Ken Criscione’s Blog

Filed under: SUVs, Japan, Crossovers/CUVs, Suzuki

Click image for a gallery of more scans

As is always the case, there’ll be little left to talk about regarding the new 2009 Forester when Subaru officially pulls the wraps off its overhauled compact SUV on Christmas day. Japan’s scoop-crazed magazine culture has rewarded us with a slew of new scans showing the ‘09 Forester in a variety of trim levels. Bigger in every dimension, it’s definitely got a more traditional SUV look to it, with a view from the front that’s quite reminiscent of the current Mitsubishi Outlander. The two launch engines in Japan will be a NA 2.0 boxer with 148 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque and a turbocharged version generating 230 horsepower and 234 lb-ft. Also revealed is news that seven JDM trim levels will be offered — four with normally-aspirated engines and three with the turbo mill (and none of them bearing the STi moniker). While we all watch the days count down to the new Forester, we’re sure that many more photos and specifications will be leaked. We’ll bring them to you, and we’ll also have the “real” photos and info when it all becomes officially official later this month. Our first in-person look at the car will also come in mid-January at the Detroit Auto Show.

Thanks for the tip, Vlad!

[Source: Drom.ru]

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Filed under: By the Numbers

February 2008 will go down as the ugliest sales month ever in the history of By the Numbers posts. Out of the 35 brands we track, only four improved their daily average sales rate versus the same month last year: Honda (1.9%), Mazda (2.5%), Mercedes-Benz (3%) and our Biggest Winner, MINI (38.5%). Leap year is to blame, as the rare return of February 29th offered most automakers an extra to day to suck.

The big companies themselves fared just as poorly, with every multi-brand automaker except for one down in February compared to last year. Only Honda America scraped together a positive month, increasing its daily average sales rate 0.7% overall.

NOTE: There were 25 selling days in February 2008 versus 24 selling days in February 2007. As such, all percentages represent the change in daily average sales rate rather than the difference in raw number of units sold.

Biggest Winner
MINI 38.5% at 3,415 (2/07: 2,368)

Biggest Loser
Saturn -36.1% at 14,801 (2/07: 22,225)

BRANDS
Acura -8.0% at 13,084 (2/07: 13,658)
Audi -10.6% at 6,152 (2/07: 6,609)
BMW -10.5% at 20,775 (2/07: 22,274)
Buick -18.9% at 12,768 (2/07: 15,108)
Cadillac -2.1% at 14,420 (2/07:14,142)
Chevrolet -14.7% at 166,166 (2/07: 187,088)
Chrysler -13.2% at 41,709 (2/07: 46,112)
Dodge -19.35 at 76,141 (2/07: 90,618)
Ford -8.9% at 164,915 (2/07: 173,794)
GMC -22.7% at 33,237 (2/07: 41,279)
Honda 1.9% at 102,313 (2/07: 96,368)
HUMMER -22.7% at 3,362 (2/07: 4,177)
Hyundai -13.5% at 31,090 (2/07: 34,500)
Infiniti -0.4% at 10,068 (2/07: 9,704)
Jaguar -14.3% at 1,063 (2/07: 1,191)
Jeep -18% at 32,243 (2/07: 37,776)
Kia -10.2% at 21,988 (2/07: 23,512)
Land Rover -12.9% at 2,819 (2/07: 3,106)
Lexus -9.3% at 21,277 (2/07: 22,518)
Lincoln -14.6% at 9,573 (2/07:
Mazda 2.5% at 23,548 (2/07: 22,060)
Mercedes 3% at 18,564 (2/07: 17,304)
Mercury -25% at 10,806 (2/07: 13,843)
MINI 38.5% at 3,415 (2/07: 2,368)
Mitsubishi -10.1% at 9,105 (2/07: 9,726)
Nissan -3.2% at 76,151 (2/07: 75,514)
Pontiac -6.5% at 23,935 (2/07: 24,563)
Porsche -16.3% at 1,715 (2/07: 1,967)
Saab -25% at 1,734 (2/07: 2,221)
Saturn -36.1% at 14,801 (2/07: 22,225)
Subaru -3.8% at 12,907 (2/07: 12,875)
Suzuki -1.6% at 8,800 (2/07: 8,585)
Toyota -6.3% at 160,892 (2/07: 164,812)
Volkswagen -2.9% at 16,556 (2/07: 16,367)
Volvo -14.8% at 7,505 (2/07: 8,453)

COMPANIES
BMW Group -5.8% at 24,190 (2/07: 24,642)
Chrysler Group -17.4% at 150,093 (2/07: 174,506)
Ford Motor Co -10.6% at 196,681 (2/07: 211,150)
General Motors -16.7% at 270,423 (2/07: 311,763)
Honda America 0.7% at 115,397 (2/07: 110,026)
Nissan North America -2.9% at 86,219 (2/07: 85,218)
Toyota Motor Co. -6.6% at 182,169 (2/07: 187,330)

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Filed under: By the Numbers

GM starts year off strong, industry as a whole sees lower sales

Analysts and automakers alike have been warning us that 2008 is going to be another tough year, and January only served to prove them right.

