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January 2011 sales

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Khatir Soltani
It's that time of the month again folks where we take the time to look back on the previous month's auto sales performance.

The first month of 2011 featured some helium-filled highs and some concrete-laden lows. Even so, we at Auto123.com would be lying if we said that we were surprised to see who's on top and who's is scrapping by. In fact, we surveyed our office to try and get an understanding as to why one of the manufacturers is on top of the “bad” list.

Honda is going through tough times. Although their numbers were up by 0.7% in 2010 over 2009, they were ways off the industry average of 6.6%. Not too long ago, Honda would have led a resurgence in new car sales with such models as the Civic, the Accord and the CR-V. How things have changed!

January 2011 had Honda dealers deliver 38.9% fewer new products than in the same period last year. Lexus slides into the second-worse position with a drop in sales of 23.6%. The hemorrhaging at Toyota/Lexus seems to continue (sales down 16.7% in 2010) however Toyota itself is doing better having increased its numbers by 0.9%.

In third spot, Infiniti, Lexus' sworn enemy, looses 22.9%. Where Infiniti and Lexus buyers have gone is obvious as you will see. In forth position, we find Suzuki, struggling with another bad month after a bad year, with a 20.0% decline. And rounding out our top 5 losers, we find, as though things weren't bad enough, Acura, having dropped 19.8% in new car deliveries.

On the upside and following well-established trends, the Germans are still raking in the cash starting with Porsche and their 52.1% increase in sales year-over-year. Mitsubishi, representing the Japanese brands, did very well growing by 29.9%. With a jump of 29.0% in new customers, Audi takes the final step on the podium. As an FYI, BMW numbers grew by 16.7%. This explains in large part what went down, or didn't, at Lexus and Infiniti dealerships.

The Koreans were not to be ignored and so, in forth position, we find Kia, fresh from a substantial increase of 26.2%. Ford brings up the rear having found 24.0% more takers in January.

As a further FYI, Ford delivered 14,314 new cars and trucks, GM, 14,552 and Chrysler, 13,520.

JanuaryCurrent MonthYTD
 2011201011/102011201011/10
Acura574716-19.8%574716-19.8%
Audi114088429.0%114088429.0%
BMW1215104116.7%1215104116.7%
Chrysler135201184714.1%135201184714.1%
Ford143141154024.0%143141154024.0%
General Motors1455214817-1.8%1455214817-1.8%
Honda34675677-38.9%34675677-38.9%
Hyundai668460849.9%668460849.9%
Infiniti330428-22.9%330428-22.9%
Jaguar3235-8.6%3235-8.6%
Kia3049241626.2%3049241626.2%
Land Rover173175-1.1%173175-1.1%
Lexus728953-23.6%728953-23.6%
Mazda36884171-11.6%36884171-11.6%
Mercedes-Benz14821605-7.7%14821605-7.7%
MINI1581570.6%1581570.6%
Mitsubishi1412108729.9%1412108729.9%
Nissan40084547-11.9%40084547-11.9%
Porsche1439452.1%1439452.1%
Saab11-n.a.11-n.a.
smart8288-6.8%8288-6.8%
Subaru175317291.4%175317291.4%
Suzuki413516-20.0%413516-20.0%
Toyota832382460.9%832382460.9%
Volkswagen2861233222.7%2861233222.7%
Volvo3973960.3%3973960.3%
Light Vehicles Sales84509815813.6%84509815813.6%
Passenger car3211935286-9.0%3211935286-9.0%
Light Truck523904629513.2%523904629513.2%
GM/Ford/Chrysler Nameplates423863820410.9%423863820410.9%
Import Nameplates4212343377-2.9%4212343377-2.9%
Sales History2007200820092010201111/10
January91.2102.876.981.684.53.6%
February97.0111.080.2100.2  
March150.7150.0127.5145.4  
April169.0175.2143.9149.7  
May185.5184.5154.0154.3  
June169.2159.5138.5154.6  
July142.4149.5139.9148.8  
August158.4147.0135.4136.1  
September131.8134.1129.5135.1  
October120.9122.7121.5123.2  
November117.3105.2102.1116.0  
Décember119.994.4111.2111.0  
Full year1614.71653.41636.01460.61556.5 
Note: Sales figures above are in thousands.
Source : Desrosiers Automotive Report
Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada