The Source Of August 2014's U.S. Auto Sales Growth
Forecasts didn’t call for rain on August 2014’s auto sales parade, but there was definitely a general feeling of overcast heading into Wednesday as automakers prepared to release their monthly and year-to-date sales results.
The rate of growth in the U.S. auto industry since the recession ended has been striking, but the chances of that growth lasting forever – particularly when a month like August is compared with a very strong month like August 2013 – seemed slim.
Yet auto sales increased by 5.5% to more than 1.58 million in August 2014, an improvement of more than 80,000 units.
The forecasts weren’t all wrong. High-volume brands like Chevrolet, Dodge, and Volkswagen all reported losses, a 13% decline in Volkswagen’s case, the 17th consecutive month in which Volkswagen brand sales have decreased in the United States.
Jaguar volume fell 31%. Infiniti volume fell 23%. Fiat was down 20%. Scion sales likewise slid 20%. Cadillac volume was off August 2013’s pace by 18%. Sales at BMW’s Mini brand were down 17%. Buick and Volvo both lost 10%; Acura and Land Rover fell 9%. Lincoln was just south of level.
The bright spots, however, were particularly bright. Jeep, Ram, Subaru, Nissan, and Toyota were the biggest brands to post significant increases. Maserati, Porsche, Smart, Mitsubishi, and Audi were among the lower-volume auto brands to post meaningful improvements: 278%, 36%, 34%, 28%, and 22%, respectively.
Mazda, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, GMC, and Lexus all grew by at least 10%. Toyota brand sales were up 7%. Hyundai grew 6%. (Kia, Chrysler, Honda, Bentley, and Ford improvements were all below the market’s 5.5% growth rate.)
Back to those five large and fast-growing brands, Jeep reported its best-ever sales month for the new Cherokee, America’s eighth-ranked SUV/crossover in August. Ram’s market share in the full-size truck category grew by more than four percentage points. Subaru sold more than 50,000 vehicles for the first time in a single month, and Nissan reported a car sales improvement of 18% in a car market that improved by just 2%. Toyota shot the RAV4 up to top spot among utility vehicles with record sales in a second consecutive month.
As for the fast-growing lower-volume brands, Maserati outsold Jaguar, albeit by just 49 units. Even with the Macan excluded, Porsche sales jumped 7.3%. Mercedes-Benz reported more than 1000 Smart Fortwo sales for the third time in five months, having not done so previously since September 2012.
Mitsubishi is not back to being a brand that can sell more than 300,000 cars annually in the United States, but sales have increased in six consecutive months and in ten of the last eleven months.
Audi reported its highest-ever monthly sales in the U.S. in August, generating 41% of the brand’s sales with Q models and the A4 Allroad, including the first 243 Q3 sales.
More by Timothy Cain
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- SCE to AUX Over the last 15 years and half a dozen vehicles, my Hyundais and Kias have been pretty cheap to maintain and insure - gas, hybrid, and electric.I hate buying tires - whose cost goes by diameter - and I'm dreading the purchase of new 19s for the Santa Fe.I also have an 08 Rabbit in my fleet, which is not cheap to fix.But I do my own wrenching, so that's the biggest factor.
- MaintenanceCosts '19 Chevy Bolt: Next to nothing. A 12v battery and a couple cabin air filters. $400 over five years.'16 Highlander Hybrid, bought in 2019: A new set of brakes at all four corners, a new PCV valve, several oil changes, and two new 12v batteries (to be fair, the second one wasn't the car's fault - I had the misfortune of leaving it for a month with both third-row interior lights stealthily turned on by my kid). Total costs around $2500 over five years. Coming due: tires.'11 BMW 335i, bought in late 2022: A new HID low beam bulb (requiring removal of the front fascia, which I paid to have done), a new set of spark plugs, replacements for several flaking soft-touch parts, and two oil changes. Total costs around $1600 over a year and a half. Coming due: front main seal (slow leak).'95 Acura Legend, bought in 2015: Almost complete steering and suspension overhauls, timing belt and water pump, new rear brakes, new wheels and tires, new radiator, new coolant hoses throughout, new valve cover gaskets, new PS hoses, new EGR valve assembly, new power antenna, professional paint correction, and quite a few oil changes. Total costs around $12k over nine years. Coming due: timing belt (again), front diff seal.
- SCE to AUX Given this choice - I'd take the Honda Civic Sport Hatchback (CVT). I 'built' mine for $28777.To my eye, the Civic beats the Corolla on looks these days.But for the same money, I can get an Elantra N-Line with 7-speed DCT, 201 HP, and good fuel economy, so I'd rather go for that.
- Kwik_Shift_Pro4X '19 Frontier Pro 4X. Next to nothing. All oil changes are on schedule. Got new tires at 60000 miles. Still on original brakes at 79000 miles. Those are due soon. Brakes complete estimate $1000 all in.
- Dr.Nick The cars seem really expensive with tight back seats and Cadillac was on the list of the highest price gouging dealers coming out of COVID. I don’t understand the combination, shouldn’t they be offering deals if they are not selling?
Comments
Join the conversation
You misread the mitsubishi comment. They sold 300k cars a year back in the early 2000s. They might sell 60 or 70k total this year.
Regarding increased sales for FCA: I'm not surprised to see sales up at Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep, however, the sales increases did not include the Fiat brand itself. The one Fiat dealership in Milwaukee (Bergstrom Fiat of Milwaukee) has closed. Bergstrom is a large, successful dealership group in Wisconsin selling many different brands. They once had three Fiat dealerships, now just one. The Fiat building in Milwaukee now houses a Mazda dealership.