U.S. Auto Sales Brand-By-Brand Results: December 2016 And 2016 Calendar Year

General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles all ended 2016 selling fewer new vehicles in the United States than the traditional Detroit Three managed one year earlier.

Yet for a second consecutive year, U.S. auto sales improved to record levels, shooting past 17.5 million units thanks to an end-of-year push that propelled December to a 3-percent increase, not the 2-percent decline forecasted.Compared with 2015, Jaguar and Volvo were the fastest-growing auto brands in America in calendar year 2016. Ram, Jeep, and Subaru posted the best percentage improvements among volume brands, with Ram and Jeep standing out as overall FCA numbers declined (Chrysler, Fiat, and Alfa Romeo were among the most rapidly declining auto brands). With the 200’s slow departure, Chrysler sales slid 27 percent in 2016. Fiat plunged by nearly a quarter.

The Toyota Camry turned 2016 into its 15th consecutive year as America’s best-selling car, just ahead of the arrival of a new Camry at this month’s North American International Auto Show. With the 2016 model year marking the end of the outgoing model’s tenure, the Honda CR-V nevertheless ended 2016 as America’s top-selling SUV/crossover — its fifth consecutive year on top of the leaderboard. The Ford F-Series, America’s top-selling vehicle line, topped the pickup truck category for a 40th consecutive year.

The big story of 2016, however, was the steady decline of passenger cars. By the end of 2016, SUVs/crossovers were consistently outselling cars, which are now producing only four out of every ten U.S. new vehicle sales.

Auto BrandDecember 2016December 2015% Change20162015% ChangeAcura 17,14816,8231.9%161,360177,165-8.9%Alfa Romeo5256-7.1%516659-21.7%Audi 23,19520,39913.7%210,213 202,2024.0%BMW 32,83534,625-5.2%313,174346,023-9.5%Buick 21,28820,7082.8%229,631223,0552.9%Cadillac 21,44620,7873.2%170,006175,267-3.0%Chevrolet 212,959188,79412.8%2,096,5102,125,347-1.4%Chrysler 16,77624,554 -31.7%231,972317,923-27.0%Dodge 36,32946,210-21.4%506,858527,295-3.9%Fiat 2,6065,619 -53.6%32,74242,922-23.7%Ford 224,994226,746-0.8% 2,487,487 2,501,855-0.6%Genesis 1,733——6,948——GMC 63,41559,9415.8%546,628558,697-2.2%Honda 143,329134,070 6.9%1,476,5821,409,3864.8%Hyundai 60,57263,508 -4.6%768,057761,7100.8%Infiniti 18,19815,09320.6%138,293133,4983.6%Jaguar 4,2941,197259% 31,24314,466116%Jeep 83,15988,868 -6.4%926,376872,9086.1%Kia 54,35354,2410.2%647,598625,8183.5%Land Rover 8,2798,441-1.9%73,86170,5824.6%Lexus 41,18241,380-0.5%331,228344,601-3.9%Lincoln 12,79110,86017.8%111,724101,22710.4%Maserati 1,6941,06958.5%12,53411,6937.2%Mazda 28,75429,294-1.8%297,773319,183-6.7%Mercedes-Benz °32,011 34,203 -6.4% 340,237 343,088 -0.8% Mercedes-Benz Vans ° 3,8604,046 -4.6% 34,304 29,889 14.8% Total Mercedes-Benz ° 35,87138,249-6.2%374,541372,9770.4%Mini 4,6585,009-7.0%52,03058,514-11.1%Mitsubishi 7,3837,887-6.4%96,26795,3421.0%Nissan 134,545124,2078.3%1,426,1301,351,4205.5%Porsche 4,0153,9362.0%54,28051,7564.9%Ram 53,59748,616 10.2%545,851491,17011.1%Smart 1,18666977.3%6,2117,484-17.0%Subaru 63,17756,27412.3%615,132582,6755.6%Scion ° 102 1,872 -94.6% 12,02832,958 -63.5% Toyota ° 201,945195,100 3.5% 2,106,374 2,121,760 -0.7% Toyota 202,047196,9722.6%2,118,4022,154,718-1.7%Volkswagen 37,22930,95620.3%322,948349,440-7.6%Volvo 10,1299,3418.4% 82,72470,047 18.1%————— ——BMW-Mini 37,49339,634-5.4%365,204404,537-9.7%Fiat Chrysler Automobiles192,519213,923-10.0%2,244,3152,252,877-0.4%Daimler AG 37,05738,918-4.8%380,752380,4610.1%Ford Motor Co.237,785237,6060.1% 2,599,2112,603,082 -0.1%General Motors 319,108290,23010.0%3,042,7753,082366-1.3%Honda Motor Co.160,477150,8936.4%1,637,942 1,586,5513.2%Hyundai-Kia 116,658117,749-0.9%1,422,603 1,387,5282.5%Jaguar-Land Rover 12,5739,63830.5%105,104 85,04823.6%Nissan Motor Co.152,743139,3009.7%1,564,4231,484,9185.4%Toyota Motor Corp.243,229238,3522.0%2,449,630 2,499,319-2.0%Volkswagen Group * 64,84655,87216.1% 590,022606,084-2.7%———————Industry Total1,688,368 1,638,618 3.0% 17,539,052 17,482,841 0.3%

Source: Manufacturers

[Image Source: FCA]

* Volkswagen Group includes sales figures for Audi, Bentley, Porsche, and Volkswagen brands

° Mercedes-Benz USA releases sales figures for the Mercedes-Benz brand in the conventional sense, vans excluded, as well as totals for the Metris and Sprinter vans. The complete picture is included here.

° Scion’s sales figures are now folded into Toyota’s, but the Scion brand here includes sales of outgoing Scions as well as Scions that are becoming Toyotas. We have included the complete picture for clarity’s sake.

** Industry total takes into account Automotive News figures/estimates for brands such as Tesla (2,250 December units; 26,725 in 2016) and other low-volume, high-priced manufacturers.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.