U.S. Auto Sales Brand-By-Brand Results: January 2017

Timothy Cain
by Timothy Cain

Auto sales slid 2 percent in January 2017, starting off the new year on the wrong foot after a record December ended 2016 by stealing this year’s sales.

Sharp declines at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Toyota Motor Corporation brought down an industry that saw numerous notable gains. While FCA and Toyota tumbled by more than 11 percent, year-over-year, Honda, Nissan, and Subaru were among the biggest brands to report improvements compared with January 2016.

The Honda Civic topped all passenger cars in total January volume, despite falling 13 percent. With a 53-percent surge, the Honda CR-V held off the Nissan Rogue to begin 2017 as America’s top-selling utility vehicle. Pickup truck sales jumped by more than 4 percent, thanks mainly to a 13-percent uptick in Ford F-Series sales.

As Acura and Lexus saw their monthly sales volume fall to the lowest point in five years, Mercedes-Benz was America’s top-selling premium brand thanks to a 4-percent rise to 25,527 sales, boosted by a 27-percent C-Class increase.

The overall industry, however, lost roughly 22,000 sales as car sales continued to dive and minivan volume plunged for a sixth consecutive month.

January is nevertheless a poor predictor of future sales. Typically the lowest-volume month of the year, January accounts for 8.5 percent of the calendar but only 6.5 percent of the year’s sales.

Auto BrandJanuary 2017January 2016% ChangeAcura 9,20210,250-10.2%Alfa Romeo1086858.8%Audi 13,20111,85011.4%BMW 18,10918,0820.1%Buick 13,11718,269-28.2%Cadillac 10,29810,740-4.1%Chevrolet 135,170137,803-1.9%Chrysler 13,37721,772-38.6%Dodge 40,10948,302 -17.0%Fiat 2,1642,379-9.0%Ford 162,401 165,301-1.8%Genesis 1,818——GMC 37,32436,9331.1%Honda 97,17890,2477.7%Hyundai 44,68945,011-0.7%Infiniti 11,5588,51435.8%Jaguar 2,9391,352117%Jeep 58,41562,767-6.9%Kia 35,62638,305-7.0%Land Rover 6,1635,6559.0%Lexus 15,57220,933-25.6%Lincoln 8,7857,17722.4%Maserati 88952569.3%Mazda 21,69819,70410.1%Mercedes-Benz °25,527 24,664 3.5% Mercedes-Benz Vans ° 2,0491,899 7.9% Total Mercedes-Benz ° 27,57626,5633.8%Mini 3,1103,238-4.0%Mitsubishi 6,4576,2643.1%Nissan 100,76197,2203.6%Porsche 4,6024,3545.7%Ram 38,04536,0645.5%Smart 324399-18.8%Subaru 43,87941,1016.8%Toyota 127,476140,350-9.2%Volkswagen 23,51020,07917.1%Volvo 3,4724,244-18.2%————BMW-Mini 21,21921,320-0.5%Fiat Chrysler Automobiles 152,218 171,352-11.2%Daimler AG27,90026,9623.5%Ford Motor Co.171,186172,478-0.7%General Motors 195,909203,745-3.8%Honda Motor Co.106,380100,4975.9%Hyundai-Kia 82,13383,316-1.4%Jaguar-Land Rover 9,1027,00729.9%Nissan Motor Co.112,319105,7346.2%Toyota Motor Corp.143,048161,283-11.3%Volkswagen Group * 41,07436,03714.0%————Industry Total1,142,1811,164,137-1.9%

Source: Manufacturers

[Image Source: Mercedes-Benz]

* 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 in to Toyota’s.

** Industry total takes into account Automotive News figures/estimates for brands such as Tesla (2,800 January units) 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.

Timothy Cain
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  • VW4motion VW4motion on Feb 02, 2017

    Infiniti sales up to 11558 is a surprise. Guess money on the hood is helping sales. But the new G60 3.0T is damn nice and is actually not so trendy, like previous designs. I'd like to see those sales numbers broken down to what actually is selling at Infiniti.

  • Elliot86 Elliot86 on Feb 02, 2017

    Mitsubishi sold more vehicles than Volvo,fiat,and mini...hmmm.. maybe those 3 brand should just pull out of the U.S. market..

  • Tele Vision As a V1 owner I opine that Cadillac should be GM's version of AMG. i.e.: Regular Equinox with an inline 4 or V6; and an Equinox V with a twin-turbo V6; lowered; and appointed with many peeled cows - at twice the price. It'd sell. V all the things!
  • Jeff Not really bad just mostly oil changes.
  • Jeff Thanks again Corey for this Eldorado series.
  • Scott I seriously doubt that they will be in business within three years. They are phasing out popular models and not replacing them. Durango is going to disappear next. They say that the elevators don’t stop on many mid level floors at the Stelantis HQ. They have let many designers and engineers go. Pretty soon the customers will get a clue that they shouldn’t bother stopping at a Stelantis dealership!
  • Lou_BC Ford should hire someone who knows how to design an esthetic pickup front end. Ram's about the only one with a decent snout.
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