March 2011 Sales Thread
Thread Starter
Lead Lap
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: NC
Buick
Here is AutoBlog's Chart for all the brands. Note that Lexus outsold Buick by ~5,000 units last month (since it was such a hot topic when the opposite happened in Feb).
Thread Starter
Lead Lap
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: NC
Altima
Nissan says it achieved a 9.7% U.S. market share in March, the highest single month in company history. Complementing March's heady number is an overall market share of 9.3% for Nissan in the 1st quarter of 2011. That represents a 0.3% gain in market share, building on 2010's 0.4% gain.
March also saw the Nissan Altima take the title of best-selling sedan in America, another company 1st. The Altima contributed 32,289 units to Nissan's 121,141-car total, which is nearly a 27% bump over last year's March figures. It isn't immediately clear what incentives Nissan had on the car during the month of March to aid sales, but presently, the Japanese automaker is offering 0% financing for up to 60 months or 1.9% APR financing for up to 72 months, or $1,250 cash back.
Had enough numbers? Too bad, Nissan isn't quite done. Monthly sales were up 28.4% for the division, another record, and Infiniti saw a 13.5% sales hike in March. With numbers this big, Nissan is looking at a banner year.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 20,201
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Hybrid sales for March 2011:
Toyota: 24.7k
Honda: 4.9K
Ford: 3.3k
Nissan 545
GM: 398
Porsche: 114
BMW: 43
MB: 25
I know wealth of PR's make it sound like Toyota better "catch up" but reality is that Toyota is hybrid leader and anyone else has a long long way to go with proving their reliability to start with, let alone selling 3 million hybrids.
Toyota: 24.7k
Honda: 4.9K
Ford: 3.3k
Nissan 545
GM: 398
Porsche: 114
BMW: 43
MB: 25
I know wealth of PR's make it sound like Toyota better "catch up" but reality is that Toyota is hybrid leader and anyone else has a long long way to go with proving their reliability to start with, let alone selling 3 million hybrids.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,545
Likes: 0
From: MO
Hybrid sales for March 2011:
Toyota: 24.7k
Honda: 4.9K
Ford: 3.3k
Nissan 545
GM: 398
Porsche: 114
BMW: 43
MB: 25
I know wealth of PR's make it sound like Toyota better "catch up" but reality is that Toyota is hybrid leader and anyone else has a long long way to go with proving their reliability to start with, let alone selling 3 million hybrids.
Toyota: 24.7k
Honda: 4.9K
Ford: 3.3k
Nissan 545
GM: 398
Porsche: 114
BMW: 43
MB: 25
I know wealth of PR's make it sound like Toyota better "catch up" but reality is that Toyota is hybrid leader and anyone else has a long long way to go with proving their reliability to start with, let alone selling 3 million hybrids.
I never knew anyone was making an issue of it.
Lead Lap
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,534
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From: MD
http://www.hybridcars.com/hybrid-cle...arch-2011.html
Even with high gas prices the HS doesn't sell. And the Highlander Hybrid isn't selling that great either for as popular as the Highlander is. Perhaps a cheaper, 4 cylinder hybrid option would do it justice. I also would have thought that the S400 hybrid would do better, given that it is the cheapest S class model. But perhaps large luxury boat and V8 go hand in hand.
The jump is impressive because it nearly tripled the 16.8 increase in overall auto sales compared to a year ago.
Strong sales of the Lexus CT 200h, in its first month of the market, helped boost hybrid car sales to near-record levels.
While the 34,082 hybrid car sales were not as high as the record 40,198 sales—in April 2008 during an historic run on gas prices—or as high as July and August 2009—during the Cash-for-Clunkers program, it is nonetheless a watershed month. That’s because the previous high sales months came during times of temporary government incentives, either in the form of tax credits or Cash-for-Clunkers rebates. This time around, it’s unassisted consumer demand for fuel efficiency during a time of high gas prices that’s driving sales. Furthermore, it appears that the geopolitics of oil could sustain high oil prices for an extended period of time.
In addition, the Lexus CT 200h launched with monthly sales of nearly 2,200 units, which is strong for a luxury vehicle with a starting price of $29,000. This new model immediately became the third most popular hybrid, behind the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. While the Insight and Honda CR-Z have not met Honda's goals, the CR-Z had its best month ever, and the Insight had its best month in the last year and a half.
Of course, the Prius continues to be a bellwether for the alternative vehicle market. Sales of the Prius have increased dramatically over the last several months, from about 10,500 in January to more than 13,500 in February and more than 18,500 in March. The March numbers were a whopping 58 percent higher than last year.
The importance of hybrid technology to Toyota is confirmed by Toyota's decision to prioritize production of the Prius and the Lexus CT200h over production of other vehicles in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. The availability of these Japanese-only produced vehicles may be problematic in coming months, and could push up transaction prices at the dealership.
