July1
June sales results are now flooding in and it’s become quite obvious just how bad the U.S. auto market is right now. Although the vast majority of automakers are reporting double-digit percentage declines, Chrysler has checked in with the biggest sales decline in June – a massive 36 percent (28 percent adjusted) drop off to just 117,457 units. Of note, there were three fewer sales days in June 2008 versus June 2007, so some sales have been adjusted to reflect change in Daily Sales Rate.
As you can imagine with a 36 percent sales decline, there weren’t many bright spots in the Chrysler portfolio. The Jeep Patriot managed a meager 6 percent sales increase while the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan posted impressive sales increases of 21 and 52 percent, respectively. Chrysler’s minivan success comes as a bit of a shock considering the Michigan-based automaker announced just yesterday that it would idling one of its minivan plants.
June was also a tough month for General Motors, but the U.S.’ largest automaker fared much better than Chrysler. GM’s overall sales were down 18.5 percent (8.3 percent adjusted), with all eight of its divisions posting sales declines.
HUMMER was GM’s biggest loser, with sales down nearly 60 percent. GM’s Saab and Buick divisions were not far behind, with drop offs of 57.1 and 41.7 percent, respectively.
GM’s most improved model was the Chevrolet Malibu — with sales up 73.4 percent – but the success of the Malibu is likely cannibalizing other GM sales. Just a few months ago, the Impala was Chevy’s best-selling model, but Impala sales dropped off a staggering 53.5 percent in June.
Nissan says its June sales fell 7.5 percent to just 75,847 units.
As expected, Honda posted another record month, selling 142,539 vehicles in June – an increase of 1.1 percent (13.8 percent adjusted). Despite the record month for the Japanese automaker, its Acura brand is still lagging in sales, with its June figures off the mark by 16.4 percent.
Hyundai quietly set a new company record by selling 50,033 vehicles in June, a 1.3 percent (14 percent adjusted) increase over June 2007.
As a whole, the industry was down 18.8 percent in June, with first half sales off by 10.9 percent.
I hope Chrysler can get the Hornet to market before going belly up.
I have an idea…let’s give Nardelli a huge bonus and layoff some additional employees!
^^^^ Sounds like a plan!
who the hell is buying the G6? and Hyundais are selling all of a sudden?
The rest of the story on Honda:
They have the breakouts at http://www.vtec.net. Just four Honda/Acura vehicles gained in June: Fit (100%), Accord (55%), Civic (23%), TSX (28%). Everything else is down. Even the Civic Hybrid lost sales due to battery supply issues.
I am actually happily surprised by GMs numbers, but they were offering some pretty huge incentives… then again, Chrysler was doing the gas card thing, and Ford was doing Employee pricing in my area. WTF was Toyota doing? Sheesh.
BTW, great job there LLN, you manage to have 3 stories about the months sales, and 2 headlines were how terrible the domestic sales are, and 1 was Honda expecting record sales. And 1115 says you show a domestic bias… LOL
how much did GM sell?
Audi is up 18%!! Why isn’t THAT noteworth?!?!
On another note, my sales for this month were break even with my sales last month. There was no increase nor decrease, as I sold absolutely nothing both months.
A lot of them should just move manufacturing offshore. Not to other countries, but over water so they won’t have far to go when they sink.
Its managements fault for the **** that marinates on the lot, but you fags will blame the union.
If Chrysler offers free gas for next 10 years + lifetime (transferable) bumper to bumper warranty, I’ll buy one.
I guess no one learned their lesson with Chrysler’s minivans and how big a POS they are. Now they suck on the outside as much as they do on the inside.
Look at their lineup, How is this company still in business?
Its the unions fault for the **** that marinates on the lot. If engineering didn’t have to simplify things for the union workers and managment didn’t have to jack up the car prices because of union lazyness and mistakes. Then maybe, car companies could get on with the job of making a good product.
