May 2011 might historically be regarded as the period when the full effect of Japan's natural disaster were first felt, at least in the automotive business. In the Tsunami's wake, plants, factories and assembly lines were shut down and most have yet to return to producing anything.
This would explain, in part, why the Japanese manufacturers are bleeding as bad as they are.
This is most unfortunate as things were picking up quite nicely earlier in the year.
As expected then, the Japanese are falling. Therefore, the Koreans and the Germans are bringing home the bacon. The Americans; well the Americans are not impressing anyone. To be fair, Chrysler has done well thanks in large part to aggressive marketing with 13.1% gains. Ford dropped 2.6% and GM is down 11.5%. Could this result serve as a beacon for things to come? We expect not as Ford and GM will more likely than not open the incentive floodgates before long.
Now, on to the winners and losers.
Let's start with the bad. If ever there was a car maker on a downward spiral Suzuki was it. Dropping 39.4% in sales for May 2011 when compared to May 2010, the small Japanese maker sold only 424 units vs. 700. In second position, Infiniti tumbled 36.9% and in third, we find Toyota with a loss 32.9%. Toyota was on its way to some strong gains after positive months in March and April.
On a high note, Porsche is rockin' in the free world. Well, Porsche's aren't cheap, but it doesn't really seem to matter. Year-over-year, Porsche has delivered 60.1% more new cars. Volkswagen takes the second step on the podium with 25.9% in gains. In third, representing the Koreans, we find Kia having scooped up 20.9% more sales.
We expect this trend to continue over the following months, and even when things start to pick up in Japan it may take a few extra moons before traffic increases in their showrooms. We guess that incentives would do the trick, however, by the time the machine gets back on track, the Japanese makers' financial woes may be too great to offer any type of deals.
Source : Desrosiers Automotive Report
This would explain, in part, why the Japanese manufacturers are bleeding as bad as they are.
This is most unfortunate as things were picking up quite nicely earlier in the year.
As expected then, the Japanese are falling. Therefore, the Koreans and the Germans are bringing home the bacon. The Americans; well the Americans are not impressing anyone. To be fair, Chrysler has done well thanks in large part to aggressive marketing with 13.1% gains. Ford dropped 2.6% and GM is down 11.5%. Could this result serve as a beacon for things to come? We expect not as Ford and GM will more likely than not open the incentive floodgates before long.
Now, on to the winners and losers.
Let's start with the bad. If ever there was a car maker on a downward spiral Suzuki was it. Dropping 39.4% in sales for May 2011 when compared to May 2010, the small Japanese maker sold only 424 units vs. 700. In second position, Infiniti tumbled 36.9% and in third, we find Toyota with a loss 32.9%. Toyota was on its way to some strong gains after positive months in March and April.
On a high note, Porsche is rockin' in the free world. Well, Porsche's aren't cheap, but it doesn't really seem to matter. Year-over-year, Porsche has delivered 60.1% more new cars. Volkswagen takes the second step on the podium with 25.9% in gains. In third, representing the Koreans, we find Kia having scooped up 20.9% more sales.
We expect this trend to continue over the following months, and even when things start to pick up in Japan it may take a few extra moons before traffic increases in their showrooms. We guess that incentives would do the trick, however, by the time the machine gets back on track, the Japanese makers' financial woes may be too great to offer any type of deals.
