to 26,542.
Mercedes-Benz, down 7.5 percent to 17,112.
Mercury, up 8.2 percent to 9,080.
Mini, down 6.5 percent to 5,111.
Pontiac, up 23.3 percent to 29,921.
Porsche , up 8.7 percent to 1,526.
Saab, down 66.6 percent to 484.
Saturn, down 56.8 percent to 8,479.
Subaru, up 52 percent to 28,683.
Toyota, up 15.2 percent to 202,196.
Volkswagen, up 11.4 percent to 24,823.
Volvo , up 24.8 percent to 5,826.