I have a new idea, how about Chrysler hit the drawing board and come up with some products that do not suck ass. Wait, that is not an original idea, its been around for a while… then query, why the hell have those idiots not implemented it.
V.Raikkonen’s 2k8 Christmas List:
1. Kevin Rudd, aka KDudd, only serves 1 term as Prime Minister.
2. A good bottle of scotch.
3. American prices for Australian cars.
4. Obama becomes President of the colonies.
5. CHRYSLER puts a going out of business sign on their door so we no longer have to read this ****e.
6. 5 million dollars, tax free. But, I will settle for 1-5.
Once again, it’s time for Chrysler’s VP of Design, Trevor Creed, to go.
His legacy is the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership’s lots filled with cars that no one wants.
Well, while I assume gas prices are the culprit behind downed sales here in the states for most manufacturers, I whole heartedly believe that Chrysler’s sales problems are their own fault. I don’t care who’s fault internally it is. When you produce crap like that, it’s not going to sell. And to believe I used to be a supporter of the Chrysler Group.
I’m surprised that Audi is showing a surge in sales I can’t think of why but I do know the A5 is a looker
Hyundai’s are selling all of a sudden? Hyundai’s always sold. I see Sonatas like I see Accords and Camry’s now
It’s funny that GM can’t sell two cars they can only sell one or the other lol. If the Malibu sells well the Impala doesn’t. They can’t do anything right. The Malibu still isn’t converting import buyers and I’m glad that all the hype about that POS is over.
I’m going on vacation the end of the month and I’m going to rent one to complete the circle of Epsilon I’ve rented the Aura the G6 already.
When I rented last in Feb Hertz had one Camry and one Accord (not the new one) but they wanted more money for them being that they are worth more and superior to the American cars. I declined and said Ill save some $$$ and drive a POS for 3 days
“I declined and said Ill save some $$$ and drive a POS for 3 days”…LOLOLOLOL
Perhaps those numbers will make domestic executives start thinking on how to produce European based cars in US. Then again, there is state of ADHD in Detroit.
with the crappy designs…it’s not a surprise.
What’s happening bitches!!!
Greetings from sunny Santorini, Greece. Tanning my ass on the beaches, eating well, sipping gin-soda overlooking the volcano. Hell of a view…
Anyways, so I open up LLN after a one-week hiatus and all this ****ing DOOM And GLOOM. Big 3 in double-digit sales declines, McCain won’t bail them out, Honda fit up, VW bringing a $40,000 motorcycle to market, etc…
Let me tell you, the small cars here are the **** - Polos, Seat Ibizas, Audi A3s, you name it. Awesome mileage, cool designs.
I sell the Wrangler when I get back…**** this.
It’s really not all doom and gloom, just U.S. Market mostly. Chrysler Canada has posted 23 consecutive months of sales growth year over year.
It will be interesting to see if the Canadian market share will be enough to hold the big 3 alive over the next 5 years… I kinda doubt it… but yah never know.
Let us all hope and pray for the deaths of the PT Cruiser and the Crossfire, two of the worst-looking cars to grace American roads. One an aborted retro mess, the other a Mercedes twisted into some disgusting “car of tomorrow” parody — whoever came up with the fake speed dents on the hood should be forced to design My Little Pony toys for the rest of his life.
“I’m going on vacation the end of the month”
Thank God. Dont come back.
If you think the camry is a rental car that is worth a premium over an Aura or Malibu you are even more stupid then we thought. The camry is full of cheap plastics and flashing. This is why it loses almost every comparison test it enters and would never be named to C&D 10 Best or any other list of note. A few years ago you would have been saying any rental car was there because no one wants to buy them retail. Now you gloss over the fact that Toyota and NIssan are selling to fleets and say they are merely offering “premium” rental cars to Hertz. What a moron.
“Perhaps those numbers will make domestic executives start thinking on how to produce European based cars in US. Then again, there is state of ADHD in Detroit.”