General Motors, up 2.1%, managed to turn out a remarkably good sales month with every single one of its brands posting positive sales except for Pontiac (UPDATE: and Saab, down 25%, though its total sales are small enough not to affect GM’s overall numbers by much). GMC even got a big push from strong Acadia sales (up 335.1% to 7,318) to grab the honor of being our Biggest Winner.

Every other automaker, however, saw lower sales last month compared to January 2006, though double-digit drops were avoided by all except Chrysler. Ford Motor Company fell 4.1% in January, a figure that could have been worse were it not for very strong CUV sales and a 44.4% increase in Focus sales to 11,600. Both Toyota Motor Co. and Honda America fell 2.3%, as well. Nissan North America took the second biggest hit with a 7.3% drop in sales. Chrysler, meanwhile, fared that worst with a 12% decline, though it claims this was a result of reduced fleet sales and was expected.

Check out sales figures for each individual brand below (the BMW Group and Subaru have not yet reported). Since there 25 selling days in both January 2006 and 2007, the numbers below represent both the percentage change in total number of vehicles sold and daily average sales rate.

Biggest Winner
GMC 13.3% at 32,270 (1/07: 28,488)

Biggest Loser
Jaguar -52.2% at 664 (1/07: 1,390)

BRANDS
Acura -14.2% at 11,168 (1/07: 13,017)
Audi 0.3% at 6,418 (1/07: 6,399)
Buick 6.1% at 12,749 (1/07: 12,013)
Cadillac 7.7% at 14,792 (1/07: 13,740)
Chevrolet 0.7% at 149,548 (1/07: 148,449)
Chrysler -17% at 34,372 (1/07: 41,486)
Dodge -12% at 69,884 (1/07: 79,461)
Ford -0.7% at 131,074 (1/07: 132,006)
GMC 13.3% at 32,270 (1/07: 28,488)
Honda -0.5% at 87,343 (1/07: 87,773)
HUMMER -23.4% at 3,050 (1/07: 3,980)
Hyundai -22.6% at 21,452 (1/07: 27,721)
Infiniti -3.6% at 8,644 (1/07: 8,964)
Jaguar -52.2% at 664 (1/07: 1,390)
Jeep -6.0% at 33,136 (1/07: 35,361)
Kia -5.2% at 21,355 (1/07: 22,524)
Land Rover -16.7% at 2,859 (1/07: 3,433)
Lexus -8.2% at 20,299 (1/07: 22,118)
Lincoln -16.8% at 7,985 (1/07: 9,594)
Mazda 10.2% at 21,212 (1/07: 19,265)
Mercedes 7.1% at 18,275 (1/07: 17,069)
Mercury -26.2% at 9,296 (1/07: 12,604)
Mitsubishi -23% at 7,226 (1/07: 9,383)
Nissan -7.8% at 67,961 (1/07: 73,680)
Pontiac -4.3% at 23,025 (1/07: 24,060)
Porsche -13% at 2,595 (1/07: 2,984)
Saab -25% at 1,772 (1/07: 2,362)
Saturn 12.1% at 15,359 (1/07: 13,705)
Suzuki -13% at 7,120 (1/07: 8,179)
Toyota -1.4% at 151,550 (1/07: 153,732)
Volkswagen -13.2% at 14,411 (1/07: 16,610)
Volvo 2.9% at 8,036 (1/07: 7,808)

NA: BMW, MINI, Subaru

COMPANIES
Chrysler Group -12% at 137,392 (1/07: 156,308)
Ford Motor Co -4.1% at 159,914 (1/07: 166,835)
General Motors 2.1% at 252,565 (1/07: 247,464)
Honda America -2.3% at 98,511 (1/07: 100,790)
Nissan North America -7.3% at 76,605 (1/07: 82,644)
Toyota Motor Co. -2.3% at 171,849 (1/07: 175,850)

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Filed under: Earnings/Financials, By the Numbers

Toyota passes Ford as second largest automaker in the U.S.; Mazda grows the most in 2007

The final sales numbers for 2007 are in, and to be honest, they’re better than we expected. Of the 34 brands we track sales, 19 showed an improvement in their daily average sales rate last year. The majority of those that didn’t, we’re sad to say, are either domestic U.S. brands or brands that are owned by a domestic U.S. automaker.

