July 2013 Auto Sales Thread
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Lead Lap
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: NC
Camry
Toyota will not relinquish the Camry's spot as America's most popular car this year, a top executive told industry analysts on Tuesday.
Senior Vice President Bob Carter said the company will sell more than 400,000 of the midsize cars in 2013, enough to fend off a challenge from the Honda Accord and other models in the most competitive part of the U.S. auto market.
The Camry has been America's top-selling car for 11 straight years, but recent new cars from Honda, Ford, Nissan and others have chipped into its lead. Carter said it's important to Toyota that the Camry remain No. 1.
"The midsize sedan market is the largest segment in the industry, and we want Toyota to be America's favorite car — period," he said at the J.P. Morgan Auto Conference in New York.
Carter conceded that Toyota has raised discounts on the car in an effort to keep sales strong amid intense competition but said most other automakers offer even higher incentives.
Camry sales fell 2 percent from January through June as its main rivals, the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Ford Fusion, posted big sales gains. In the 1st half of the year, the hot-selling Accord trailed Camry in sales by only 21,000, closing a gap that was 59,000 a year earlier.
Toyota responded with discounts on the Camry, and its average sales price of just over $20,900 in July of was the lowest of 9 top-selling midsize cars, according to data from J.D. Power and Associates.
As a result, Camry sales grew 16 percent last month to more than 242,000 for the 1st 7 months of the year. The increase widened Camry's lead over the Accord to more than 51,000. Altima moved into 2nd place, still 45,000 behind Camry. Ford's Fusion was 4th at nearly 182,000.
Carter also told the analysts that the stylish and larger all-new Corolla compact will hit showrooms around Labor Day. An eco version will get 42 miles per gallon on the highway, more than the 1st-generation Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid. The 1st Prius, which came out for the 2001 model year, got 41 mpg on the highway.
The Corolla, he said, started Toyota's reputation for sterling reliability, and the company has sold more than 40 million worldwide. He even poked fun at the current boxy version, which was last updated 5 years ago and looks old compared with the Ford Focus, Honda Civic and Chevrolet Cruze.
"Out of those 40 million people, no one ever bought a Corolla because they thought they looked good driving it," Carter said. "That changes at the end of the month with the new Corolla."
The new car has more interior room than early-generation Camrys, including more back-seat legroom than the current model, Carter said. It also sits lower and has a wider stance for a more athletic look.
Carter also said Toyota plans to have fuel-efficient gas-electric hybrid versions of every model it sells in the 2020s. The company plans a hybrid with electric and hydrogen fuel cell motors in 2015.
Toyota, Carter said, will sell more than 250,000 Prius models this year.
The company used to control 90 percent of the U.S. market for hybrids, but because of competition from Ford and others, the market share has shrunk to 74 percent, even though Toyota sales are up, he said.
Toyota's new Tundra full-size pickup also will start arriving at dealers in September. The company has only about 7 percent of full-size sales due to dominance by Detroit, Carter said. He expects prices for the new Tundra to rise because the company has added 2 luxury lines that were once Detroit's exclusive domain.
A factory in San Antonio that which makes the Tundra is running on 2 shifts and overtime to supply new versions, Carter said. He said the pickup market has rebounded faster than Toyota expected. Full-size pickup sales are up nearly 23 percent through July, while Tundra sales were up 13 percent.
Toyota, on the other hand, dominates the compact pickup market with its Tacoma, which controls 60 percent of the market, Carter said. But he said competition is coming from new General Motors trucks next year.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2008
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From: Canuckistan
Toyota should go back to focusing on making high quality cars, even if they end up costing more and giving away the top spot to cheaper crappier competition. There is no sense in making a subpar car, putting thousands on the hood in discounts and dumping to fleets to maintain the #1 sales spot.
Toyota should go back to focusing on making high quality cars, even if they end up costing more and giving away the top spot to cheaper crappier competition. There is no sense in making a subpar car, putting thousands on the hood in discounts and dumping to fleets to maintain the #1 sales spot.
quality > quantity
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: A better place
The Detroit 3 slashed fleet sales in July, but Nissan North America, Hyundai-Kia and Toyota Motor Sales picked up the slack with huge gains.
Domestic-brand fleet activity dropped by 15,300 units last month, down 36 percent at Chrysler Group, 9 percent at Ford Motor and 6 percent at General Motors.