Chevy Volt and Nisan LEAF sales are slowly turning up as availability starts to grow. With shipments of the Nissan LEAF—about 1,500 units in total—arriving in late March and early April, there should be a small spike of LEAF sales reported in the coming weeks. Yet, after that, supplies of the LEAF could be problematic as Nissan adjusts its production in the wake of the disaster. Chevy Volt sales should increase on a steadier basis.
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI made a noteworthy jump of nearly 44 percent in March, as overall sales of clean diesel vehicles increased by more than 36 percent.
The dramatic percentage gain in hybrid sales is, of course, due to higher fuel prices, but it is also due to the general economic recovery, which makes people more comfortable buying non-traditional vehicles. Buyers are moving from the "have to buy" rationale to the "want to buy" rationale. Thus, the continuing recovery augurs well for the hybrid and electric vehicle market, which will be providing more products to choose and higher volume production in the coming months and years. For example, the sales numbers and market share will continue to grow with the coming release of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the larger version of the Toyota Prius, the V model.
Strong sales of the Lexus CT 200h, in its first month of the market, helped boost hybrid car sales to near-record levels.
While the 34,082 hybrid car sales were not as high as the record 40,198 sales—in April 2008 during an historic run on gas prices—or as high as July and August 2009—during the Cash-for-Clunkers program, it is nonetheless a watershed month. That’s because the previous high sales months came during times of temporary government incentives, either in the form of tax credits or Cash-for-Clunkers rebates. This time around, it’s unassisted consumer demand for fuel efficiency during a time of high gas prices that’s driving sales. Furthermore, it appears that the geopolitics of oil could sustain high oil prices for an extended period of time.
In addition, the Lexus CT 200h launched with monthly sales of nearly 2,200 units, which is strong for a luxury vehicle with a starting price of $29,000. This new model immediately became the third most popular hybrid, behind the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. While the Insight and Honda CR-Z have not met Honda's goals, the CR-Z had its best month ever, and the Insight had its best month in the last year and a half.
Of course, the Prius continues to be a bellwether for the alternative vehicle market. Sales of the Prius have increased dramatically over the last several months, from about 10,500 in January to more than 13,500 in February and more than 18,500 in March. The March numbers were a whopping 58 percent higher than last year.
The importance of hybrid technology to Toyota is confirmed by Toyota's decision to prioritize production of the Prius and the Lexus CT200h over production of other vehicles in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. The availability of these Japanese-only produced vehicles may be problematic in coming months, and could push up transaction prices at the dealership.
Chevy Volt and Nisan LEAF sales are slowly turning up as availability starts to grow. With shipments of the Nissan LEAF—about 1,500 units in total—arriving in late March and early April, there should be a small spike of LEAF sales reported in the coming weeks. Yet, after that, supplies of the LEAF could be problematic as Nissan adjusts its production in the wake of the disaster. Chevy Volt sales should increase on a steadier basis.
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI made a noteworthy jump of nearly 44 percent in March, as overall sales of clean diesel vehicles increased by more than 36 percent.
The dramatic percentage gain in hybrid sales is, of course, due to higher fuel prices, but it is also due to the general economic recovery, which makes people more comfortable buying non-traditional vehicles. Buyers are moving from the "have to buy" rationale to the "want to buy" rationale. Thus, the continuing recovery augurs well for the hybrid and electric vehicle market, which will be providing more products to choose and higher volume production in the coming months and years. For example, the sales numbers and market share will continue to grow with the coming release of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the larger version of the Toyota Prius, the V model.
Even with high gas prices the HS doesn't sell. And the Highlander Hybrid isn't selling that great either for as popular as the Highlander is. Perhaps a cheaper, 4 cylinder hybrid option would do it justice. I also would have thought that the S400 hybrid would do better, given that it is the cheapest S class model. But perhaps large luxury boat and V8 go hand in hand.
Nissan says it achieved a 9.7% U.S. market share in March, the highest single month in company history. Complementing March's heady number is an overall market share of 9.3% for Nissan in the 1st quarter of 2011. That represents a 0.3% gain in market share, building on 2010's 0.4% gain.
March also saw the Nissan Altima take the title of best-selling sedan in America, another company 1st. The Altima contributed 32,289 units to Nissan's 121,141-car total, which is nearly a 27% bump over last year's March figures. It isn't immediately clear what incentives Nissan had on the car during the month of March to aid sales, but presently, the Japanese automaker is offering 0% financing for up to 60 months or 1.9% APR financing for up to 72 months, or $1,250 cash back.
Had enough numbers? Too bad, Nissan isn't quite done. Monthly sales were up 28.4% for the division, another record, and Infiniti saw a 13.5% sales hike in March. With numbers this big, Nissan is looking at a banner year.