Big ups to Mazda, though, which won our coveted Biggest Winner of the Year honor by growing its daily average sales rate 9.8% and selling nearly 300,000 vehicles. We can’t say we’re surprised that Jaguar is our Biggest Loser of the Year after posting daily average sales rate that fell 24.4% last year. We’d also like to call out Jeep for posting a 3.0% improvement thanks to the hot-selling Wrangler Unlimited, as well as Lincoln, which, despite all odds, increased its daily average sales rate by 8.8% and sold an additional 11,000 vehicles last year. There are other plenty of other proud automakers in the list below we don’t have room (or time) to mention.

Of course, the biggest news in auto sales for 2007 is that Ford Motor Company was supplanted by Toyota Motor Company as the second largest automaker in the U.S. Toyota sold 2,620,825 units in 2007 compared to Ford’s 2,572,599. We weren’t all that impressed with ToMoCo’s final tally of a 2.7% daily average sales rate increase, but that’s all it needed after Ford posted a 12.7% decrease. General Motors, of course, is still well ahead of both with 3,866,620 units sold, while Chrysler could be breathing down Ford’s neck with 2,076,650 sales if we expected that number would increase in 2008, which we don’t.

Note that there were 307 selling days last year compared to 306 selling days in 2006, so the figures below represent the change in daily average sales rate (average number of vehicles sold per day) and not the change in raw number of units sold.

Biggest Winner of the Year
Mazda 9.8% at 296,110 (2006: 268,786)

Biggest Loser of the Year
Jaguar -24.4% at 15,683 (2006: 20,683)

BRANDS
Acura-10.8% at 180,104 (2006: 201,223)
Audi 3.4% at 93,506 (2006: 90,116)
BMW 6.7% at 293,795 (2006: 274,432)
Buick -23% at 185,791 (2006: 240,657)
Cadillac -5.7% at 214,726 (2006: 227,014)
Chevrolet -6.5% at 2,265,641 (2006: 2,415,428)
Chrysler -10.5% at 543,011 (2006: 604,874)
Dodge -2.1% at 1,058,402 (2006: 1,077,579)
Ford -13.9% at 2,101,244 (2006: 2,433,086)
GMC 4.8% at 505,746 (12/06: 481,222)
Honda 4.5% at 1,371,438 (2006: 1,308,135)
HUMMER -22% at 55,986 (2006: 71,524)
Hyundai 2.2% at 467,009 (2006: 455,520)
Infiniti 4.5% at 127,038 (2006: 121,146)
Jaguar -24.4% at 15,683 (2006: 20,683)
Jeep 3.0% at 475,237 (2006: 460,052)
Kia 3.5% at 305,473 (2006: 294,302)
Land Rover 3.4% at 49,550 (2006: 47,774)
Lexus 1.8% at 329,177 (2006: 322,434)
Lincoln 8.8% at 131,487 (2006: 120,476)
Mazda 9.8% at 296,110 (2006: 268,786)
Mercedes 1.8% at 253,433 (2006: 248,080)
Mercury -7.2% at 168,422 (2006: 180,848)
MINI 7.0% at 42,045 (2006: 39,171)
Nissan 4.5% at 941,200 (2006: 898,103)
Pontiac -13% at 358,022 (2006: 410,229)
Porsche 1.0% at 34,693 (2006: 34,227)
Saab -10.3% at 32,711 (2006: 36,349)
Saturn 5.7% at 240,091 (2006: 226,375)
Subaru -7.0% at 187,208 (2006: 200,703)
Suzuki 0.6% at 101,884 (2006: 100,990)
Toyota 2.9% at 2,291,648 (2006: 2,220,090)
Volkswagen -2.3 at 230,572 (2006: 235,140)
Volvo -8.6% at 106,213 (2006: 115,807)

NA: Mitsubishi

COMPANIES
BMW Group 6.7% at 335,840 (2006: 313,603)
Chrysler Group -3.4% at 2,076,650 (2006: 2,142,505)
Ford Motor Co -12.1% at 2,572,599 (2006: 2,918,674)
General Motors -6.5% at 3,866,620 (2006: 4,124,645)
Honda America 2.5% at 1,551,542 (2006: 1,509,358)
Nissan North America 4.5% at 1,068,238 (2006: 1,019,249)
Toyota Motor Co. 2.7% at 2,620,825 (2006: 2,542,524)

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Filed under: Earnings/Financials, By the Numbers

Our fingers are bleeding after so much number crunching (look for By the Numbers: 2007 coming up next). As you can see, the last month of the year was not pretty for most automakers. The number of red arrows in our list below are almost too numerous to count. Mitsubishi, however, took the biggest hit, seeing its sales fall off 40.4% compared to last December.

