Automakers from Asia, Auburn Hills and Wolfsburg have plenty of reason to celebrate.
The news out of Japan and South Korea was almost universally positive, at least among the higher volume brands, last month. Toyota and Honda, especially, saw strong sales numbers for a few of their key products, while smaller players Mazda and Subaru broke records.
But the month’s biggest volume gainer was Chrysler, where a 44 percent increase over an admittedly weak January 2011 will grab the most headlines. There’s no doubt that Chrysler is back on the right track, but the situation might be even stronger at Volkswagen.
Overall, the market was up about 11 percent to around 913,000 cars sold, which analysts say puts the industry on a much-improved 14.2 million annual rate.
January’s Numbers
Acura – Up 5 percent to 8,381
Audi – Up 20 percent to 9,354
BMW – Up 3 percent to 16,405
Buick – Down 23 percent to 10,208
Cadillac – Down 29 percent to 8,924
Chevrolet – Down 1 percent to 123,864
Chrysler – Up 81 percent to 17,604
Dodge – Up 29 percent to 31,454
Fiat – 1,911
Ford – Up 8 percent to 131,589
GMC – Down 10 percent to 24,966
Honda – Up 9 percent to 74,628
Hyundai – Up 15 percent to 42,694
Infiniti – Down 8 percent to 6,796
Jaguar – Up 5 percent to 985
Jeep – Up 37 percent to 31,710
Kia – Up 28 percent to 35,517
Land Rover – Up 41 percent to 3,205
Lexus – Down 5 percent to 12,274
Lincoln - Down 8 percent to 5,121
Maserati – Up 35 percent to 154
Mazda – Up 68 percent to 23,996
Mercedes-Benz – Up 23 percent to 21,230
Mitsubishi – Down 18 percent to 4,711
MINI – Up 31 percent to 3,334
Nissan – Up 13 percent to 72,517
Porsche – Up 6 percent to 2,550
Ram – Up 42 percent to 18,470
Smart – Up 39 percent to 496
Subaru – Up 21 percent to 22,807
Suzuki – Down 41 percent to 1,505
Toyota (Includes Scion) – Up 9 percent to 112,266
Volkswagen – Up 48 percent to 27,209
Volvo – Up 4 percent to 4,461
BMW Group – Up 6 percent to 19,739
Chrysler – Up 44 percent to 101,149
Daimler – Up 23 percent to 21,730
Ford Motor Company – Up 7 percent to 136,710
General Motors – Down 6 percent to 167,962
American Honda – Up 9 percent to 83,009
Hyundai Group – Up 20 percent to 78,211
Jaguar Land Rover – Up 31 percent to 4,190
Nissan North America – Up 10 percent to 79,313
Toyota USA – Up 8 percent to 112,266
The Domestics
Chrysler posted its best January since 2008 thanks to double digit growth for almost all of its models, although it’s worth noting that the automaker’s heavily refreshed-for-2011 lineup was generally just beginning to arrive in showrooms last January. With that in mind, the most impressive performer remains the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which saw a 40 percent boost (it arrived on the scene in mid-2010), although the company’s midsize and fullsize sedans all more than doubled their sales.
Not a bad start to the month for Ford, although a close breakdown of the sales figures reveals a few red flags. A 36 percent surge in sales for the Explorer continues that crossover’s momentum, but some of the other growth last month came from some auspicious products. Lame-duck models like the Ranger (up 77 percent), Escape (up 24 percent), Taurus (up 19 percent) could indicate that deals are pretty hot on soon-to-be-replaced models.
On the other hand, Lincoln’s January was better than the overall figure indicates. All of its models other than the MKT (down 29 percent) and the discontinued Town Car (down 84 percent) saw year-over-year growth.
General Motors posted declines all around, but the automaker correctly admits that last January was especially strong. Many of its mainstream models saw modest declines last month, but there are some statistics worth pointing out. For one, the Chevrolet Sonic (5,712 units) is skyrocketing past its Aveo predecessor (2,739 last January) and the 603 Volts delivered nearly double last year’s 321 cars.
Cadillac saw the biggest declines at GM, although its lineup is two cars smaller (STS and DTS) than it was this time last year.
The Asians
Honda’s Civic had its most-improved month in recent memory thanks to a 50 percent increase in demand, although the picture was a little less positive otherwise. Accord sales were essentially flat, though the CR-V saw a nice 16 percent gain. Acura, too, saw mixed results with sales down for crossovers but up for the TL and TSX.
Hyundai broke a January record thanks to sales up across the board for its volume models. Only the Azera saw a decline as dealers await a redesigned model. Sister brand Kia also had its best-ever January, which was headlined by an impressive 8,814 Optimas delivered.
Mazda posted its best January in nearly 20 years thanks to increased demand for all of its volume models. The Mazda2 (3,030 sold) had its best month ever, while the Mazda3 had its best January (9,200). The only decline among still-in-production Mazdas the brand saw was a 25 percent drop in demand for its Mazda5 van.
Nissan set January records for its Rogue and Versa models, but its biggest volume growth came from a 36 percent increase in Altima sales (to 22,357). At the brand’s Infiniti division, the picture wasn’t as bright; sales were down 8 percent and only the QX56 and FX saw volume increases.
After months of weak sales caused by limited dealer inventories, Subaru broke a pair of records last month thanks to its new Impreza. Sales were up 176 percent for the redesigned model, which catapulted Subaru to its best January ever. Impreza eclipsed Forester as Subaru’s second-best seller last month (behind the Outback).
Toyota had a strong month for many of its models, especially the Camry, where sales climbed 56 percent (to 28,295). Its SUVs were a little softer, with all but the Venza and Sequoia posting some declines. Lexus continues to struggle, although virtually depleted GS inventories (just 93 sold) didn’t help. The new GS rolls into dealers this month.
The Europeans
Audi has surged ahead yet again to post its best January ever. Its A6 is proving to be a hit, with sales up 90 percent, but the Q5′s 26 percent jump isn’t too shabby either.
After besting Mercedes-Benz for the luxury sales title last year, BMW saw a modest improvement in January, although its new 3-Series won’t be on sale until late this month. Expect a big bump in sales in March and August once the 3 is in full supply.
Land Rover surged on solid sales for its Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport, which sold 1,129 and 680 units, respectively. Jaguar was a bit softer, but the XF saw a 37 percent bump to 455 cars.
Mercedes-Benz came back to trounce BMW in January, even though it lost out on the 2011 overall luxury title.
Volkswagen had its best January since the Rabbit first replaced the venerable Beetle in 1974. Its Jetta sedan had its third-best January, while more than 6,000 Passats found owners last month. VW is still far from its 800,000 annual unit (in the U.S., including Audi) goal, but there’s no doubt that the Germans are making steady progress.
Leftlane’s bottom line
It’s too early to safely say that 2011 will be a strong overall year for the new car market, but a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 14.2 million new cars certainly puts the industry on the right track.
There are still some red flags at all of the major automakers that help temper on our enthusiasm, but there’s no doubt that things are looking up.