| May | Current Month | YTD | ||||
| 2011 | 2010 | 11/10 | 2011 | 2010 | 11/10 | |
| Acura | 1092 | 1503 | -27.3% | 5323 | 6609 | -19.5% |
| Audi | 1411 | 1226 | 15.1% | 7335 | 6189 | 18.5% |
| BMW | 2813 | 2361 | 19.1% | 10942 | 9958 | 9.9% |
| Chrysler | 23603 | 20861 | 13.1% | 95509 | 86656 | 13.7% |
| Fiat | 678 | - | n.a. | 1903 | - | n.a. |
| Ford | 25440 | 26110 | -2.6% | 106867 | 100986 | 5.8% |
| General Motors | 22998 | 25995 | -11.5% | 96968 | 97492 | -0.5% |
| Honda | 8739 | 10084 | -13.3% | 43820 | 47773 | -8.3% |
| Hyundai | 13967 | 12620 | 10.7% | 55286 | 50713 | 9.0% |
| Infiniti | 470 | 745 | -36.9% | 2638 | 3114 | -15.3% |
| Jaguar | 70 | 69 | 1.4% | 316 | 291 | 8.6% |
| Kia | 6928 | 5731 | 20.9% | 26018 | 20642 | 26.0% |
| Land Rover | 245 | 226 | 8.4% | 1175 | 1055 | 11.4% |
| Lexus | 989 | 1418 | -30.3% | 5589 | 5946 | -6.0% |
| Mazda | 6587 | 8051 | -18.2% | 27806 | 33641 | -17.3% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 3286 | 2865 | 14.7% | 12664 | 11901 | 6.4% |
| MINI | 553 | 502 | 10.2% | 1788 | 1587 | 12.7% |
| Mitsubishi | 1730 | 1810 | -4.4% | 8422 | 8235 | 2.3% |
| Nissan | 6251 | 7487 | -16.5% | 29647 | 30345 | -2.3% |
| Porsche | 309 | 193 | 60.1% | 1154 | 792 | 45.7% |
| Saab | 20 | - | n.a. | 61 | - | n.a. |
| smart | 268 | 244 | 9.8% | 810 | 886 | -8.6% |
| Subaru | 2576 | 2436 | 5.7% | 11694 | 11032 | 6.0% |
| Suzuki | 424 | 700 | -39.4% | 2390 | 2390 | -33.8% |
| Toyota | 11041 | 16461 | -32.9% | 61968 | 71290 | -13.1% |
| Volkswagen | 5776 | 4587 | 25.9% | 21936 | 18406 | 19.2% |
| Volvo | 770 | 642 | 19.9% | 2857 | 2686 | 6.4% |
| Light Vehicle Sales | 149034 | 154927 | -3.8% | 642976 | 631837 | 1.8% |
| Passenger Car | 69402 | 74196 | -6.5% | 285811 | 294136 | -2.8% |
| Light Truck | 79632 | 80731 | -1.4% | 357165 | 3377014 | 5.8% |
| GM/Ford/Chrysler Nameplates | 72041 | 72966 | -1.3% | 299344 | 285134 | 5.0% |
| Import Nameplates | 76993 | 81961 | -6.1% | 343632 | 346703 | -0.9% |
| Sales History | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 11/10 |
| January | 91.2 | 102.8 | 76.9 | 81.6 | 84.5 | 3.6% |
| February | 97.0 | 111.0 | 80.2 | 100.2 | 96.0 | -4.2% |
| March | 150.7 | 150.0 | 127.5 | 145.4 | 153.5 | 5.5% |
| April | 169.0 | 175.2 | 143.9 | 149.7 | 159.9 | 6.9% |
| May | 185.5 | 184.5 | 154.0 | 154.3 | 149.0 | -3.8% |
| June | 169.2 | 159.5 | 138.5 | 154.6 | ||
| July | 142.4 | 149.5 | 139.9 | 148.8 | ||
| August | 158.4 | 147.0 | 135.4 | 136.1 | ||
| September | 131.8 | 134.1 | 129.5 | 135.1 | ||
| October | 120.9 | 122.7 | 121.5 | 123.2 | ||
| November | 117.3 | 105.2 | 102.1 | 116.0 | ||
| December | 119.9 | 94.4 | 111.2 | 111.0 | ||
| Full Year | 1614.7 | 1653.4 | 1636.0 | 1460.6 | 1556.5 | |
| Note: Sales figures above are in thousands. | ||||||