Moving right along to the major automakers, Ford Motor Company and General Motors both saw declines last month, with sales shrinking 9.2% and 5.2%, respectively. Chrysler LLC, however, managed to eek out a 1% improvement. BMW was up a percent as well, while Honda America remained flat. Nissan North America fell 2.4% in sales, and even Toyota Motor Co. couldn’t pull out a win, falling 1.7%.

Since there were the same amount of selling days last month as there were in December 2006, the figures below represent both the change in raw number of units sold and the daily average sales rate.

Biggest Winner
MINI 44% at 3,562 (12/06: 2,472)

Biggest Loser
Mitsubishi -40.4% at 5,904 (12/06: 9,910)

BRANDS
Acura -7.7% at 17,582 (12/06: 19,056)
Audi -29% at 8,502 (12/06: 11,897)
BMW -2.4% at 30,199 (12/06: 30,945)
Buick -9.9% at 14,400 (12/06: 15,986)
Cadillac -5.6% at 21,436 (12/06: 22,715)
Chevrolet -4.5% at 185,626 (12/06: 194,369)
Chrysler -13% at 48,384 (12/06: 55,839)
Dodge 11% at 92,235 (12/06: 88,489)
Ford -9.0% at 173,648 (12/06: 190,914)
GMC 8.9% at 45,503 (12/06: 41,770)
Honda 1.3% at 114,210 (12/06: 112,722)
HUMMER -23% at 5,333 (12/06: 6,928)
Hyundai 24.2% at 46,487 (12/06: 37,365)
Infiniti -3.5% at 12,655 (12/06: 13,112)
Jaguar -2.0% at 1,522 (12/06: 1,553)
Jeep -3.0% at 44,804 (12/06: 46,087)
Kia -19.8% at 24,068 (12/06: 30,004)
Land Rover -18.7% at 4,887 (12/06: 6,014)
Lexus -7.2% at 34,555 (12/06: 37,235)
Lincoln -21.4% at 10,065 (12/06: 12,806)
Mazda 25% at 24,933 (12/06: 19,912)
Mercedes -2.9% at 27,301 (12/06: 28,115)
Mercury -8.5% at 12,631 (12/06: 13,809)
MINI 44% at 3,562 (12/06: 2,472)
Mitsubishi -40.4% at 5,904 (12/06: 9,910)
Nissan -2.2% at 76,900 (12/06: 78,663)
Pontiac -7.8% at 30,211 (12/06: 32,772)
Porsche -2.0% at 2,891 (12/06: 2,947)
Saab -22.3% at 2,748 (12/06: 3,535)
Saturn -12% at 18,196 (12/06: 20,686)
Subaru-9.1% at 18,739 (12/06: 20,613)
Suzuki 0.6% at 7,361 (12/06: 7,317)
Toyota -0.7% at 189,844 (12/06: 191,087)
Volkswagen 3.0% at 20,543 (12/06: 19,942)
Volvo 9.6% at 9,341 (12/06: 8,525)

COMPANIES
BMW Group 1.0% at 33,761 (12/06: 33,417)
Chrysler Group 1.0% at 191,423 (12/06: 190,415)
Ford Motor Co -9.2% at 212,094 (12/06: 233,621)
General Motors -5.2% at 323,453 (12/06: 341,327)
Honda America 0.0% at 131,792 (12/06: 131,778)
Nissan North America -2.4% at 89,555 (12/06: 91,775)
Toyota Motor Co. -1.7% at 224,399 (12/06: 228,322)

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Filed under: Earnings/Financials, By the Numbers

The November sales numbers are in and by far the biggest news is that Ford Motor Company sales actually rose 0.4% last month. While not a huge jump, the automaker deserved of a little green arrow next to its name nonetheless.

General Motors, however, fell 11.4%, with every single one of its brands reporting a loss. Toyota narrowly eeked out a positive number, with sales up just 0.3%. Honda and Nissan fared well, with sales up 4.7% and 6.1%, respectively. Chrysler LLC, meanwhile, fell 2%.

The other bit of surprising news is that Mercury is our Biggest Winner this month, with sales that rose an impressive 27.6%. Credit goes to the Grand Marquis (up 90.4% at 4,702) and the Milan (up 42.7% at 3,449) for the brand’s performance last month, though we’re not taking back our crack that Mercury’s just a well-defined trim level.

Check out the Biggest Winner and Loser after the jump, along with our notes on individual models. You can also view past monthly sales figures by viewing our By the Numbers category.