March 2010
Honda Accord
33,616
Nissan Altima
32,289
Toyota Camry
31,464
Honda Accord
33,616
Nissan Altima
32,289
Toyota Camry
31,464
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,545
Likes: 0
From: MO
Thread Starter
Lead Lap
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,405
Likes: 10
From: NC
Altima
It was an unexpected moment in auto sales history last month when Nissan’s Altima outsold the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord.
It has never happened. And in fact, in the long run, it might not happen too many more times in the future.
Not because the Altima is a less competitive car. A simple glance at the sales numbers will testify that it’s as competitive as anyone pleases.
The longer-term issue is factory capacity. Toyota and Honda have the manufacturing muscle to build 400,000 Camrys and Accords a year. Nissan does not.
Nissan has two assembly lines building the Altima -- 1 in Tennessee and 1 in Mississippi. Combined, the plants can give Nissan about 300,000 Altimas a year, or 25,000 to 30,000 a month.
In March, with built-up inventories and a good tailwind in Nissan’s marketing, dealers moved 32,289 Altimas.
In the same month three years earlier, Altima sold 31,000 and change. But in perspective, Toyota sold more than 40,000 Camrys that month. And 1 year before that, the Camry sold more than 42,000 -- a rate of more than half a million a year, if it kept the pace up for 12 months.
If Nissan wants to play at that volume, it’s going to need more factory capacity.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,545
Likes: 0
From: MO
It was an unexpected moment in auto sales history last month when Nissan’s Altima outsold the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord.
It has never happened. And in fact, in the long run, it might not happen too many more times in the future.
Not because the Altima is a less competitive car. A simple glance at the sales numbers will testify that it’s as competitive as anyone pleases.
The longer-term issue is factory capacity. Toyota and Honda have the manufacturing muscle to build 400,000 Camrys and Accords a year. Nissan does not.
Nissan has two assembly lines building the Altima -- 1 in Tennessee and 1 in Mississippi. Combined, the plants can give Nissan about 300,000 Altimas a year, or 25,000 to 30,000 a month.
In March, with built-up inventories and a good tailwind in Nissan’s marketing, dealers moved 32,289 Altimas.
In the same month three years earlier, Altima sold 31,000 and change. But in perspective, Toyota sold more than 40,000 Camrys that month. And 1 year before that, the Camry sold more than 42,000 -- a rate of more than half a million a year, if it kept the pace up for 12 months.
If Nissan wants to play at that volume, it’s going to need more factory capacity.
It would seem like a good investment for Nissan to beef up capacity for the next gen Altima.
Thread Starter
Lead Lap
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,405
Likes: 10
From: NC
Bmw
The BMW brand will pass Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus in luxury sales this year, and that’s a guarantee, so says Jim O’Donnell, the chief executive officer of the North American unit of the German automaker.
“I’d wager on it,” he said, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal at the New York Auto Show. Lexus has held the top spot as a luxury maker since 2000. BMW is off to a hot start in the U.S. this year, posting a 14% increase through March and without the benefit of several new models that are just hitting dealerships now, including the X3 SUV. Later this year, BMW will begin selling the 528 mid-sized sedan.
BMW has sold 52,616 vehicles through March to Lexus’ 47,356 and with the supply constraints facing Lexus and the new models hitting for BMW, the horse race looks like it will really be between BMW and rival Mercedes-Benz, which is only behind by a few hundred vehicles. The battle for the top is getting testy – Infiniti brand boss Ben Poore said Mercedes has been offering customers $2,000 in cash if they trade in an Infiniti to buy a Mercedes.
Among the upcoming models for BMW is a 4-cylinder version of the Z4 convertible due out this fall, the 1st U.S. model without a 6-cylinder since 1999. This 2.0-liter turbocharged engine produces a ridiculous 240 horsepower and 260 lb-feet of torque, more than the 3.0-liter inline 6 cylinder in the predecessor. Why bother? The smaller engine with an aluminum crankcase is expected to produce 20% better fuel economy than the current model when mated with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
BMW is expected to redesign its top-selling 3-series next year and it’s a likely candidate for an inline 4-cylinder as well. In most areas of the world, the 4-banger is already the dominant powertrain.
O’Donnell said the engine downsizing is the wave of the future. BMW 2 years ago introduced a new 7-series that had a 6-cylinder option available instead of the standard V8, and other car makers are turbocharging smaller engines to get similar performance with better fuel economy.
BMW, like other automakers, also may be juggling some paint colors as a side effect of the earthquake in Japan. A special paint-additive chemical produced by only one plant in the world is unavailable.
O’Donnell said the company hasn’t lost any sales yet because of the lack of availability.