Yeah so they can mimic the results of Toyota and Nissan. Those two companies obviously are tearing up the sales charts with their monthly declines. Nissan just got passed by Hyundai. How European models does Toyota sell in America? Honda only sells two and neither is a high volume product.
dxc is in trouble. The new minivans R ugly buf not PsO’S.
the Chevrolet Malibu is a gr8 car.
Honda is selling Fits and Civics, amd people R running wtway from those lo-wquality Acuras. Ha Ha.
Hyundai is a good bargain.
Nardelli is just what every1 was expecting. Home depopt wasright to get hik out of there.
we need unions
If Chrysler offers free gas for next 10 years + lifetime (transferable) bumper 2 bumper warranty, I’ll buy 1, 2
Audis R getting more respect. I love them, amd the A5 is a looker
Camry and Accord suck and R not superior 2 American cars.
The camry loses almost every comparison test bcuz it sucks.
^^^ What have you been reading, because every major auto magazine I have read from Automobile Mag, Road & Tract, and MotorTrend have ALL ranked the Camry above the new Malibu. However, the Malibu did manage to squeak by the Accord in the MotorTrend comparison. However, sitting in a Malibu and a either of the other two, I would take one of the Japs and the Accord at that.. especially the coupe.
Cars Compared in the MT Test: New: Camry, Accord, Altama, Malibu and the ****e Sonata I believe.
jonmiles: because nobody gives a rat’s ass about Audi. Aside from Quattro, they don’t have any must-have tech. The sooner you learn that they break down more often than most vehicles, the better.
I don’t care what the magazines think about the new Malibu, as most of you who have talked about it have probably never sat in one. It’s an AMAZING looking vehicle for a mid-size sedan, has great quality and is pleasant to drive. Not sporty, not slow, just nice to drive. Nobodies reaching up underneath the dash to check the quality of Honda’s plastics.
Go look at one yourself. It’s seriously a REALLY nice car at a good price. And most magazines I’ve looked at have rated the Malibu ahead of the Camry but behind the Accord, which although I haven’t driven it looks to be a really great car too. Malibu has character, Accord has proportions and quality look down really well. However, I’ve also noticed they’ve remarked the Accord and Malibu for the most parts come down to taste. Personally I like the Accords interior, but the exterior looks dorky and BMW reminiscent.
I’m not quite sure why the Camry is still ranked high at all, it no longer has the reliability or nice interior most people considered that it had in former generations. And most magazines I have read finally are beginning to get fed up with it’s extremely poor handling, and that comes as a surprise to me looking at hp figures!
GM’s doing some right by introducing better looking models (inside and out) and making more reliable cars. Chrysler is still stuck in the mid to late 90s where they think they can take the same concept and attach it to all types of cars and trucks and assume people will identify with the “brand.” Not only are Chrysler’s the ugliest cars on the road, but they’re the worst qualitywise. If they fold, they deserve it because of their ineptness.
1c3d0g, you’re totally uninformed. Audi has pioneered direct injection, something every other manufacturer is now struggling to implement. Audi ran the first diesel race car. Audi’s quattro is still considered the best AWD, followed by Subaru and Acura SH-AWD. A lot of people care about Audi, which is why they are cover cars on auto mags many times a year.
Here, tell me what domestic manufacturer is pioneering like this:
http://autospeed.com/cms/A_2823/article.html
“What have you been reading, because every major auto magazine I have read from Automobile Mag, Road & Tract, and MotorTrend have ALL ranked the Camry above the new Malibu. ”
R&T hasnt done a midsize sedan comparo. The Malibu has beat the Camry in a C&D and Edmunds comparo and it beat the Accord in a MT comparo. Get your facts straight. The Aura also beat the CAmry in a C&D comparo in 2007. The only magazine that likes the camry is MT at this point. Edmunds also did a consumer comparo test and the Camry came in third behind the Accord and Malibu.
I have driven both and would take the Malibu, Very nice cars, some of the interiors look sweet, but also offer some odd colors such as brick. But overall the Malibu LTZ with the good rims can’t be beat