BRANDS
Acura -24.9% at 12,910 (11/06: 17,200)
Audi -1.1% at 9,104 (11/06: 9,209)
BMW 5.3% at 23,808 (11/06: 22,602)
Buick -26.8% at 13,245 (11/06: 18,089)
Cadillac -1.2% at 17,041 (11/06: 17,250)
Chevrolet -11.3% at 151,642 (11/06: 171,003)
Chrysler -13% at 45,510 (11/06: 52,400)
Dodge 6% at 80,670 (11/06: 76,371)
Ford -0.3% at 147,310 (11/06: 147,791)
GMC -7.7% at 34,549 (11/06: 37,440)
Honda 10.4% at 98,521 (11/06: 89,246)
HUMMER -30.5% at 4,029 (11/06: 5,795)
Hyundai 12% at 31,883 (11/06: 28,417)
Infiniti 2.1% at 10,604 (11/06: 10,382)
Jaguar -11.3% at 1,114 (11/06: 1,256)
Jeep -2% at 34,908 (11/06: 35,785)
Kia 8.9% at 24,177 (11/06: 22,203)
Land Rover 2.9% at 4,352 (11/06: 4,229)
Lexus -7.0% at 24,848 (11/06: 26,719)
Lincoln -7.1% at 8,744 (11/06: 9,410)
Mazda -1.0% at 20,580 (11/06: 20,792)
Mercedes 3.4% at 22,819 (11/06: 22,079)
Mercury 27.6% at 13,204 (11/06: 10,344)
MINI 3.3% at 3,177 (11/06: 3,287)
Mitsubishi 13.8% at 7,983 (11/06: 9,256)
Nissan 6.8% at 70,079 (11/06: 65,633)
Pontiac -0.4% at 26,040 (11/06: 26,154)
Porsche 1.9% at 2,662 (11/06: 2,611)
Saab -19.8% at 2,003 (11/06: 2,497)
Saturn -17% at 15,105 (11/06: 18,190)
Subaru -5.9% at 14,868 (11/06: 15,800)
Toyota 1.4% at 172,341 (11/06: 169,976)
Volkswagen 3.6% at 17,689 (11/06: 17,082)
Volvo -10.9% at 8,227 (11/06: 9,229)

N/A: Suzuki

COMPANIES
BMW Group 4.2% at 26,985 (11/06: 25,889)
Chrysler LLC -2% at 161,088 (11/06: 164,556)
Ford Motor Co 0.4% at 182,951 (11/06: 182,259)
General Motors -11.4% at 263,654 (11/06: 297,556)
Honda America 4.7% at 111,431 (11/06: 106,446)
Nissan North America 6.1% at 80,683 (11/06: 76,015)
Toyota Motor Co. 0.3% at 197,189 (11/06: 196,695)

Continue reading By the Numbers: November 2007

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Filed under: Earnings/Financials, By the Numbers

Apologies for the tardiness in delivering our By the Numbers post this month, but we’re here with it now and all the automakers have reported their numbers. Big picture, ups and downs in the industry appear about even, so perhaps October 2007 was a wash. General Motors sales fell 1.1% compared to October of last year, while Toyota Motor Co. sales rose by only 0.5%.

GM was led by a resurgent Cadillac (up 19.9%), bullish GMC (up 10.2%) and a Chevrolet that held its own (up 0.6%). Ford and Chrysler, meanwhile, both stumbled hard, falling 13% and 12.4% respectively compared to last year. With only an 8% increase this month in the number of Wranglers sold, Jeep’s only popular model just couldn’t save the brand this time, which saw its rate of sales slow to 24% below last year’s levels.

Standouts of the month include Nissan North America, which increased its daily average sales rate by 8.8% last month, and Kia, our Biggest Winner of the month, which rose by 20.5%. Big props to Mazda and Mercury as well, both big winners in October with DSRs that rose 13.3% and 20.2%, respectively.

Biggest Winner
Kia 20.5% at 25,185 (10/06: 20,097)

Biggest Loser
HUMMER -33.2% at 3,864 (10/06: 5,565)