But 3 automakers made up for all but 1,700 units of the Detroit 3 decline. Fleet sales surged 87 percent at Nissan North America, 43 percent at Hyundai-Kia Automotive and 34 percent at Toyota Motor Sales.
So overall, July fleet volume for the 7 biggest automakers fell 1 percent to 143,800, while retail volume rose 16 percent to 983,000.
Industry fleet volume usually declines in the 2nd half of the year. But July was abnormally low at just 13 percent of total sales, compared with 15 percent a year earlier. That was enough to cut the major automaker fleet mix a point, to 19 percent, from 20 percent through the 1st 7 months.
For the most part, July exaggerated broader yearlong trends.
So far this year, Detroit automakers have trimmed their reliance on fleet sales and boosted retail. Chrysler leads this trend, increasing sales through dealers 16 percent while reducing fleet 8 percent. GM fleet activity through 7 months was flat but retail was 12 percent higher. Ford was up 8 percent on fleet and 15 percent on retail.
Despite July's surge, Toyota was down 6 percent on fleet and up 10 percent on retail through the 1st 7 months. Nissan was balanced, up 8 percent for fleet and 9 percent for retail.
Hyundai-Kia sales were flat overall through 7 months, but only because a 62 percent fleet spike offset a 7 percent retail drop.
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Retail vs. fleet sales
Estimated retail and fleet volume for July 2013 vs. July 2012
Retail July 2013 retail sales July 2013 % retail July 2012 retail sales July 2012 % retail July % change
General Motors 189,100 81% 153,500 76% 23%
Toyota Motor 184,600 95% 158,400 96% 17%
Ford Motor 151,000 78% 126,800 73% 19%
American Honda 138,600 98% 114,600 98% 21%
Chrysler Group 125,700 90% 103,600 82% 21%
Hyundai-Kia 98,200 85% 98,400 89% 0%
Nissan N.A. 95,800 88% 91,300 93% 5%
Top 7 983,000 87% 846,600 85% 16%
Fleet July 2013 fleet sales July 2013 % fleet July 2012 fleet sales July 2012 % fleet July % of change
General Motors 45,000 19% 47,700 24% –6%
Ford Motor 42,700 22% 47,200 27% –9%
Hyundai-Kia 16,800 15% 11,700 11% 43%
Chrysler Group 14,400 10% 22,500 18% –36%
Nissan N.A. 13,300 12% 7,100 7% 87%
Toyota Motor 8,800 5% 6,500 4% 34%
American Honda 2,800 2% 2,300 2% 21%
Top 7 143,800 13% 145,000 15% –1%
. Percentage gains or losses mean little. What you have to look at is the fleet percentage of total sales. For July, 24% of total sales were fleet for GM, 27% for Ford, and 18% for Chrysler. These are still VERY high numbers. Media darling Hyundai was at 11% fleet.
Toyota, which is negatively talked about in this article, had only 4% of total sales in July as fleet sales, very close to Honda's 2%. Given Toyota sells MUCH more volume than Honda, that is incredible.
Pole Position
Joined: May 2004
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From: Singapore
What a ridiculous click-bait article .
Percentage gains or losses mean little. What you have to look at is the fleet percentage of total sales. For July, 24% of total sales were fleet for GM, 27% for Ford, and 18% for Chrysler. These are still VERY high numbers. Media darling Hyundai was at 11% fleet.
Toyota, which is negatively talked about in this article, had only 4% of total sales in July as fleet sales, very close to Honda's 2%. Given Toyota sells MUCH more volume than Honda, that is incredible.
. Percentage gains or losses mean little. What you have to look at is the fleet percentage of total sales. For July, 24% of total sales were fleet for GM, 27% for Ford, and 18% for Chrysler. These are still VERY high numbers. Media darling Hyundai was at 11% fleet.
Toyota, which is negatively talked about in this article, had only 4% of total sales in July as fleet sales, very close to Honda's 2%. Given Toyota sells MUCH more volume than Honda, that is incredible.
Moderator
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 4,330
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From: California
Toyota should go back to focusing on making high quality cars, even if they end up costing more and giving away the top spot to cheaper crappier competition. There is no sense in making a subpar car, putting thousands on the hood in discounts and dumping to fleets to maintain the #1 sales spot.
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