BRANDS
Acura -22% at 12,886 (10/06: 15,877)
Audi 10.9% at 7,421 (10/06: 6,431)
BMW 8.3% at 23,451 (10/06: 20,822)
Buick -12% at 14,231 (10/06: 15,541)
Cadillac 19.9% at 21,267 (10/06: 17,052)
Chevrolet 0.6% at 179,825 (10/06: 171,890)
Chrysler -6.6% at 40,440 (10/06: 41,635)
Dodge -9.6% at 73,020 (10/06: 77,654)
Ford -16.4% at 159,361 (10/06: 183,188)
GMC 10.2% at 44,456 (10/06: 38,776)
Honda 3.4% at 101,913 (10/06: 94,747)
HUMMER -33.2% at 3,864 (10/06: 5,565)
Hyundai -4.6% at 30,232 (10/06: 30,479)
Infiniti 1.8% at 9,955 (10/06: 9,406)
Jaguar -27.5% at 1,030 (10/06: 1,366)
Jeep -24% at 31,856 (10/06: 40,297)
Kia 20.5% at 25,185 (10/06: 20,097)
Land Rover 1.7% at 4,237 (10/06: 4,004)
Lexus 0.6% at 25,119 (10/06: 24,006)
Lincoln 13% at 10,299 (10/06: 8,766)
Mazda 13.3% at 22,201 (10/06: 18,843)
Mercedes 6.5% at 22,820 (10/06: 20,598)
Mercury 20.2% at 12,844 (10/06: 10,277)
MINI -11% at 3,370 (10/06: 3,642)
Mitsubishi -3.9% at 9,280 (10/06: 9,288)
Nissan 9.8% at 74,992 (10/06: 65,689)
Pontiac -17.5% at 25,182 (10/06: 29,346)
Porsche 16.9% at 2,862 (10/06: 2,355)
Saab -19.9% at 2,275 (10/06: 2,731)
Saturn -5.9% at 18,908 (10/06: 19,319)
Subaru -6.5% at 14,979 (10/06: 15,404)
Suzuki 5.6% at 6,536 (10/06: 5,950)
Toyota 0.5% at 172,473 (10/06: 165,005)
Volkswagen 4.1% at 17,260 (10/06: 15,942)
Volvo -11% at 7,761 (10/06: 8,384)

COMPANIES
BMW Group 5.41% at 26,821 (10/06: 24,464)
Chrysler Group -12.4% at 145,316 (10/06: 159,586)
Ford Motor Co -13% at 195,462 (10/06: 215,985)
General Motors -1.1% at 310,008 (10/06: 301,317)
Honda America -0.2% at 114,799 (10/06: 110,624)
Nissan North America 8.8% at 84,947 (10/06: 75,095)
Toyota Motor Co. 0.5% at 197,592 (10/06: 189,011)

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Filed under: By the Numbers

Analysts who feared the worst for September 2007 car sales were wrong. It wasn’t that bad at all. General Motors pulled out a 3.8% increase in sales, for Pete’s sake! Fellow domestics Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor Company, however, did not fare as well. Chrysler LLC sales went down only 1.5% last month thanks to the saving graces of the Jeep Wrangler, as well as the mere presence of new models like the Dodge Nitro and Avenger.

FoMoCo, however, is shrinking fast. The Blue Oval sold at a 21% slower rate this September than last. Blame the car division, which in raw numbers dropped 45.1% in sales. Of course, those are mostly lost fleet sales, and Ford shrinking in size is a good thing once it finds an equilibrium that produces profits.

In other big news, Toyota Motor Co.’s sales rate actually fell last month, though only by 0.6%. Meanwhile, cross island rivals Honda (13.8%) and Nissan (11.0%) both saw appreciable gains for their North American divisions.

The individual break down by brand is below, so check them out. Remember, there were only 25 selling days in September 2007, versus 26 selling days in September 2006. Thus, our percentages reflect the change in the Daily Average Sales rate rather than the change in raw number of units sold.

Biggest Winner
MINI 41.4% at 4,031 (09/06: 2,964)

Biggest Loser
HUMMER -21.6% at 5,080 (09/06: 6,739)

Biggest Loser (Honorable Mention)
Ford -21% at 155,037 (09/06: 204,070)

BRANDS
Acura -8.4% at 14,369 (09/06: 16,323)
Audi 4.2% at 8,021 (09/06: 8,004)
BMW 6.9% at 20,901 (09/06: 20,339)
Buick -5.1% at 17,754 (09/06: 19,463)
Cadillac 4.9% at 20,398 (09/06: 20,217)
Chevrolet 6.1% at 194,637 (09/06: 190,825)
Chrysler -14.8% at 38,668 (09/06: 47,211)
Dodge 9% at 83,671 (09/06: 79,784)
Ford -21% at 155,037 (09/06: 204,070)
GMC 18.9% at 44,754 (09/06: 39,141)
Honda 17.5% at 112,831 (09/06: 99,903)
HUMMER -21.6% at 5,080 (09/06: 6,739)
Hyundai 3.5% at 33,214 (09/06: 33,384)
Infiniti 2.7% at 10,250 (09/06: 10,378)
Jaguar -4.7% at 1,061 (09/06: 1,158)
Jeep -7.0% at 37,460 (09/06: 41,893)
Land Rover 25.6% at 4,190 (09/06: 3,469)
Lexus 1.6% at 25,114 (09/06: 25,700)
Lincoln 38% at 9,764 (09/06: 7,362)
Mazda 28.8% at 25,098 (09/06: 20,261)
Mercedes 18.0% at 22,549 (09/06: 19,873)
Mercury -9.6% at 11,403 (09/06: 13,117)
MINI 41.4% at 4,031 (09/06: 2,964)
Mitsubishi 22.3% at 12,102 (09/06: 10,287)
Nissan 12.0% at 84,019 (09/06: 77,962)
Pontiac -11.5% at 31,817 (09/06: 37,376)
Porsche 24.2% at 2,641 (09/06: 2,211)
Saab -17.9% at 2,424 (09/06: 3,069)
Saturn 7.2% at 20,776 (09/06: 20,153)
Subaru 6.1% at 16,457 (09/06: 16,128)
Suzuki 0.2% at 7,653 (09/06: 7,940)
Toyota -0.9% at 187,929 (09/06: 197,250)
Volkswagen -2.2% at 18,891 (09/06: 20,082)
Volvo -9.6% at 8,408 (09/06: 9,672)

NOT YET REPORTING
Kia

COMPANIES
BMW Group 11.3% at 24,932 (09/06: 23,303)
Chrysler LLC -1.5% at 159,799 (09/06: 168,888)
Ford Motor Co -17.3% at 189,863 (09/06: 238,848)
General Motors 3.8% at 337,640 (09/06: 338,380)
Honda America 13.8% at 127,200 (09/06: 116,226)
Nissan North America 11.0% at 94,269 (09/06: 88,340)
Toyota Motor Co. -0.6% at 213,043 (09/06: 222,950)

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Filed under: By the Numbers

You didn’t think we forgot to report the numbers, did you? We imagine some automakers wish we had, for instance Jaguar and Mercury, which share our Biggest Loser honor this month by dropping an identical 20.2% in sales. Another of Ford’s brands, Land Rover, was the Biggest Winner, jumping 32.2% in sales last month versus August 2006.

Kudos to General Motors for pulling out a 5.3% increase in sales thanks to a big effort by Chevrolet (up 8.6%) and GMC (up 21.2%) that offset losses at the automaker’s other brands. FoMoCo, meanwhile, took a hit by dropping 14.4% in sales (thanks Biggest Losers!). Even Toyota felt the crunch, slipping 2.8% in sales last month despite Lexus being up 3.6%. The newly christened Chrysler LLC reported a 6.0% fall in sales, with Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler brands all reporting lower sales last month versus 2006.

Overall, August 2007 seemed like a mixed bag for automakers, with some pulling out a victory (GM, Honda, Nissan, BMW) and others taking it on the chin (Ford, Toyota, Chrysler). This makes it hard to label August 2007 a good or bad month for the industry, but at least it’s in the bag.

Biggest Winner
Land Rover 32.2% at 4,853 (08/06: 3,671)

Biggest Loser
Jaguar -20.2% at 1,359 (08/06: 1,704)
Mercury -20.2% at 12,296 (08/06: 15,417)

BRANDS
Acura -10% at 16,436 (08/06: 18,263)
Audi 7.1% at 7,620 (08/06: 7,115)
BMW 18.5% at 26,562 (08/06:22,421)
Buick -15.4% at 19,324 (08/06: 22,853)
Cadillac -2.8 at 19,481 (08/06: 20,036)
Chevrolet 8.6% at 229,012 (08/06: 210,860)
Chrysler -7.0% at 43,650 (08/06: 47,132)
Dodge -8.0% at 82,841 (08/06: 89,790)
Ford -16.1% at 180,282 (08/06:214,759)
GMC 21.2% at 51,222 (08/06: 42,262)
Honda 6.7% at 141,906 (08/06: 132,990)
HUMMER -15.4% at 5,677 (08/06: 6,711)
Hyundai 1.0% at 45,087 (08/06: 44,635)
Infiniti 8.7% at 10,252 (08/06: 9,429)
Jaguar -20.2% at 1,359 (08/06: 1,704)
Jeep -1.0% at 41,712 (08/06: 42,243)
Kia 7.0% at 26,874 (08/06: 25,114)
Land Rover 32.2% at 4,853 (08/06: 3,671)
Lexus 3.6% at 32,199 (08/06: 31,074)
Lincoln 16.1% at 10,423 (08/06:8,979)
Mercedes 1.8% at 20,980 (08/06: 20,602)
Mercury -20.2% at 12,296 (08/06: 15,417)
MINI 25.4% at 4,077 (08/06: 3,252)
Mitsubishi 19% at 13,020 (08/06: 10,954)
Nissan 6.0% at 85,275 (08/06: 80,419)
Pontiac -1.0% at 39,324 (08/06: 39,711)
Porsche 6.0% at 2,548 (08/06: 2,397)
Saab -5.0% at 3,011 (08/06: 3,168)
Saturn -4.2% at 21,117 (08/06: 22,050)
Subaru -7.5% at 16,573 (08/06: 17,809)
Suzuki 6.0% at 8,916 (08/06: 8,399)
Toyota -3.7% at 201,272 (08/06: 209,104)
Volkswagen -7.5% at 21,655 (08/06: 23,420)
Volvo 13.8% at 9,119 (08/06: 10,582)

NA: Mazda

COMPANIES
BMW Group 19.3% at 30,639 (08/06: 25,673)
Chrysler Group -6.0% at 168,203 (08/06: 179,165)
Ford Motor Co -14.4% at 218,332 (08/06: 255,112)
General Motors 5.3% at 388,168 (08/06: 368,776)
Honda America 4.7% at 158,342 (08/06: 151,253)
Nissan North America 6.3% at 95,527 (08/06: 89,848)
Toyota Motor Co. -2.8% at 233,471 (08/06: 240,178)

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Filed under: Earnings/Financials, By the Numbers

NOTE: Since there were 24 selling days in July 2007 versus 25 in July 2006, the percentages below represent the change in Daily Average Sales rate for each automaker and not the change in raw number of units sold.

One day we’re going to replace the image at right with a graphic of a car going up a hill, but today is not that day. July 2007 was a brutal month for the vast majority of companies selling cars and trucks in the U.S. GM was down 18.5% in sales compared to July 2006. Ford was down 15.7%. Chrysler was down 4.6%. Out of those three domestic automakers, only three of their brands improved last month: Land Rover (23.8%), Lincoln (1.9%) and Jeep (8.6%). Heck, even Toyota Motor Co.’s sales decreased (-3.5%)!

Aside from being a slow-selling summer month, there were less less selling days in July 2007 than July 2006, but our percentages below account for that by comparing just the Daily Average Sales rate for each brand and automaker.

There were some pleasant surprises among all that red, however, including BMW, which together with MINI USA, posted a sales increase of 25.1% last month. The brand BMW was the Biggest Winner this month up 26%, but MINI more than held its own by also increasing sales 20.1% over last year. Big ups to Nissan (7.6%) for bucking the trend, as well.

Biggest Winner
BMW26% at 24,295 (07/06: 20,083)

Biggest Loser
Jaguar -40.7% at 1,136 (07/06: 1,997)

BRANDS
Acura -17.7% at 14,381 (07/06: 18,203)
Audi 6% at 7,127 (07/06: 7,005)
BMW 26% at 24,295 (07/06: 20,083)
Buick -26.5% at 16,654 (07/06: 23,609)
Cadillac -5.2% at 17,412 (07/06: 19,124)
Chevrolet -21.9% at 183,103 (07/06: 244,080)
Chrysler -5.4% at 34,631 (07/06: 38,124)
Dodge -10.4% at 65,742 (07/06: 76,394)
Ford -16.2% at 160,590 (07/06: 199,735)
GMC -4.6% at 44,060 (07/06: 48,085)
Honda -1.2% at 126,668 (07/06: 133,601)
HUMMER -27.1% at 4,895 (07/06: 6,991)
Hyundai -4.0% at 43,511 (07/06: 47,205)
Infiniti -5.9% at 9,526 (07/06: 10,546)
Isuzu -8.5% at 1,173 (07/06: 1,336)
Jaguar -40.7% at 1,136 (07/06: 1,997)
Jeep 8.6% at 37,355 (07/06: 35,831)
Land Rover 23.8% at 4,189 (07/06: 3,524)
Lexus -4.9% at 27,141 (07/06: 26,959)
Lincoln 1.9% at 8,929 (07/06: 9,125)
Mazda 3.72% at 25,853 (07/06: 25,963)
Mercedes -10.3% at 18,586 (07/06: 21,591)
Mercury -32% at 10,852 (07/06: 16,635)
MINI 20.1% at 4,069 (07/06: 3,528)
Mitsubishi 2.6% at 10,347 (07/06: 10,502)
Nissan 7.6% at 78,351 (07/06: 75,860)
Pontiac -23.6% at 30,023 (07/06: 40,933)
Porsche 5.0% at 3,230 (07/06: 3,202)
Saab -7.5% at 3,247 (07/06: 3,658)
Saturn -5.8% at 20,368 (07/06: 22,516)
Subaru -15% at 15,438 (07/06: 18,923)
Toyota -4.5% at 196,917 (07/06: 214,867)
Volkswagen -9.5% at 19,653 (07/06: 22,627)
Volvo -3.6% at 9,549 (07/06: 10,323)

NOT YET REPORTED
Kia
Suzuki

COMPANIES
BMW Group 25.1% at 28,364 (07/06: 23,611)
Chrysler Group -4.6% at 137,728 (07/06: 150,349)
Ford Motor Co -15.7% at 195,245 (07/06: 241,339)
General Motors -18.5% at 320,935 (07/06: 410,332)
Honda America -3.2% at 141,049 (07/06: 151,804)
Nissan North America 5.9% at 87,877 (07/06: 86,406)
Toyota Motor Co. -3.5% at 224,058 (07/06: 241,826)

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